Web Page No 2722

 

10^th October 2020 ( I cannot believe that Pam and I  have been married 53 years today!)

 

 

BBC PROGRAMME ANNOUNCERS

 

1^st Picture; McDonald Hobley, Mary Malcolm and Sylvia Peters.

2^nd Picture: Mac’ Hobley

3rd Picture: Mary Malcolm

4^th Picture: Sylvia Peters

 

This page will put your minds onto rewind. Do you remember all three of these early TV presenters?

The best-known faces of the early 50s on British television belonged to the BBC programme announcers, namely: McDonald Hobley, Mary Malcolm and Sylvia Peters. This trio of announcers first appeared as early as 1946 and they very quickly became immensely popular with viewers.

‘Mac’, Mary and Sylvia introduced shows like Muffin The Mule, Café Continental, Rooftop Rendezvous with Jack Jackson, The Charlie Chester Show, Terry Thomas in How Do You View? and – not to be forgotten – For the Housewife, an afternoon programme which in the early days instructed the lady of the house on such matters as how to renovate a chest of drawers, how to cook whale meat and how to cure home-grown tobacco. All useful stuff.

‘Mac’ Hobley was naturally calm and debonair, but even he was ruffled when, before a 1951 political broadcast, he introduced Sir Stafford Cripps by announcing “and now the moment you have been all been waiting for – the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Stifford Crapps”. He only did that once!

Mary Malcolm, was a granddaughter of Lily Langtry and had been a wartime radio announcer. One day a friend asked Mary to model some clothes for a television programme about dress design. The powers that be remembered from that and she was offered the job as an announcer.

The BBC rules at the time stated that ‘In the main, an evening gown is suitable for many evening announcements, especially as it can be simple or elaborate according to whether the programmes are straightforward or of especially grand or dramatic moment. But there are special occasions which require a quiet dignity of dress, just as there others needing an announcer to look as glamorous and as scintillating as she can.’

‘It would most certainly not be the thing to have a woman announcer introducing a Sunday religious programme in a ravishing gown nor would it do to have a gala variety show introduced by a woman wearing a skirt and jumper”.

Mary was famed for occasional slips of the tongue, particularly when reading the weather. Among her notable forecasts were ‘drain and rizzle’, ‘frog and fost’ and ‘shattered scowers’.

On another occasion, while testing the sound channel before the start of the programme Mainly For Women, she jokingly said: “Good afternoon, here is a programme mainly for morons”. Alas, it was accidentally broadcast . . .

Mary left her £1,500 a year job to go freelance in 1956, stating that she never wanted to do announcing again. In the early sixties, she made a series of light-hearted documentaries about Britain for German television but she then eventually retired to what she called “an ordinary life”.

Mary Malcolm passed away on 13^th  October 2010, aged 92.

Dancer Sylvia Peters was only 20 when she joined the BBC staff as a television announcer. She got the job by reciting Goldilocks to her interview board who later described her as ‘winsome’.

She was also a great sport. She once said “Everybody in the studio used to try and make me laugh. One of them used to throw nuts at me, trying to get one down my cleavage just as I said “Good evening”. Sometimes he succeeded, and I’m sure that’s why I always looked so jolly”.

Her genteel glamour epitomised the 50s style of broadcasting and made her a television star, covering the fashions at Ascot. Sylvia also presented the programme  Come Dancing, introduced Dancing Club with Victor Sylvester and appeared in the annual BBC pantomime, always playing the principal girl.

Sylvia retired from the BBC in 1958 and ran a dress shop in Wimbledon for many years. She passed away on 26^th  July 2016, aged 90.

Stay in touch

 

Peter

 

gsseditor@gmail.com

 

You Write:

 The article on the Farlington Rec certainly stirred Fran’s memories

Ah ! what memories. I walked to school everyday for 3 years from  Grant  Road. Played there so very often. Had school sports day there, watched my father play football for the Old Boys from  Portsmouth Grammar and one of the best memories taking a tin tray or whatever we could during snow times and sliding down the bomb crater. All this before any building commenced and then watched the building going on.

 

News and Views:

 

On this day 10^th  October 1960 – 1965

 

On 10/10/1960 the number one single was Tell Laura I Love Her - Ricky Valance and the number one album was Tottenham Hotspur. The top rated TV show was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £not very interesting and 13.68 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was No Hiding Place (AR).

 

On 10/10/1961 the number one single was Kon-Tiki - The Shadows and the number one album was The Shadows - Shadows. The top rated TV show was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Heller's Catch-22 published.

 

On 10/10/1962 the number one single was Telstar - The Tornadoes and the number one album was Best of Ball Barber & Bilk. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

 

On 10/10/1963 the number one single was Do You Love Me? - Brian Poole & the Tremoloes and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

 

On 10/10/1964 the number one single was Oh Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was XVIIIth Olympics in Tokyo

 

On 10/10/1965 the number one single was Tears - Ken Dodd and the number one album was Help - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.