About Me

My voice has been called warm, friendly, authoritative, enthusiastic, and – most importantly – believable.

My natural delivery isn’t the Received Pronunciation or “RP” made famous by newsreel announcers, Shakespearian actors and public schoolboys of the past, but a neutral, non-London accent which is very hard to place geographically – somewhere “North of Watford”, but definitely south of “the North”. It’s a friendlier, more natural style of speaking which still carries authority, but which also has a knack of making even the most complex and technical script shine through with absolute clarity.

I can also revert to my Black Country and West Midlands roots if needed and, though I’m by no means an accent expert, I can do a very natural Australian accent, mostly as a result of living with one for the last five years and spending quite a lot of time there!

I’m currently heard on radio all over the planet as part of the BBC World Service English Presentation team, delivering news bulletins and station continuity to the largest audience (183 million at the last count) and the widest demographic on Earth. I also work as a Continuity Announcer for both the History Channel in the UK, and Film24 (on Sky Digital channel 157).

My other recent clients include The History Channel, where I narrated the entire “Dinosaur Secrets” series recently, along with several other specials; The National Geographic Channel, where I’ve voiced documentary programmes including “Megastructures”, the Easter special “Jesus – the man from Nazareth”, “Tut’s Treasure Tour”, and “Fishzilla”. I’ve also the translated voice of many a European eco-warrior for their “Guardians of Nature” series and am well-suited to natural-sounding translations of foreign voice track. I’m can also be heard as the voice of programmes on Biography and the Crime & Investigation Network.

Installing an ISDN line to my home studio has meant I’m now available on the commercial radio production circuit, and as a result you may hear me on a radio station near you (wherever that is in the UK!) Likewise, the advent of VOIP technology such as Source-Connect means it’s now as easy for me to work live with a producer on the other side of the world as it is to work on my own. One session recently saw me in London, my client in Atlanta, GA – and their client in Los Angeles – all working live together with no long distance charges at all!

Previously I’ve worked as a live announcer for ITV1 (Central and Carlton) and BFBS Television, and before that I started my career in BBC Local Radio. I’ve voiced promotions for all of them, done commercial voiceovers for radio and recorded “on hold” announcements to keep callers happy. Well, as happy as can be expected…

As someone who has directed, edited and produced material in addition to voicing it, I’m very aware of producers’ and directors’ requirements, time considerations, what can and can’t be tidied up in the edit, and so on. The upshot is that when you book me, you get someone who works efficiently in the session, sight-reads very well indeed and takes direction enthusiastically.

Using my voice and working in the media fascinated me from a very early age. By the age of eight or nine I was already using my ears and training my voice, aware that the Black Country accent I grew up with might – at that time – have limited my options in front of the microphone. By my seventeenth birthday I was already writing and recording promotions for BBC Radio at Pebble Mill.

Everything since has been learned on the job. I’ve been fortunate to have great feedback from various bosses over the years as well as the luxury of some voice coaching at the BBC, but you never stop learning, and as of September 2008 I’m back at school, undertaking a term of voice classes with a professional Voice Coach at London’s City Lit college.

As well as using my voice I’ve been a Transmission Controller/Network Director in television – and more recently a live studio Director for BBC World television and Sky News here in London. All of this has helped me to hone my communications skills. Being used to directing talent myself, I appreciate and anticipate what the Director or Producer wants.

A few years ago I became interested in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and hypnosis. In particular, I’m fascinated to be learning how various voice techniques can be used to help induce trance states. I’ve also trained as an ILM-accredited Life/Business/Personal Coach.