The Continuity Booth
ITV 1 - Ulster
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Long serving Ulster Television announcer and news reader during the 1970s and well into the 1980s. Retired from this role c. 1986.
Pamela's broadcasting career started off in radio: she read the news on Downtown Radio from the early-1980s. She also presented on BBC Radio Ulster. Pamela's first appearance on Ulster Television as a continuity announcer was in 1984. As part of the continuing announcer's job, Pamela also read the news.
She left the announcing team around the start of the new franchise period in 1993 and went on to co-anchor the station's main news programme. She presented the lifestyle and leisure programme 'UTV Life' from 1999 to 2009. In May 2009, Pamela returned to UTV's continuity department, after seventeen years. She's also a relief weather presenter.
(Formerly Barbara Palmer). Barbara was an announcer and news reader with Ulster Television from 1980 to 1992. She graduated with a BA (Hons) First Class in English at Queen's University in 1997.
A former announcer at Ulster Television, Alan also worked as a journalist at the Belfast Telegraph. He later moved to New Zealand where he became a wine producer.A lecturer at Belfast 'Tech', Aidan took up part-time continuity announcing and newsreading duties at UTV around the time of the station's relaunch in June 1993. He continues to mix lecturing with his UTV role.
From summer 2006, Aidan appeared on screen minus his trademark moustache.
Keith began announcing and news reading with Ulster Television in the early-1980s. He made the crossover to presenting in the late-1980s when he took over the 'Police Six' programme (later 'Crimecall') from Charles Witherspoon.
Keith was rarely seen in his announcing role after the station's relaunch in 1993. He is a partner in the Burnmac production company - which produced UTV's 'Crimecall' programme in its final years.
'Crimecall' was cancelled in 2001. Keith has been reading the news on radio since 2000: with Downtown/Cool FM until autumn 2002; currently with BBC Radio Ulster.
Latterly, Lynda-Jayne Campbell - an announcer/news reader at Ulster Television between 1975 and 1978 before moving to Downtown Radio as a presenter. Lynda, who overcame breast cancer after a long battle with the illness, sadly died from a heart attack in 2000.
Tina started out with the BBC, where she was the first presenter with BBC Radio Ulster's Traffic and Travel Unit. She later moved to the newsroom at Downtown Radio.
In 1994, she joined the UTV continuity announcing team. However, Tina quit her announcing role within a few years to focus on news reporting and various presenting roles. She presented the lifestyle programme 'UTV Life' and occasionally presented on the main evening news programme.
Since the departure of Kate Smith, Tina has become a regular presenter on UTV's main news programmes.
(Later Audra Thomas). Audra joined UTV c. 1997 as a continuity announcer/news reader. She also occasionally presents the weather on the main evening news programme.
Audra was absent from UTV screens from early-2007 to November 2008.
Denise worked as an announcer for Ulster Television in 1962 and 1963, having previously worked at the Belfast Telegraph and for newspapers in her native New Zealand. She returned to her native country and worked for the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation.
Denise died in 2005, aged 63.
Sarah has been a continuity announcer and news reader with UTV since 2007. She was previously a presenter on the Q Radio Network, and read the news on UTV's radio station, U105.Ulster Television announcer/news reader in 1983/1984.Brian was a member of the original announcing team at Ulster Television. He had worked previously as a teacher, based in Newry. He was also a graduate of Queen's University, Belfast.
Brian also worked at Yorkshire Television and Scottish Television.
Brian died in April 1999, following a battle with cancer. He was 67.
A former actress and continuity announcer at Southern TV, Ulster TV, Tyne Tees TV and BBC Radio External Services. She was also an announcer at Anglia TV and compere for Yorkshire TV's 'Stars On Sunday'. (Formerly Lynda Wilson). Lynda joined UTV as a continuity announcer and news reader in 2007. In addition to reading the news on UTV, Lynda also appears as a news reader on GMTV Northern Ireland.One of the original announcing team at Ulster Television, Jimmy's duties as an announcer and news reader ran from 1959 to 1965. He also presented 'Roundabout' in 1962, replacing Ivor Mills.
Jimmy left the station in 1965 to pursue an acting career in London, and has since appeared in 'Casualty', 'Heartbeat', 'Holby City', 'William And Mary' and a Camay soap commercial, along with Nicola Paget.
Anne was a presenter on UTV's local news magazine programme 'Roundabout'; she was also an announcer at the station. She left Ulster Television to join Anglia TV's 'About Anglia' in 1962, before moving to the BBC in London where she was an in-vision announcer from 1963 until 1964.
She was well known for her work on the 'Holiday' programme from 1980 until 1991. She was also a BBC Radio 4 announcer in 1982.
Anne lost a battle against cancer on September 06 2006; she was 66.
Tracey-Anne started off with Downtown Radio as a news reader from the late-1980s. She moved into television c. 1992, becoming a continuity announcer and news reader on Ulster Television.
Tracey-Anne moved to London in 1996 to take up an announcing role with Channel 4; she is also heard on E4 and regularly voices FilmFour trails. Tracey-Anne has also worked for Sky News, Living TV and Discovery.
Continuity announcer/news reader with Ulster Television from the mid-1970s until the mid-1980s.Alyson was an announcer/news reader with Ulster Television for a short period in the early-1980s. She has also worked for BBC Radio Ulster.
Today, Alyson runs her own cosmetics company based in Antrim.
Gillian worked briefly as a continuity announcer with UTV c. 1996. She then disappeared off our screens, turning up again a few years later as a reporter on 'UTV Live' and presenter of 'UTV Life'. Since early-2002, Gillian has been reading the news on local radio stations Downtown Radio and Cool FM.Before joining UTV as a continuity announcer and newsreader in 2007, Marc worked at Belfast-based radio station, Citybeat. He was a newsreader there for eight years, and also a presenter and reporter for its evening news programme, 'Belfast Tonight', from 2004 to 2007.
Marc was awarded Radio News Broadcaster of the Year at the 2007 CIPR Press and Broadcast Awards.
Continuity announcer for Ulster TV (1967 to 1969), Anglia TV (1970 to 1973), Southern, Thames Television, ATV, and, on occasions, HTV West. Also recognised nationally as the host of the 'TV Times Awards' and 'Miss United Kingdom' on the ITV network in the 1970s and 1980s. He also presented the BBC's 'Come Dancing' from 1980 to 1983, and has regularly reported for ITV's 'Wish You Were Here'. Marshall originally trained as a teacher, and then an actor with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, before joining a Bournemouth rep company.Edgar had a brief spell as a continuity announcer with Ulster Television in the early-1970s before moving round the corner to the BBC. He had left BBC Northern Ireland by the 1980s. However, he returned to the BBC Northern Ireland television continuity booth in 1994.
Edgar has also presented programmes on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Ulster.
Edgar retired from the BBC after 33 years with the Corporation on Sunday 26 February 2006. His last announcement was broadcast at 1.40am on BBC One Northern Ireland that day.
Announcer/news reader with UTV from the late-1960s. Later moved to RTÉ in Dublin, where he was one of the announcers appearing during the opening night of RTÉ Two.Relief continuity announcer at Ulster Television in the late-1970s and early-1980s.(Later Adrienne Catherwood). One of the original announcing team at Ulster Television, Adrienne was an announcer and news reader at the station from 1959 to 1969. She also presented the station's version of 'The Romper Room', from 1964 to 1969 as 'Miss Adrienne'.
Adrienne was awarded an MBE in 2004 for her work with the charity Action Medical Research. She is the mother of journalist Andrea Catherwood.
Ivor started out as a music teacher. He later moved into broadcasting, initially with Ulster Television, where he was an announcer and news reader. He subsequently moved to national news broadcaster, ITN, where he was a reporter, from 1965 to 1967, and a newscaster, from 1967 to 1978.
Image courtesy of Paul R Jackson.
Frank began his working life as an English teacher. However, before long, he was making his first moves into the world of broadcasting. He worked initially at a radio station in Dundalk, before moving to BBC Radio Ulster, where he worked as a producer. He later took up a presenting role at Downtown Radio.
Television was next; in 1987, Frank moved to Ulster Television as a continuity announcer. He moved away from announcing to the new look 'UTV Live' in 1993, performing a reporting and presenting role.
Frank is currently one of the presenters on the early-evening lifestyle programme 'UTV Life'. During his time at UTV, he has also commentated on many Gaelic games and presented 'School Around The Corner', He has been the station's main weather presenter since the mid-1990s.
Ulster Television announcer/news reader during the 1970s. Well known for his acting work.
Rose was educated at The Mount School in York and The City and East London College, where she studied Dispensing Optics. In 1977, she joined Ulster Television as a children's TV presenter. She later became a news presenter and announcer at the station, as well as co-presenting the weekly 'Sportscast' programme, alongside Jackie Fullerton.
In 1985, Rose moved to BBC Northern Ireland, as a news presenter. For eighteen years, she co-presented the early evening TV news programme there, 'Inside Ulster' (later 'Newsline'). She also devised, wrote and presented three medical documentaries for the region.
During her TV career, Rose has presented on all of the daily BBC TV news bulletins, co-presented 'Children In Need', fronted various light-hearted documentaries and co-hosted 'Making A Difference' with Eamonn Holmes and Patrick Kielty. Rose also presented her own daily afternoon chat show on BBC Radio Ulster for four/five years.
For a three-year period, Rose was the youngest news reader in the UK; she is one of the longest-serving news presenters in Britain and Northern Ireland.
Rose is married to Ivan Wilson, who was a senior manager with the BBC. She has two sons from a previous marriage. Hobbies: ski-ing (snow and water); sailing; riding; travelling.
Rose left the BBC in 2008, making her final on-air appearance on a breakfast 'Newsline' bulletin in August. In June 2009, she returned to UTV as a relief news presenter.
Began announcing with Ulster Television in the 1970s. John went on to become the station's senior announcer. He left UTV in the mid-1980s. His voice has remained 'on-air' ever since though: John has provided voice-overs for many local ads on TV and radio.
Since November 2005, John has been presenting a late night weekend music show on U105.
Gillian spent a brief spell on the BBC Northern Ireland announcing staff in 1992. She then moved on to UTV where she has been an announcer and news presenter ever since.(Formerly Patricia Wilkinson). Patricia's broadcasting career began at Cool FM/Downtown Radio where she was the main news anchor and occasional breakfast presenter. She took up some journalistic work at UTV for a short spell, presenting a number of news-related features, including an environmental series; she also covered some continuity announcer shifts there. She continued to read the news on a freelance basis for Downtown/Cool FM news.
She later joined GMTV as a presenter/reporter and remained there for almost five years. Her next project was a "where are they now" style series on punk rock for UTV, which she researched, wrote, presented and produced. In 2002 she won the IPR Entertainment Journalist of the Year award. Also that year, Patricia joined the BBC, where she works mainly as a journalist. She has occasionally presented 'Newsline' bulletins - mainly breakfast and weekend editions.
Hobbies: writing for pleasure, acting, watching movies, walking the dog, spending time with her husband and daughter. For a while Patricia wanted to become an actress and had an Equity card. She has appeared in a number of commercials on radio and TV, as well as the odd BBC NI film.
Patricia was educated at Bloomfield Collegiate Grammar School, Belfast. She has an NCTJ Diploma from the College of Business Studies.
Lata was a continuity announcer/news reader with Ulster Television for a brief spell in the early-1990s. She subsequently moved to national TV, where she worked on 'Holiday' (BBC) with the late Jill Dando.
In the late-1990s, Lata presented an early morning show on BBC Radio 2. She has worked as a freelance presenter ever since.
Lata is also now a singer/songwriter.
UTV's longest serving and certainly most charismatic announcer, Julian Simmons joined the station in 1984. Best known for his 'Coronation Street' links, Julian continues to make regular in-vision appearances on UTV.
He also read the news at the station during the 1980s and early-1990s.
Bill's broadcasting career began in the late-1960s at BBC Northern Ireland. He was one of the original line-up of presenters on Downtown Radio at its launch in 1976, becoming the first presenter of 'Downtown Downbeat', as well as 'The Sunday Request Show', and various Big Band shows.
In 1978 he joined Ulster Television, where he was a newasreader and continuity announcer. He remained at the station until 1987, when he moved to Townland Radio in Cookstown. In 1995 he returned to Belfast to work at BCR/Citybeat, reading the news. He moved to rival radio station U105 in 2005 - again, presenting news bulletins. He also presented 'The Weekend Breakfast Show' on Carrickfergus FM. His last show was in June 2010.
Bill passed away at Belfast City Hospital on January 26 2011 after a year-long battle with cancer. He was 74.
Former Ulster Television announcer/news reader.
A teacher at Campbell College, Belfast, Robin Taylor joined UTV as a continuity announcer around the time of the station's relaunch in June 1993. Robin mixed his teaching career with weekend and holiday continuity/news reading cover at UTV. He also occcasionally presented weather forecasts in-vision. He last appeared on UTV in 2009.Former Ulster Television announcer.
Joanne was an announcer/news reader with Ulster Television in the late-1970s and went on to become senior announcer, following John O'Hara's departure. She gave up her on-screen role c. 1987 to become a transmission controller at the station.
Joanne has been heard on air again in recent times (early-2006) on Belfast radio station U105.
