The Continuity Booth
ITV 1 - Border
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Announcer at Granada Media Group's northern transmission centre in Leeds. Helen voiced announcements on Yorkshire, Tyne Tees, Granada and Border Television until October 2002. Helen began her broadcasting career while at school, presenting on Hospital Radio Friarage in Northallerton, then with University Radio Falmer at Sussex University. She went on to work for BBC Radio York, AA Roadwatch and BBC Radio Leeds before joining Yorkshire Television in 1995. Helen has also worked with the regional weather team as a producer-director and presenter. She was a familiar voice on the Wellbeing channel, working on promotions and as a narrator. Helen is also known in the corporate sector as a presenter and voice-over artist.
Craig Austin combines roles as a broadcaster, writer and producer. He started his media career in radio and moved on to television, dipping his toes in ink along the way.
Craig is from Uddingston, on the outskirts of Glasgow, and is the youngest of four boys. He started a career in medical laboratory sciences but after three years he returned to student life to study media. He does miss the white coat though!
It was during his final year as a student that he got his first professional broadcasting gigs, writing and presenting travel and traffic reports on a number of Scotland's radio stations, as well as doing commercial voice-overs. A short spell hosting his own shows on Radio Tay in Dundee followed, before Craig found himself in Carlisle, working as an announcer, presenter and producer for Border Television.
Over the course of eight years as an announcer there, Craig presented in excess of 5,000 Border News bulletins, 1,000 'Border Birthdays' slots, and 20,000 in/out-of-vision continuity spots. He also got to host a range of children’s and entertainment specials, including the 'Hogmanay' shows and his own magazine series, 'CU4'. He was also co-responsible for the station’s on screen image.
Whilst there, he continued with a number of freelance presenting engagements including at Radio Clyde 1 in Glasgow and corporate video work for Norwich Union and Bank of Scotland; and he also syndicated a weekly youth entertainment and information column for youngsters, to nine newspaper titles in Scotland, the north of England and the Isle of Man.
Craig has even had a brief foray into the world of pop music working with BMG Records, Louis Walsh and Ronan Keating, as creative consultant to 'The Carter Twins' a young and talented Dublin pop act who were being groomed for Eurovision stardom. Or so they all hoped!
Craig has extensive behind-the-scenes experience as an on air producer and consultant and his skills have been utilised by broadcasters such as ITV, BBC, UKTV and RTÉ.
Since 2003, Craig has returned to performing, as a busy voice-over artist and out-of-vision announcer for Scottish TV, Grampian TV and the UKTV network and as a presenter of Film24 on Life24.
Craig has also been developing his skills as a screenwriter and has completed two feature film scripts.
Breakdown of Craig's career to date:
1987 - 1988: traffic and travel presenter for 'AA Roadwatch' and 'Flightwatch' on Radio Clyde, Radio Forth, Radio Tay, West Sound Radio, NorthSound Radio and BBC Radio Scotland.
1987 - 1997: freelance presenter and writer including: Radio Clyde 1 in Glasgow; Radio Tay in Dundee; Radio Borders in Galashiels; 'Pick Of The Week' for Yorkshire TV. Syndicated a weekly newspaper feature for young people, to nine titles in Scotland and the North of England. Also, corporate video presenting.
1988 - 1997: announcer/presenter/producer, Border TV. Craig presented in excess of 5,000 news bulletins, 1,000 children’s programmes, and 20,000 in/out-of-vision continuity spots.
1995 - 1997: editor, presentation and promotions, Border TV.
1997: head of presentation, UK Gold.
1998: producer/consultant, ITV 2. Set up the in-vision continuity for the channel launch.
1998 - 1999: producer/consultant, RTÉ, Dublin. Project manager for the on air rebranding and relaunch of RTÉ Network 2.
2000 - 2003: network presentation manager, ITV Network. Responsible to David Liddiment, director of channels, with the remit of refreshing ITV 1's junction and presentation management. Also involved in the implementation of the initial rebranding to ITV 1 and was responsible for creating the Network Continuity Unit which was to commission and schedule all on air presentation devices, as well as to supply announcers with detailed marketing and programme information.
At ITV, Craig also introduced the then radical presentation techniques of end credit promotions, standardised credits, ‘next’ captions. ‘next time’ and ‘previously’ teasers within programmes, ad break promotion opticals, and ‘countdown/after’ trailers, all of which are now standard practice on many UK television channels.
2003 - 2006: writer: creator of various TV and film drama projects, currently seeking development interest.
1995 - 2006: presenter for Halifax and Bank of Scotland corporate videos.
2003 - 2004: continuity announcer, Scottish TV and Grampian TV.
2004 - 2005: creative producer, BBC Broadcast. Contracted to set up a new 45 strong continuity department with writing hub for the UKTV network.
2005 - 2006: continuity announcer: UKTV Drama, UKTV History, UKTV Documentary, UKTV Style Gardens and UKTV Food.
2006: presenter for Film24, broadcasting daily on Life24. Shows include 'Film Xtra', 'Star Talk' and 'Scene:Out'.
2007: announcer/director at BBC Scotland for BBC One and BBC Two. A six month assignment as part of the migration project moving the headquarters in Queen Margaret Drive to a new site at Pacific Quay. This allowed existing staff to drop out of the rota to receive training on the new technology that will be used at Pacific Quay.
Presenter/producer/director with Film24, based at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.
Website
In-vision announcer and one time Director of Programmes at Border Television, as well as being a regional programme presenter for the station. Derek is best known nationally for two networked Border productions, Mr And Mrs and Look Who's Talking.
Former Wave FM (Blackpool) journalist who moved to Border Television as an in-vision continuity announcer. She is now a producer/presenter at Border Television. In the mid-1990s, Susanna was also an in-vision announcer at UK Gold.
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.
Andrew was a continuity announcer and news reader with Border TV from 1989 to 1996. He was also responsible for Border's on-screen image and on air promotions. He moved very successfully into television management in 1996, and is currently one of the owners, and the chief operating officer of Film24, a channel all about film.
Allan was one of the Border veteran announcers, working at the station from 1961 to 1988. He is well remembered for his authority and clarity when reading the news on Border; he was also the voice of the station's start-up sequence. As well as being a main announcer on Border, Allan also did some work for Tyne Tees TV during the 1970s. In 1988 Allan returned to Tyne Tees and remained there until the closure of the continuity department in early-1996. He had the distinction of being the last person to announce from City Road, on 16 March 1996 - the same day that Bill Steel also made his last link on Tyne Tees. However, unlike most of the other Tyne Tees announcers, Allan's announcements were always out of vision - rather strange but in a way apt, when you consider the way links are done today!
Sadly Allan is no longer with us - he died in late-1997. His brother William still survives though; he was the producer of Mr And Mrs for Border from 1972 until 1987.
Image courtesy of Paul R Jackson.
Long serving Border Television continuity announcer and also programme presenter, from 1963. Clive now narrates talking books. 
In 1989, Tracey began her career voicing and creating commercials, promotions and producing shows for Northsound Radio in Aberdeen. For three years she co-presented the Breakfast Show with Robin Galloway and became the first "Eye In The Sky" for the North East of Scotland. Whilst at Northsound Radio, she began her TV career with Grampian in 1990 and at 19 became the youngest continuity announcer/news reader in the UK.
Moving to Manchester in 1995, she joined Granada Television as a continuity presenter and became the main promotional voice for Granada.
The Broadcast department was centralised in Leeds in 1998 and Tracey became Head Of On-Air for Granada Media Group (Granada, Yorkshire, Tyne Tees and Border TV) managing continuity, weather presenters, promotions and graphics departments.
Tracey has remained at ITV and now heads up the business side of the new ITV Broadcast Business Development team.
Border Television continuity announcer in the 1970s and early-1980s.Neil's broadcasting experience dates back to 1995 when he joined the team at a hospital radio station in Norwich. In 1996, he moved to 103.4 The Beach in Lowestoft; he remained there for a year.
Neil's voice has also been heard on Pirate FM in Cornwall and on Topshop TV at the clothes store's main Oxford Street branch. As well as being head of music and producer at his university radio station during his three years study, Neil also has experience of working with the teams at 'Blue Peter' and BBC Radio 1.
Having graduated with a BA honours degree in broadcasting studies, Neil joined Granada TV's northern transmission centre in March 2001, as a continuity announcer; his voice was heard on Granada, Yorkshire, Tyne Tees and Border Television between March 2001 and October 2002. He also voiced programme promotions across the Granada Media Group, including LWT, Anglia and Meridian.
Neil stayed in Yorkshire for a year after being made redundant in October 2002, presenting radio shows for the Teamtalk group and Magic 828AM.
In 2003 he was approached by Vibe 105-8FM, a regional dance radio station in the East of England, to front their breakfast news. Twelve months after arriving, Neil also became the voice on all of the station's imaging.
After a company takeover, Vibe 105-8FM was re-branded in September 2006 as Kiss 105-8FM. Neil continues to be part of the breakfast show there.
Neil also regularly voices commercials on both television and radio across the UK and Europe. One of his most recent TV commercials was the live UK tour of George Michael.
Pat Doody announced for Border and Tyne Tees Television in the 1970s and also voiced ads for Metro Radio in the mid-1980s. Pat also announced for LWT - dates TBC. He was also the voice-over for the Border TV version of Mr And Mrs, his inimitable introduction used for each show: 'It's Mr And Mrs - and here's your host, Derek Batey'. Most of his time from the late-1970s up until his death in 1990 was spent at Border Television and indeed he was announcing on Border on 27 February 1990, the night before his death. 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.
Tom Edwards started his career as a newspaper journalist before moving to television as an announcer with Border. He went on to become a familiar announcer on Thames Television in London and on HTV West. Tom is also thought to have been an announcer with Anglia. He also spent several years as a pirate radio disc-jockey.
Tom left Thames at the end of the 1980s to move to the United States but later returned to the UK as a presenter on BBC Radio Norfolk and occasional presenter of the BBC's 'Look East' magazine programme. Most recently, he was the voice-over for BBC TV's 'Wipe Out' daytime quiz show.
Image courtesy of Paul R Jackson.
Jenny Farish was heard on radio stations throughout Scotland during the 1980s as part of the AA Roadwatch team, which supplied travel news to Scottish radio stations. Jenny did some in-vision continuity for Border Television for a few years from 1989 before leaving to join West Sound Radio in Ayr. She is now a presenter for Real Radio in Scotland.
Announcer at Granada's northern transmission centre, from May 2000 to 28 October 2002. She joined as a trainee announcer, after graduating in Film, Media and Communication from Sheffield Hallam University. She was a regular promotional voice for the Wellbeing Channel and was also heard occasionally on regional promotions made in Leeds. Kerrie moved from announcing to weather presenting after regional continuity ended on ITV 1.
Former CFM Radio news reader and then Border TV continuity announcer. He went on to become a producer/presenter for Border and fronted weekday local news bulletins.Pete joined the Yorkshire Television announcing team in November 1999; he went part-time in late-2000. Based at the northern transmission centre in Leeds, his voice was also heard in the Tyne Tees, Border and Granada regions. Pete also became the voice of all Granada Media Group trailers for Granada, Yorkshire, Tyne Tees, Border, Anglia, Meridian and LWT. Pete's voice was also heard on the ITV Night Network; he would pre-record the announcements on tape in Leeds; the tape was then despatched to LWT in the overnight van for transmission that particular weekend.
At the time of writing (January 2006), Pete is the last professional announcer in Leeds; he still voices regional trailers on a freelance basis.
Pete spoke to TTVRP in January 2006 about other projects: "Since leaving YTV full time, I've appeared in several radio plays, alongside Maggie and, in one, with Redvers. I'm currently working on a pilot radio thriller series 'Into The Shadows' as writer, producer and actor, and I'm still around, doing the occasional bit of presenting for music based radio stations.
"I've been in radio since the mid-1970s, starting at Radio City (Nottingham Hospital Radio). After much hard work, I managed to get the green light to form Millside Hospital Radio at the Kings Mill Hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield, near Mansfield, in October 1989. Joined Viking FM shortly after that, as commercial producer/writer/voice-over. Also worked on air on YRN's (Yorkshire Radio Network) Classic Gold AM service.
"I can still be heard throughout the country and abroad, on various commercial radio stations, as voice-over. I also write and voice radio commercials for the Lincs FM Group (in fact I was the first v/o on air at Lincs FM, on their first ad break on day one, in 1992). Well known for versatility when it comes to commercials, all sorts of voices, from old men (and old women!!!) through to wacky, character sound-a-likes and singers, which keeps me active!!! (It's also very useful when it comes to radio plays!!!)"
Website
Freelance continuity announcer for Scottish TV, Grampian and Border. He went on to set up Centre Radio in Stirling and became cult Scottish shock jock Scottie McClue
Heather was an announcer with Border from 1994 until the end of regular regional continuity in October 2002; this included in-vision continuity links. She has also voiced many programmes for Border, including 'Border Stories', 'Bordering On 40' and 'The Way We Were'. Heather is also a regular news reader, presenter and producer at the station.
Border TV continuity announcer and news reader in the mid-1990s who is now a freelance announcer at BBC TV Scotland and also lectures in media at Ayr. 
1980s in-vision continuity announcer and news reader at Border Television and also at Tyne Tees Television. Best known as the long serving presenter of various regional news magazine programmes on BBC Scotland. Mary was also a familiar face on ITV screens as a continuity announcer on Border TV.
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.
Maggie Mash started her broadcasting career on Forces Radio in Cyprus and then worked for BBC and Independent radio stations throughout the country. From 1988 she was a continuity announcer with Yorkshire Television in Leeds and also worked extensively as a freelance voice-over, presentation trainer and voice coach. She is the voice for the national SATS Mental Arithmetic Tests and the voice of HSBC. 
Border TV continuity announcer and programme presenter who now runs the Real Radio group in Wales and Scotland.
Former 'Crossroads' actress and continuity announcer in the 1970s and early-1980s for Border Television and Grampian. Daphne has also worked for Central TV, HTV West, and BBC Radio 4.
Nick was an occasional announcer for Yorkshire Television, although his full time role is at the transmission control desk at the Granada Media Group's northern transmission centre, serving YTV, Tyne Tees, Border and Granada.
Border TV continuity announcer and news reader between 1990 and 1995, who since 1997, has worked as a freelance continuity announcer for BBC TV Scotland in Glasgow. John has also presented for Radio Borders and combines his broadcasting work with a full-time job as a mathematics lecturer. 
Until October 2002, Bob was one of the main announcers at Yorkshire Television at Granada Media Group's northern transmission centre in Leeds; his voice was therefore also heard on Border, Granada and Tyne Tees Television.
Bob started his career in television at the BBC as a cameraman in the early-1970s. After working at Television Centre for a few years, he was seconded to BBC Radio London. In the late-1970s, he moved to Yorkshire Television in Leeds and worked as cameraman, researcher, promotions producer and, eventually, in the late-1980s became a continuity announcer, working with Redvers Kyle, Graham Roberts and John Crosse.
Bob also presents a weekly country music show on BBC local radio, and has run a full-time cinema since the 1980s - first at Pickering, and now in Wetherby. He is the author of twenty-two books, including two on the history of roller coasters - and a number on the history of radio, including offshore pirate stations, Radio 270 and Radio Caroline North. He has also produced a detailed study of DJ Johnnie Walker's contribution to pop radio - 'Johnnie Walker, Cruisin' The Formats'. In 2006, Bob opened a full-time station - 107.4 Tempo FM in Wetherby.
Sue Radford was a continuity announcer at Border from 1988 to 1995. She then became a journalist at Border and left the company in 1997 to go freelance. Border Television continuity announcer.
Clem started off as a BBC announcer from 1966 to 1973. In the 1970s he moved on to work on the announcing staff at various ITV regional centres including Anglia, Border, Tyne Tees and Scottish TV, from 1974 to 1975.
Image courtesy of Paul R Jackson.
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.
Freelance continuity announcer for Border TV in the late-1990s. Mark was also a DJ on Metro FM in the North East. 
One of the most familiar faces on Granada. Colin started with the station in 1968. From the late-1970s until the 1990s he also worked on a freelance basis for London Weekend, Southern, Tyne Tees, Border, Yorkshire, HTV, Anglia and TVS. Colin was the senior announcer at Granada when he left the company in 1998.
Image courtesy of Paul R Jackson.
