Thames Television station announcers
Thames Television had a crew of friendly faces to provide in-vision programme links during its two-and-a-half decades on-air.
The station used in-vision announcers through the day and evening in the 1960s and 1970s but, from 1982, primetime evening links were generally out of vision, with the last in-vision link broadcast at around 5.15pm each day. However, your genial announcer did pop up in-vision again at closedown to bid viewers good night.
In 1988, in-vision continuity was dropped for the daytime, too, and restricted just to the overnight slot. In 1990, this was ditched in favour of out-of-vision continuity at all times.
John Benson
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 as a relief announcer for Rediffusion in London.
John joined Thames Television when it took over the London weekday franchise from 1968. He also continued as a relief announcer for Westward, Anglia, Thames, and TVS. John Benson died in 1995.
Guy Blackmore
Australian-born former pirate radio disc jockey (known as Jim Gordon, or Jumbo Jimmy Gordon during his time on Radio Caroline North), who went on to become an in-vision continuity announcer for Thames Television, a relief announcer at Southern TV, and also a voice-only announcer on the BBC. Guy passed away in 2001.
Victoria Crawford
Continuity announcer for Thames Television in the late 1980s. Victoria was also a regular announcer for HTV West in Bristol.
Adrian Edwards
A regular face on the Thames Television in-vision continuity announcing team in the mid- to late-1970s, Adrian Edwards also popped up frequently as an announcer for Southampton-based Southern Television between 1976 and 1980.
Tom Edwards
Well-known continuity announcer on Thames Television in the 1980s. He started his career as a journalist and moved into announcing with Border Television. He then became a pirate radio DJ on Radio City and went legal with the BBC as a radio presenter there. He joined Thames in the early 1980s as a continuity announcer, but left the company for the United States by the end of the decade. He returned to the UK to present for BBC Radio Norfolk in the early 1990s, and at the same time occasionally presented BBC TV's Look East news programme.
Philip Elsmore
An actor who became probably Thames Television's best-known continuity announcer, to the extent that no image of London's skyline is somehow complete without him in the foreground. Elsmore was born in Worcestershire in 1937 and his first television job was a continuity announcer for Border Television in 1963. From there, he moved to ABC Television as an announcer, joining Thames Television in 1968.
He stayed with Thames after it switched to voice-only continuity in around 1990/1991 until its demise in 1992, when he made the very last live continuity announcement on 31 December that year. (He had also made the first announcement for the station).
Philip also announced for Southern Television at weekends when LWT was on-air in London. Post-Thames, Philip has announced for Westcountry Television in Plymouth, but his main focus has been a return to acting. He has been seen in action in several programmes, including The Bill, Eastenders, Lovejoy, and The Governor. In 2001, one of his plays, Summer Season, was performed at the Buxton fringe and other venues.
Philip Elsmore at work in the Thames Television continuity and presentation studio at the station's Euston Road HQ.
Evadne Fisher
Continuity announcer for Thames Television in its night-time slot in the 1980s. Evadne was also a regular announcer for Central Television.
David Hamilton
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 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 One and presenter on BBC Radio Two, and several television game shows. He continues to this day with broadcasting, including time with Saga FM and Classic Gold radio.
Hilary Holden
Thames Television in-vision continuity announcer in the night-time slot in the late 1980s. Hilary Holden also announced for Central Television and later, in London, for Carlton Television.
Sheila Kennedy
Sheila Kennedy was a regular in-vision announcer on Thames Television between 1968 and 1977. She started her career as a theatre singer and actress and it was for a job as a singer for Westward Television's lunchtime magazine programme that led to her becoming the station's first female announcer.
Shelia then moved to ABC Television and then on to Thames Television where she was a popular station announcer from the launch of the station until 1977.
Sadly, Sheila died of a heart attack, aged 76, in 2009. Here's the report from the Plymouth Herald.
Mark Lipscomb
Started his television career as a cameraman and moved into continuity with TVS before joining Thames Television as a continuity announcer in the 1980s. He stayed until Carlton took over and was the only member of the Thames continuity team to move to the new station when it took over on 1 January 1993.
Mark was Carlton's senior announcer until October 2002 when the station's London identity was dropped, and he has also read the weekend news bulletins for Central News South.
Sarah Lucas
Thames Television relief in-vision continuity announcer in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Sarah Lucas is also a journalist and radio presenter, including time on CountySound Radio in Surrey and then on Classic FM.
Sally McLaren (Harrison)
Continuity announcer for Thames Television's overnight service from 1987, and also a regular presentation announcer for TVS.
Peter Marshall
Continuity announcer for Ulster TV (1967-1969), Anglia TV (1970 to 1973), Southern, Thames Television (from 1976), 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.
Jenny Ogwen
Better known as a long standing in-vision continuity announcer with HTV Wales and Welsh Channel Four (S4C), Jenny Ogwen was also a regular fixture at the Thames Television continuity desk in the mid-1980s, when she picked up morning and daytime continuity slots.
Hilary Osborne
Hilary Osborne is a mainstay of British broadcasting, notably continuity, where she was an in-vision announcer for Thames Television in the 1980s. She has also been an announcer for London Weekend Television and her dulcet tones have been heard on BBC Two.
Lorna Stevens
Continuity announcer for Thames Television in the 1980s. Lorna also announced for HTV West and HTV Wales.
Vivien Stuart
Vivien Stuart was a daytime continuity announcer for Thames TV in the 1980s and, at about the same time, she was also a Central TV announcer and newsreader. BBC TV voice-only announcer in 1983; presenter BBC Radio 2 in 1980; BBC Radio 2 Announcer from 1980-82. Appeared as relief weather presenter on BBC TV's Breakfast Time in 1988 and as a voiceover on BBC TV's Points Of View in the late 1980s.
Patricia Yorston
Thames Television continuity announcer in the late 1980s, also an HTV West announcer, presenter and news anchor. She is married to Steve Scott, former HTV West sports reporter; anchor of ITV The West Country Tonight; and currently one of ITV1's national news anchors.
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