Ex ITV announcers

Im sure it was before a party election broadcast.

http://tvannouncers.thetvroomplus.com/

An excellent resource to find out what some former ITV regional announcers are currently getting up to.

Cheque's in the post, Mike.

I recently used Charles Foster to voice over a commercial, and quizzed him about his time at Granada - he regarded his time there as being a 'golden age' of tv broadcasting, and didn't have much good to say about ITV's current style or output.

He also said Colin Weston has struggled to find the sort of work he'd like in TV, and was working in the security business the last time Charles saw him. Which he - and I - thought was particularly sad, given his popularity during his time on Granada and the other ITV regions he worked at.

I think Charles is enjoying his current v/o work though, he still has that (very) familiar rich tambre and is known as 'one-take-Charles' in the v/o world, because - as he did for me - he nails everything perfectly in one take!

The fact that he isn't impressed with ITV's current style of Continuity doesn't surprise me, the last time that Colin Weston was interviewed he said the same thing, I think even at that time the Granada continuity was coming from Yorkshire rather than London.

I think I've heard Charles' voice on a couple of adverts (well there's one that did the rounds on Channel M not too long ago that sounded like him), he always seems rather deep and authoritative, great voice missed on TV these days. But saying that I was watching a 1995 episode of Catchphrase on Challenge earlier this evening and Charles was the voice over on the Prizes, which I never knew he did...

Just curious - what was the ad like on Channel M? Was it a local or national ad? From what I gathered he signed up to a new voice over company (Voice Over Gallery) about a year ago and has had a lot more work since then, but not sure whether he's getting a lot of national work.

Most likely Local, the advert I think that had a V/O that sounded like him was called Safe Houses, some Foster Parent group in Manchester.

That's what I thought - I know he's from Manchester but he never sounded particularly Northern to me. He should be doing national ITV continuity!

Wonder if he'll keep the job when the regions merge. Saw him today, he looked a lot older than I remember

Sasha Twining, ex BBC and ITV1 is now anchor for Russia Today broadcasting out of Moscow.

I happened to flick on Century FM (North East) this morning and caught the end of 'Bill's Birthdays' - a feature on the Breakfast Show in which legendary Tyne Tees announcer Bill Steel reads out North East Birthdays, just like in the good old in-vision continuity days.

Top marks to whoever came up with that idea.

Excellent, must catch Bill's show again some time

Anyone know what Kathy Secker's doing these days? I know she worked at BBC Newcastle for a while but that ended didn't it?

I heard her doing a show on BBC Radio Newcastle only a couple of weeks ago!