The Continuity Booth
ITV 1 - ABC
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Former ABC TV and LWT announcer.
One of ITV's legendary announcers, John Benson announced for ABC Television, in Manchester and Birmingham, from 1957 until 1966. In 1967, he was a presenter for the BBC Light Programme, and a relief announcer for Rediffusion in London.
He joined Thames Television when it took over the London weekday franchise from 1968. He also continued as a relief announcer for Westward, Anglia, Southern, Thames and TVS. Benson's voice-over credits include the introduction to Southern Television's final programme, It's Goodbye From Us, Anglia TV's Sale Of The Century, and Yorkshire TV's 3-2-1. John Benson died in 1995.
Image courtesy of Paul R Jackson.
Former ABC Television and Southern Television announcer.
Continuity announcer for ABC Television, TWW (Television Wales and the West) in 1958, and one of the first announcers and news readers on Anglia Television from its launch in 1959. During his time at the Norwich-based station, Colin also interviewed for news programmes and was a quizmaster. After leaving Anglia in 1964, Colin worked as an announcer/news reader for the overseas service of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, and later that year moved to Tyne Tees TV in Newcastle as a continuity announcer and newscaster. As a freelance news reader, announcer, presenter and quizmaster between 1967 and 1975, Colin worked for several ITV stations, including Westward Television, Grampian and Border. He also worked for the BBC in Bristol, Southampton and London.
In 1975, Colin returned to radio (he had started his career as a disc jockey with radio stations in Africa), launching the new commercial Plymouth Sound station, where he presented The Sunrise Sound breakfast show for 18 months. In 1979, Colin moved to Nottingham's Radio Trent to present A Little Night Music each evening and Colin's Corner on Sunday afternoons. Between 1989 and 1996, Colin produced and presented The Golden Years on BBC Radio Nottingham, a request programme featuring the music of the 1920s, 30s and 40s. Colin has also freelanced as an actor, voice-over, narrator and speaker. His acting roles have included parts in Byker Grove, Coronation Street, Boon, Emmerdale Farm, Peak Practice, and the Tommy Cooper Show. In 2000, Colin starred as Chesney Allen in the theatre production of The Flanagan and Allen Story. He now lives in Nottingham with his wife, Judith, a former transmission loggist for Westward TV, where the couple met.
John was an announcer with ABC Television and ATV London. He also worked as a Network announcer with the BBC from 1969 until 1974 and voiced BBC TV presentation trails from 1972 to 1990.Former ABC TV announcer.Duncanson's first TV airing was as a continuity announcer on ABC Television, the weekend contractor for the North and the Midlands, in the early-1960s. He also regularly announced on Border Television in the 1970s. He went on to become the main anchor of Grampian's 'North Tonight' local evening topicality show through the 1980s and 1990s, although he has now retired from that job.
ABC TV and Associated Rediffusion continuity announcer who later presented BBC Children's TV's 'Top Of The Form', 1966 - 1967. He was a BBC TV news reader from September 1968 until September 1973, and then again in October 1974 and between September 1979 and June 1981. John also presented the BBC's regional London TV magazine, 'Town And Around' in 1968/1969 and BBC Radio 4's 'You and Yours' in 1972.
1979 - 1985: Head of Drama, University College of Wales. Professor of Drama for the University of Americas, Mexico and University of California, Santa Cruz 1985 - 1997. Returned to England appearing in several theatre productions including his own drama, verse and prose recitals.
TTVRP reader Dave Lawrence remembers John Edmunds from his time as a teacher. He says: "John had another occupation alongside his TV announcing work. He was a part time teacher - English if I remember correctly. He worked at Battersea Grammar School in Streatham, London from the early to mid sixties and I believe he also did a spell of teaching at Henry Thornton's Grammar School in Clapham before that. He was quite popular with the pupils as he was a bit more relaxed than some of the teachers! I left Battersea Grammar in 1966 and I am pretty sure he was still teaching there then."
Image courtesy of Paul R Jackson.
Started his television career as a continuity scriptwriter for ATV, but soon moved to the glamorous side of the camera as an announcer and programme presenter. His first in-vision job was as a relief announcer for North and Midlands weekend contractor, ABC Television, and he remained there for three months before landing a permanent job with Tyne Tees TV in the North East.
His innovative approach to continuity, which included donning a white coat and stethoscope before introducing Emergency Ward Ten or a stetson before Wagon Train secured him a large fan base, and he was voted TTTV's personality of the year within 12 months of landing the job. Later, he moved to ABC Television as one of its permanent announcers, and then when ABC joined with Rediffusion to form Thames Television in 1968, he continued as a continuity announcer and programme presenter. He could also be seen down the road at Southern Television at weekends when Thames was off air. National fame followed with a stint as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 and presenter on BBC Radio 2, and several television game shows.
David continues in broadcasting to this day; in more recent times he has had spells with Saga FM and Classic Gold radio.
Sheila Kennedy, who later made a name for herself as an announcer on ABC Television and then Thames, landed her first television job with Westward. Hotfooting it straight from a career as a theatre actress, Sheila was the first female presenter on the new Westward Television, and proved a real hit with viewers. She became very closely associated with Gus Honeybun, and also contributed articles to Westward's own local television listings magazine, Look Westward.
Former offshore pirate radio broadcaster who moved into television announcing, and, since then, has appeared on many ITV regional stations, including long stints at ABC TV, the North and Midlands weekend contractor until 1968. Keith also announced for ATV, Yorkshire Television, Anglia TV, Television South and LWT in the 1970s/1980s. Announcer for Southern TV, 1959 - 1961; ATV and ABC Television. BBC TV announcer, 1965 to 1972; BBC Radio External Services announcer 1975 onwards. Keith went on to specialise in voice coaching - his clients include former Prime Minister John Major.
Image courtesy of Paul R Jackson.
Former ABC Television announcer. Also an in-vision Southern Television continuity announcer in the 1960s.
Image courtesy of Paul R Jackson.
Announcer for Southern TV, 1959 - 1961; also, ATV and ABC Television. BBC TV voice only announcer, 1965 to 1972. BBC Radio External Services announcer 1975 onwards.Former ABC Television announcer.
Bill Steel is mainly remembered as Tyne Tees Television's chief announcer and one of the main presenters of evening news magazine programme, Northern Life, when it started in 1976. He has also announced across the ITV network on stations such as Thames and Border Television.
His first job at TTTV was as an Assistant Transmission Controller and he then progressed to voice-over work, including a spell as the announcer on TTTV's Song For The Swinging Sixties pop music show. He then took up a newsreading job at ABC Television in Manchester and Birmingham while continuing his day job during the week as a Transmission Controller at TTTV.
When ABC and Rediffusion 'merged' in 1968 to form Thames Television, Bill was kept on as an announcer, working with former Tyne Tees colleague, David Hamilton. At around this time he was also asked to take on some voice only continuity at Tyne Tees, present the nightly news magazine programme, Today At Six and was also offered a job as breakfast show DJ on the North East's new commercial radio station, Metro Radio.
A very busy man, Bill at this stage was forced to give up advertising voice-over work and his Transmission Control job to concentrate on the other elements of his successful broadcasting career. After his news contract ended, he moved over to continuity and took over from Neville Wanless as chief announcer in 1988.
He left Tyne Tees in 1996 and since then has developed his acting career -- in 1997 he joined Coronation Street briefly as Bernard McKenna. Until recently, he was also a presenter on Century Radio and is a director of a local media training company.
Former ABC Television announcer.
Image courtesy of Paul R Jackson.
Former ABC TV and Southern TV announcer.
