Peter was born in 1936. He attended the Royal College of Music, where he met his future wife, actress Angela Piper, who played Jennifer in BBC Radio 4’s The Archers (1963 – 2022).
Peter was a long-serving BBC TV network announcer – 28 years – from 1967 to 1995.
He also voiced presentation trails for BBC Television (c. 1971 – 1981).
Like many of his colleagues, Peter rarely appeared in-vision in his BBC announcing role. But there were a few exceptions:
- 1st February 1982: Peter made an in-vision appearance on BBC Two, promoting the new series of Not the Nine o’Clock News, before introducing Porridge.
- February 1982: he appeared on Jim’ll Fix It, taking a young viewer called Samantha behind-the-scenes in the BBC Presentation department, and showing her the workings of one of the continuity suites in Network Control.
- Mid-1980s: on the daytime programme, Noticeboard.
He narrated BBC Two’s Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Masterclass (19th July 1981).
Peter was later a BBC World Service (radio) announcer.
He presented some radio programmes, including From Our Own Correspondent (BBC World Service, July 2000 and April 2001).
Unfortunately, we’ve not had the opportunity to speak with Peter directly.
When we contact announcers, we normally include a question about lighter moments or when things didn’t go quite to plan.
In an impeccable announcing career spanning four decades, one slightly troublesome moment for Peter came at closedown on BBC Two, in the early hours of 13th December 1981.
Peter had to read a news report out-of-vision about riots in Poland. The script seemed to be handwritten – as, near the end of the report, he took a lengthy pause, before saying: “Sorry, I can’t quite read the writing here…” before finishing off the sentence and pointing viewers to BBC Radio 2 for further updates.
He kept chickens at home and former colleagues recalled he used to bring in fresh eggs to the announcer’s office.
His final BBC One broadcast was the closedown in the early hours of 4th August 1995. With the clock on screen he said:
“And this is the time, just after eighteen minutes to two – as you perhaps prepare to retire to bed. I’m about to do the same – not to bed just yet – but to retire from BBC Television after 28 years of talking to you on BBC One and Two.
“So now, as I won’t to say, I’m away from here and off to enjoy the big wide world.
“Service on BBC One will be resumed tomorrow morning at 6, but as we close down now, this is Peter Bolgar on behalf of all of us here, now wishing you one last very goodnight. Goodnight.”
In May 2019, former BBC TV Presentation colleague John Ross-Barnard posted on Facebook to inform colleagues of the death of former BBC TV and Thames presentation editor Bruce Goddard. John added a memory of Peter:
“I think it was Bruce who spotted Peter Bolgar moonlighting for Anglia TV. According to Peter, they passed in a BBC TV Centre corridor a few days later. Without even stopping, Bruce murmured ‘you’re much better out-of-vision’. The moonlighting stopped.”
The sad news of Peter’s passing was recorded in the deaths column of The Times on 15th February 2025:
BOLGAR George Peter passed away peacefully on 31st January 2025, aged 89. Member of the Horse Guards, the Royal Academy of Music and BBC broadcaster. He is survived by his wife, three children and eight grandchildren who all have happy memories of their fun times together.
The Times (15th February 2025)
Personal information
Clips of Peter on The TV Room
Peter may be featured in video/audio clips on our other websites. Click the links below to display a listing (a 404 error will appear if no clips are found):
Online presence
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: Peter Bolgar with some spoof in-vision BBC Two continuity (1981). SUPPLIED BY: Paul R. Jackson. COPYRIGHT: BBC.
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