Robert
Member
The voice-over actress Angela Peberdy whose recorded announcements were heard at most major stations right across the Southern Region in the 1970s and 1980s has died aged 86.
Many thanks to the BBC for providing me with the following:
"She was born into a well-to-do family in Buckinghamshire in 1937, the younger of two children of Harry Peberdy, a marketing manager with Heinz, and his wife Molly (née Packer), a secretary. Her brother, Michael, a broker, predeceased her. She was raised in Little Kimble, near Aylesbury, and educated at Chiltern School in Chesham Bois before perfecting her diction at finishing school.
Keen on adventure, she was drawn to the bright lights of London early in the Sixties and was soon working at recording studios, notably the De Lane Lea Studios on Dean Street in Soho. Moving to the IBC Recording Studios in Portland Place, she found herself in the company of the Beatles’ producer, Glyn Johns, and bands such as the Rolling Stones and the Kinks.
Gradually her eloquent voice was put to better use on the other side of the microphone, often with voiceover work for advertisers. By the mid-Seventies she was being heard on station announcements. In the Eighties she and Robert Lister, who played Lewis Carmichael in The Archers and died last year, became the first voices for the new solid state Infomat recorded announcement system, making their recordings at the company’s studios in Mitcham, southwest London.
Meanwhile, Peberdy had met Fred Close, a wealthy American businessman and artist who was living in London. They were married in 1976, an occasion that captured the interest of the tabloid press who were finally able to reveal the face behind the voice that many commuters knew so well.
In the late Eighties, Peberdy and her husband moved to the US and she was replaced on railway recordings by Julie Berry although Angela's voice continued to be heard at some stations until the early 2000s. They settled in the small town of Madison, Ohio, where Close created several pieces of public art. When not travelling the world they supported philanthropic projects, including the local food bank. Close died in 2018 and Peberdy is survived by her two stepdaughters, Kate and Karen. She returned regularly to Britain, where she kept a picture-book thatched cottage at Long Crendon in Buckinghamshire."
BBC Radio 4 is planning a feature about Angela Peberdy's life during their Last Word obituary programme to be broadcast at 1600 this coming Friday. The producer emailed me a couple of days ago asking for a few recordings of her announcements for inclusion in the programme. I have also given him contact details of the former manager of Infomat Carl Littlejohn who worked with Angela for many years so he may well contribute to the programme.
Angela Peberdy in 1974 (from my own archive)
And finally from just over 40 years ago, here is Angela announcing one of those early morning Sussex Coast trains at Clapham Junction that calls just about everywhere!
Many thanks to the BBC for providing me with the following:
"She was born into a well-to-do family in Buckinghamshire in 1937, the younger of two children of Harry Peberdy, a marketing manager with Heinz, and his wife Molly (née Packer), a secretary. Her brother, Michael, a broker, predeceased her. She was raised in Little Kimble, near Aylesbury, and educated at Chiltern School in Chesham Bois before perfecting her diction at finishing school.
Keen on adventure, she was drawn to the bright lights of London early in the Sixties and was soon working at recording studios, notably the De Lane Lea Studios on Dean Street in Soho. Moving to the IBC Recording Studios in Portland Place, she found herself in the company of the Beatles’ producer, Glyn Johns, and bands such as the Rolling Stones and the Kinks.
Gradually her eloquent voice was put to better use on the other side of the microphone, often with voiceover work for advertisers. By the mid-Seventies she was being heard on station announcements. In the Eighties she and Robert Lister, who played Lewis Carmichael in The Archers and died last year, became the first voices for the new solid state Infomat recorded announcement system, making their recordings at the company’s studios in Mitcham, southwest London.
Meanwhile, Peberdy had met Fred Close, a wealthy American businessman and artist who was living in London. They were married in 1976, an occasion that captured the interest of the tabloid press who were finally able to reveal the face behind the voice that many commuters knew so well.
In the late Eighties, Peberdy and her husband moved to the US and she was replaced on railway recordings by Julie Berry although Angela's voice continued to be heard at some stations until the early 2000s. They settled in the small town of Madison, Ohio, where Close created several pieces of public art. When not travelling the world they supported philanthropic projects, including the local food bank. Close died in 2018 and Peberdy is survived by her two stepdaughters, Kate and Karen. She returned regularly to Britain, where she kept a picture-book thatched cottage at Long Crendon in Buckinghamshire."
BBC Radio 4 is planning a feature about Angela Peberdy's life during their Last Word obituary programme to be broadcast at 1600 this coming Friday. The producer emailed me a couple of days ago asking for a few recordings of her announcements for inclusion in the programme. I have also given him contact details of the former manager of Infomat Carl Littlejohn who worked with Angela for many years so he may well contribute to the programme.
Angela Peberdy in 1974 (from my own archive)
And finally from just over 40 years ago, here is Angela announcing one of those early morning Sussex Coast trains at Clapham Junction that calls just about everywhere!
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