De Stains, Ian

Ian was born in Yorkshire. He was a student of RADA in 1968, alongside Leigh Lawson, David Bradley, Timothy Dalton and Jonathan Meades.

He began his broadcasting career as an in-vision announcer on Yorkshire Television (1968 – 1969). He was a producer/presenter at BBC Radio and Television in Manchester (1969 – 1970).

He moved to London where he was a network announcer, mainly on BBC Two (1970 – 1976). He was awarded an OBE in 1993 for services to the community in Japan, mainly for work on behalf of children with special needs.

From 1976 to 1980, he was seconded from the BBC to Japan’s NHK network to work on a variety of international programmes, many of which did well in international competitions. Though later his main work was in the area of public affairs, he still did narrations – both commercial and documentaries – and also hosted a monthly internet TV programme called Market Access.

Correspondence

Paul R. Jackson corresponded with Ian – who was based in Japan – in September 2017:

What are your memories of former colleagues at ITV and BBC?

“Yes, I worked with Redvers (Kyle). The only other colleague I remember was Peter Lewis and I kept in touch for many years with Mel Oxley until he passed away.”

What programmes did you produce/present in Manchester?

“They included First in the Field and Meet Us at the Tower and various news presentations.”

How did you become a BBC TV announcer?

“It was a move from Manchester and I was on contract.”

Any particular memories from your announcing days?

“Happy memories of BBC announcing. I remember the great excitement I felt when I closed down YTV on its opening night in June 1968.”

Personal information

Clips of Ian on The TV Room

Ian 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):

Rewind | Clean Feed

Online presence

Acknowledgements