The Continuity Booth
ITV 1 - Granada
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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.
Granada TV in-vision continuity announcer in the 1980s and 1990s who now runs her own voice-over agency as well as hosting corporate events. 
By passing the 11-Plus, Greg gained entry to his local grammar school in North London, but education seemed to gain little purchase on his mind, which was focussed on tuning around the short-wave, discovering the existence of off-shore radio and determination to escape as soon as possible.
As a DJ on off-shore radio, Greg could be heard on Radio Essex from early-1966, then Radio 270, Radio 390 and briefly, before its demise, on Radio Caroline North. He has been a DJ and presenter at several local radio stations, including Breeze AM (as was), Beacon Radio (ditto), Two Counties Radio (ditto), LBC and, for four-and-a-half years in the late-1970s, at Radio Orwell.
As well as playing at gramophones, a presenter in those days needed to know all about meaningful speech, at which Greg, in hindsight, reckons he was particularly adept. At the time, he was perceived as 'esoteric' and even 'abstract' but he expresses in 2008 - and as 'technically' still a freelance voice-over, presenter and writer - a firm belief that radio was made for qualities such as his.
As Roger Scott (no relation to another broadcaster of the same name, who came to prominence in the UK in the early-1970s), Greg appeared in-vision as an announcer at Harlech from March 1968 to c. January 1969. His style of presentation - developed previously on off-shore radio - was deemed too risky and he received marching orders to the out-of-vision-only department. He remained there until his departure a couple of months later.
Freelance continuity (including at Granada) and voice-over work was Greg's professional occupation until reaching the announcer's desk at Anglia, where local news bulletins and presentation of the Birthday Club were delivered to the regional audience, some of whom objected to the long-haired 'object' on their screen!
Greg prides himself in being probably the only TV announcer to have been bought a short hair wig by his employer, as well as wishing his viewers "peace" at closedown. Surprisingly, he lasted a full year in Norwich, until October 1970, when the call came from the North East. His entertainment value was diluted again at Tyne Tees, due to all continuity being OOV. But this was rectified eventually, as an early-evening glory spot was introduced, featuring the announcer on camera revealing highlights of viewing ahead.
In Newcastle, in line with the policy of having the promos scripted and arranged by the announcers themselves, Greg quickly learned and perfected the art of sculpting imaginative and highly-creative blurb, which often had little to do with programme content. His association with the ITV company lasted until the lure of another spell of off-shore radio became irresistible in early-1972.
During his television days, Greg freelanced as an announcer at ATV and Southern, as well as revisiting Granada. Promotional trail voice-over work proved more sustainable and more successful. As the voice of Anglia for a few years in the 1980s, he travelled weekly (sometimes more) to Norwich. There was a weekly appointment in the voice-over booth at HTV for three years in the late-1980s and throughout the '80s and '90s, few weeks elapsed when Greg did not put his voice to LWT promos.
Voice-over work of all kinds had been a staple of his entire professional journey until the early-twenty-first century, when styles changed and his received pronounciation and great voice could no longer be disguised.
Greg's radio ambitions are not over yet! Tying-in with an interest in modern - i.e. twentieth and twenty-first century 'classical' music - he aims to interest before long a programme controller who really, really wants to incorporate into the schedule a regular, if not daily, excursion into the world of 'unlistenable' but actually highly intoxicating arrangements of sound. Mixed with Greg's intoxicating arrangement of words and intelligent, humourous world-view, large audiences are guaranteed!
He realises that by divulging this idea, to which he holds intellectual copyright, the concept could go walking. But nobody could execute it as well!
Announcer with Granada from the late-1980s up to the late-1990s, where he still works, as the voice of' Stars in Their Eyes'. One of Granada's daytime news readers and also a reporter for 'Granada Reports'. In the 1990s, Andrew also narrated some of the later 'World in Action' documentaries. He can also be heard on radio commercial and corporate voice-over work.
Malcolm trained as an announcer on HTV West in the late-1960s and early-1970s before moving to Granada in 1972. He stayed with the company until 1982 when he moved south to join franchise winners TVS. Malcolm made the very first announcement on TVS on January 01 1982, and remained as a voice-only announcer after in-vision continuity was dispensed with in the mid-1980s. He also acted as MC for TVS' final programme 'Goodbye To All That'.
Malcolm can still be heard reading letters out on BBC Radio 4's 'Feedback'. He also spent time as a disc jockey on London's easy-listening radio station Magic FM.
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.
Granada Television continuity announcer in the 1960s.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.
Announcer for Granada from the late-1980s to the early-1990s.
Every station has an announcer that everyone remembers and actor Charles Foster performs that role for Granada Television, where he was one of the main in-vision announcers throughout the 1970s and 1980s. One of the old school, the avuncular Foster had great warmth and a terrific on-screen presence. As well as announcing for Granada, Foster also narrated several schools' programmes for the company, as well as being the voice-over man on game shows such as Connections.
Married to actress Meg Johnson (who has featured in Coronation Street and Brookside), Foster retired from Granada in the early-1990s, but has since popped up in cameo acting roles in a number of television programmes, including Corrie. He continues with voice-over work. Charles' nickname at Granada was 'Farns Barns' - a music hall reference, we're told by David Halliday, Assistant Transmission Controller at Granada between 1975 and 1979.
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.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
Granada Television in-vision continuity announcer in the 1990s. Philip now runs production company 'Sight and Sounds' (website link below).Website
One of the post-War trio of BBC TV in-vision announcers appearing from 1946 to 1956. Became one of Granada's first announcers and presenters. On its first night of broadcasting, Granada paid tribute to the BBC, and it is fitting that a well-known BBC announcer was with Granada for its opening celebrations. The occasion merited the front page of the TV Times.
Hobley was a presenter of BBC TV's 'For Deaf Children' between 1953 and 1955, and 'It's A Knockout' in 1966. He re-appeared in November 1986 as an in-vision announcer on BBC Two, to celebrate TV50, the 50th anniversary of BBC Television. McDonald Hobley died on 30 July 1987.
Image courtesy of Paul R Jackson.
Granada Television continuity announcer from 1961 until 1964 and also a regional presenter for Thames TV in London in 1968. He later built up somewhat of a cult following amongst students as the long serving host of Central TV's 'Blockbusters' on ITV in the 1980s and early-1990s.
Well known Granada TV in-vision announcer in the 1970s and 1980s. Graham moved to Meridian in Southampton and was an announcer on that station, HTV West and on Anglia TV until October 2002.Granada announcer. Joined BBC North West and BBC North (Leeds) for a short time when they had in-vision announcers.
Jan Leeming announced for Westward Television in 1965 and stayed for about a year before pursuing her career on larger ITV stations, such as Granada, HTV West (news reader, 'Report West'), and then BBC News, where she was one of the main news readers in the early-1980s. She was also a presenter of BBC Children's TV's 'Tom Tom', 1970; BBC TV's 'Pebble Mill At One', 1976 - 1978 and a BBC Radio 2 announcer in 1980.
Jan was a BBC TV news reader from May 1980 until April 1987. She was on duty on Bank Holiday Monday, May 1980, when the longest ever news flash occurred when the SAS ended the Iranian Embassy siege. Famously, she carried on reading the news when a studio bulb broke shattering hot glass down onto her during the news summary within Grandstand in 1982. She was also a contributor to ITV's 'This Morning' in 1988 and 1990.
Image courtesy of Paul R Jackson.
Lynette Lithgow started her television career as an in-vision announcer at Granada Television. She then moved to the BBC in the East Midlands as a presenter in 1989 and became a national BBC TV news reader from February 1990 to October 1991, mostly on weekend bulletins and for BBC Two's 'News View'. She also presented the charity appeal programme 'Lifeline' in the late-1980s. She left to join BBC World as a news reader in 1991.
Lynette left journalism to take up an academic career and after completing a law degree at Oxford, she went on to take up a fellowship post at Harvard.
Lynette was murdered in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in December 2001.
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. Previously an in-vision announcer with Granada in Manchester, John announced for Carlton Television, London, from May 2000 to October 2002. He is now studying to be a journalist.Granada announcer.Granada Television continuity announcer who continued with his acting career after leaving the announcer's chair.Best known nationally for his time on BBC Radio 2, Ray Moore was a voice only continuity announcer with Granada TV in Manchester between 1962 and 1964 (although he did appear in-vision as a news bulletin reader on Granada's news magazine programme). During this period, he also freelanced as an in-vision presenter at Tyne Tees TV during the weekend (when Granada went off-air for ABC Television). He also spent a short while in-vision for ATV before returning to the BBC in Manchester in 1965. In the 1980s, Ray regularly voiced trailers for BBC TV. Ray died in January 1989.Granada Television's chief announcer from the 1960s until the early-1970s. Don was sadly killed in a car accident in January 1971.
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.
Former radio presenter who was persuaded to move into television by 'Coronation Street' actress Pat Phoenix (Elsie Tanner) when she was interviewed on the station. Jim Pope became an in-vision continuity announcer at HTV West in the late-1960s and early-1970s before moving to Granada where he remained until his retirement.
After leaving his announcing job, Jim continued with voice-over work, and is well known as the voice of 'University Challenge' (produced by Granada for the BBC). Sadly, Jim died in August 2001.
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.
Granada Television in-vision continuity announcer in the late-1970s and early-1980s. Sue Robbie went on to present a series of nationally networked shows for the company, including Connections, First Post and TX .
Phil was an in-vision announcer for Granada in 1982 for six months before joining BBC TV in the North West as a news presenter. He's also worked for several regional radio stations and runs his own voice-over agency."I may have been the shortest serving Granada announcer, having been there for just six months," says Phil.Granada announcer.LWT voice-only continuity announcer in the late-1990s until 2002. Roger has also announced for Granada TV and Yorkshire TV and is now the main voice of The Hallmark Channel on satellite television. He's also the voice-over for BBC TV's University Challenge. Long serving ATV continuity announcer and also one of the original four presenters of the children's Saturday morning hit show 'Tiswas' when it was a Midlands only programme. Before moving to Birmingham, Peter was a regular announcer on Harlech/HTV West from 1968. He is also believed to have been an announcer with Granada (TBC).
Peter founded and managed Saga FM, a West Midlands radio station with the more mature listener in mind; it launched in October 2001. He announced his retirement from the station in May 2004.
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.
Former Granada announcer.
Bernard (Bunny) Youens, was a continuity announcer at Granada for four years in the early-1960s before joining Coronation Street in 1964 as the loveable layabout Stan Ogden - one half of the famous double act with wife Hilda. Bernard stayed with his Coronation Street role in spite of serious health problems. Sadly, Bernard died in August 1984.
Image courtesy of Paul R Jackson.
