[robrymond]

Tonight's female announcer on BBC One is another God-awful one - her intonation is all over the place and she doesn't sound natural at all.

I think it's the same one who did the junction last night. I heard her off the back of EastEnders and it wasn't great at all. The pace was all over the place.

[Si-Co]

Yes, here’s another example that sounds “off”-  apologies if I’m not linking to it correctly - her tone seems quite naturally “sing songy” which can make the announcement appear more upbeat than intended.

EDIT: I’m saying “naturally”, but I’ve never heard her order a cheese and ham toastie or tell the kids it’s time for bed. Perhaps the ups and downs are intentional, but don’t sound the same in her head as they do to the listener.

tvhome.co.uk 

BBC One - Sky - Night
Ident introducing Mental Health: Young Lives in Crisis, 10:40pm 20th Sep 2022
  Source: www.tvhome.co.uk

[TV Times]

I heard the female announcer on BBC 1 last night and I agree her intonation is all over the place so I switched over to BBC1 Wales and later BBC2 Wales where both announcer were on point.

Saying that the male voice on BBC 1 Wales over the weekend was really poor IMO - I don't think he knows what a full stop means as each sentence he delivered ran into the next with no break and so the announcement sounded garbled and unclear.

Its very rare for me to watch any other BBC 1 Nation so what do people think about the style of Scotlands, NI and Wales' team as well as well as the national continuity?

[Steve in Pudsey]

I'm a big fan of the work of Al Dupres at BBC Wales. I don't think he'd be offended by comparisons with Duncan Newmarch in so much that he puts personality into announcements where it's appropriate and gets the tone right when it isn't.

[BBCMeridian]

I think you're doing a massive disservice to a great number of people there. I can't believe that Dean Lydiate didn't make your list?

There are loads of others whose names are less familiar who are very competent but more anonymous. You don't notice them because they are very good, they aren't cocking things up but aren't doing the more entertaining stuff like Duncan - that's no criticism, it's long been said that if you're not noticing the presentation department they're doing their job well.

Sorry, I forgot, my mistake, added him now.

[robrymond]

The same announcer is on tonight. When did Duncan last get three nights on the trot? Or any of the old guard for that matter.

[bilky asko]

I see that the racist and classist attitudes have carried over with certain posters.

Some of the examples posted here have such minor issues - ones that all announcers will make - that it's not worthy of comment. Even with the examples that may not have the tone one would expect, the announcement is clearly made.

Ultimately, all of this will be good experience for the newer announcers. The BBC clearly hired them not only for having an accent that isn't just another variant of RP, but also because they'll clearly have the capacity to grow and improve.

Also, were the continuity announcements made around the time of previous royal deaths perfect? I certainly don't think so.

[Steve in Pudsey]

I don't think it's racist or classist to suggest that introducing the news bulletin following the monarch's funeral in an upbeat way which jars with the very moving monologue which closed the broadcast, or introducing a Panorama about mental health with a cheery up inflection on the phrase "scenes of suicide and self harm" is something of a departure from the standard of announcing that we are used to.

There are other examples online of the announcer who did that Panorama link that sound a lot better. I think she's possibly ended up with a script that's too long for the time she's got and she's rushing it and losing clarity. Somebody having a bad day rather than somebody who is unsuitable for the job.

[Lester]

I know most get better in their jobs as time progresses so maybe they will find their groove or we will get used to their style as the 'norm' in the near future? When I see old clips from the 70s and 80s the announcers seem comedically stuffy/posh to me.

I do think letting new inexperienced announcers loose on that day was a mistake though. I've seen a few comments stating this is an overreaction when compared to how good the BBC coverage has been. I think the fact that the coverage was so exceptional and then truncated by that announcer made it seem even more glaring.

[Si-Co]

I remember that LWT replaced a casual/filling-in announcer with the experienced Trish Bertram on the day of Diana’s death, as their pres was going out to the network and, in Trish’s words, it wouldn’t have been fair to drop the casual in at the deep end. I’m not sure how new the lady announcer on BBC One is, or what experience she has elsewhere, but you would think her superiors would make a judgement call based on their announcers’ experience and performance before confirming rosters for important occasions like this.