Moore, Ray

Ray was born in Liverpool. On leaving school his first job was at Liverpool docks.

In April 1962, he applied for the combined post of assistant stage manager and juvenile lead with the repertory company Mercury Players in Oldham, Sidmouth and Swansea. The cast included Alan Lake, who was later married to Diana Dors.

Ray was a much-loved BBC Radio broadcaster for three decades. However his long broadcasting career began in television.

In 1962, he joined Granada TV as an out-of-vision continuity announcer. He later appeared in-vision as a newsreader on their news magazine programme, Scene at 6.30.

He also did voice work, with Brian Trueman and Peter Wheeler, on What the Papers Say.

In 1964, he got weekend work as a relief announcer at Tyne Tees TV in Newcastle. He moved to ATV in Birmingham as an in-vision announcer and newsreader.

In the summer of 1965 he got a three-month contract at BBC TV North in Manchester as an announcer for the recently launched BBC Two. His role was to write and shoot short promotional films along with announcing duties.

When working evenings, he answered calls to the Duty Office from viewers.

On radio, he initially presented The N.D.O. Show (27th August 1966) and Pop North (3rd November 1966 – 1967) on the BBC Light Programme.

In the summer of 1967, he broadcast his first programme from the BBC in London, called Saturday Club.

In September 1967, Ray moved to London and got a job as a BBC Radio announcer/newsreader on the Home Service and he also worked on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Third Programme and the BBC World Service.

When BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2 launched in September 1967, he continued presenting Pop North until October 1967, on BBC Radio 1.

In November 1967, he began presenting Breakfast Special on BBC Radio 2. He left in February 1972 and went freelance a year later.

He presented the early morning show on BBC Radio 2 (1980 – 28th January 1988). He developed an idiosyncratic broadcasting style which relied on a highly individual, gentle and sophisticated wit and repartee.

The regular exchange of banter established between Moore and Terry Wogan, as the former handed over to the latter’s breakfast show became an established element of BBC Radio 2’s morning schedule.

Moore’s show brought him a dedicated following of listeners, evidenced in 1986 and 1987 by the turnout of thousands of early morning joggers for the two ‘Bog-eyed Jog’ events held in sporting stadia across the UK in aid of Children in Need.

As he explained in his autobiography, Tomorrow – Who Knows? (published by Constable in 1989):

“My theory, if I ever had one, was that this show, broadcast at such a crazy time, could only be successful if it were based on one assumption: that nobody in his or her right mind would choose to be up at such an awful hour.

“If we both had to be awake so early, I thought, let’s agree one thing: that it’s you and me against the world. I determined to be cheerful but in a grumpy sort of way, with none of the enforced jollity so beloved of Radio 4.”

In association with these events, he released two records: O’ My Father Had a Rabbit spent seven weeks in the UK Singles Chart in 1986, reaching number 24; while the follow-up, Bog-Eyed Jog, did not do so well, peaking at number 61.

Other BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 1 programmes he presented:

• The Sound of Strings (1968);
• The Leon Young Strings Chorale (1968);
• Music Parade (1968 – 1969);
• Dancing Round Europe (1969);
• Sound Stage (1969);
• Nightride (1969 – 1970 and 1972 – 1974);
• Melody Fair (1969 – 1970);
• Sounds Familiar (1969);
• Easy to Remember (1970);
• Ray Moore’s Saturday Night (1970);
• Broadway to Piccadilly (1970);
• Galaxy (1971);
• After Seven (1971 – 1973);
• The More the Merrier (1971);
• Wonderful Copenhagen (1972);
• Dancing to Midnight (1972 – 1973);
• Strike Up the Band (1973);
• Sammes’ Songs (1976 – 1977);
• Saturday Night (1976);
• The Monday Movie Quiz (1976 – 1986);
• The All-Night Late Show (1977);
• Ray Moore Presents Two’s Best (1985);
• Pop Score (1985 – 1987).

On six occasions, he provided the BBC Radio 2 commentary, for the Eurovision Song Contest (1978 – 1979, 1981 – 1982 and 1986 – 1987).

For three decades, he was a regular voice heard on BBC TV programme trails. Because his BBC Radio 2 contract forbade him from doing TV work, he used the name Daniel Christian from 1968 until 1973.

He finished up with BBC TV Presentation in 1987.

He introduced the following programmes:

• The NDO Show (BBC One, 1972);
• Billy Smart’s Christmas Circus (BBC One, 1974 – 1977);
• A Funny Thing… (BBC One, 1974);
• Morecambe and Wise: This is Your Lunch (BBC One, 1974);
• Sounds of Christmas (BBC Two, 1975 – 1977);
• Festival of Entertainment (BBC One, 1974 – 1976 and 1979);
• Royal Appointment (BBC One, 1975);
• Dame Vera – This is Your Lunch (BBC One, 1975);
• The Daughters of Heaven (BBC Two, 1975);
• The British Screen Awards (BBC One, 1975);
• The World Professional Modern Ballroom Dancing Championships (BBC One, 1976);
• Danny La Rue – This is Your Lunch (BBC One, 1976);
• Billy Smart’s Circus (BBC One, 1976 – 1977);
• Glory Folk (BBC Two, 1976);
• Merry Go Round (BBC One, 1977);
• The Moscow State Circus (BBC Two, 1977);
• Mexican Fiesta (BBC Two, 1978);
• Max Bygraves – This is Your Lunch (BBC One, 1978);
• The World’s Amateur Latin American Dancing Championships (BBC One, 1979 and 1981);
• The British Academy Awards (BBC One, 1977, 1979 and 1983);
• The Circus World Championships (BBC One, 1979);
• The World Latin American Dance Championships (BBC One, 1979);
• Robert Brothers Easter Circus (BBC One, 1979);
• The Variety Club Honours Lord Louis (BBC One, 1979);
• Ballroom Champions (BBC One, 1980 – 1985);
• The Best in the Ballroom (BBC One, 1980 – 1982);
• World Professional Dance Championships (BBC One, 1980 and 1987);
• Gene Kelly, This is Your Lunch (BBC One, 1980);
• Miss Europe 1981 (BBC One, 1981);
• World Professional Ballroom Dancing Championships (BBC One, 1982);
• James Last (BBC One, 1983 – 1984);
• World Dancing Championships (BBC One, 1983);
• Show Business Awards (BBC One, 1984);
• UK Dance Championships (BBC One, 1986 – 1987);
• The World Latin Dance Championships (BBC One, 1986);
• Eurovision Song Contest Previews (BBC One, 1987).

He provided voiceover/commentary for a number of annual events:

• Miss England (BBC One, 1974 – 1979);
• Miss United Kingdom (BBC One, 1974 – 1979);
• Miss World (BBC One, 1975 – 1977 and 1979);
• The Variety Club Awards (BBC One, 1976 – 1983 and 1985 – 1987);
• The Royal Variety Performance (BBC One, 1976);
• The Schools Prom (BBC Two, 1978 – 1987);
• Miss Great Britain (BBC One, 1981 – 1985);
• The Laurence Olivier Awards (BBC One, 24th January 1988).

He narrated:

• Prince Charles, Pilot Royal (BBC Two, 1975);
• Queens of Harmony (BBC Two, 1976);
• Horizon (BBC Two, 1978 – 1982 and 1984);
• Long Beach Olympiad (BBC Two, 1984).

He provided the commentary for one season on Come Dancing (BBC One, 1979) and reported on Children in Need (BBC One, 1987).

A heavy smoker, Moore was diagnosed with throat cancer in September 1987.

In January 1988, the BBC released a press statement about Ray’s fight with cancer and his decision to quit as his speech had deteriorated.

Ray made one of his final public appearances as a guest on Wogan (BBC One, 5th September 1988), with a long beard hiding his throat cancer.

He died aged 47.

In October 1988, Ken Bruce accepted on Ray’s behalf the Gold Badge of Merit Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.

In 1989, he posthumously received awards from the Broadcasting Press Guild and from The Radio Academy for his outstanding personal contribution to radio.

BBC Radio 2 aired the Ray Moore Tribute (29th January 1989), presented by Ken Bruce.

The BBC held a memorial service for him on Friday 3rd March 1989 at All Souls Church. It was broadcast live on BBC Radio 2 with Colin Berry and Terry Wogan giving addresses.

He married Alma Mather in 1969. They met when she worked as the BBC Gramophone librarian in Manchester.

 

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