How are PA announcers chosen?

[ScottGallagher]

mods note - split from this thread.

How are these announcers chosen in the first place, do they have to audition or something? Are they paid a one off fee?

Thinking about it is there anything in particular stopping say Avanti West Coast asking Patrick Stewart or David Attenborough to do theirs?

 

[Parallel]

How are these announcers chosen in the first place, do they have to audition or something? Are they paid a one off fee?

Thinking about it is there anything in particular stopping say Avanti West Coast asking Patrick Stewart or David Attenborough to do theirs?

I think it depends.

Worldline (ATOS) do not use any ‘professional’ voiceover artists for their station announcements. Anne worked for ATOS. All the current male ATOS voices work (or worked) for TOCs (the same for Ruth too, but her voice actually pre-dates the ATOS system).

For on board, it is more varied and I assume the TOCs generally ‘own’ whichever recordings they use, so if Avanti wanted David Attenborough’s voice and he was up for making the recordings, then probably. Worth noting though that announcers will need to make new recordings as new stations open etc so it may not be advisable going for someone in their 90s!

I think TPE have always used staff for the on board announcements who had won competitions to do so.

 

[busestrains]

I think it depends.

Worldline (ATOS) do not use any ‘professional’ voiceover artists for their station announcements. Anne worked for ATOS. All the current male ATOS voices work (or worked) for TOCs (the same for Ruth too, but her voice actually pre-dates the ATOS system).

For on board, it is more varied and I assume the TOCs generally ‘own’ whichever recordings they use, so if Avanti wanted David Attenborough’s voice and he was up for making the recordings, then probably. Worth noting though that announcers will need to make new recordings as new stations open etc so it may not be advisable going for someone in their 90s!

I think TPE have always used staff for the on board announcements who had won competitions to do so.

The problem with using staff members is that it simply does not sound as good as using professional voice over artists.

I actually quite like Ruth Mitchell and Eryl Jones as they have quite good voices for announcements. But all of the other various Worldline announcers have not been that good. I am not really a fan of, Anne Jermy, Matthew Streeton, Karen Cunningham, Juliet Donnache, Andrew Smith, SE Rob, GW Rodger, who are all staff members.

All six of the FTPE announcers that have been used over the years, Angie Hunt, Caroline Josephs, Kath Donald, Neil Rudd, Rob Radnell, Rob Wedekind, which are all just staff members have also been quite poor too. FTPE put no effort in to their announcements. Their announcements have always been quite poor.

Compare this to the Amey (Ditra) system which uses processional voiceover artists, Celia Drummond, Phil Sayer, Emma Hignett, "Only Woman", Pauline Cavilla, SE Roger, who have all sounded brilliant. When you use professional voice over artists you get good quality announcements that sound good. But these days train companies just want to save money and ask staff members to volunteer to record announcements for free.

Interesting to hear that Ruth pre dates the Atos system? What system was Ruth used on before the Atos system?

 

[Parallel]

Interesting to hear that Ruth pre dates the Atos system? What system was Ruth used on before the Atos system?

It was under SEMA (and I believe Eryl was too) - I believe SEMA either merged with or got taken over by ATOS Worldline in the early 2000s.

 

[busestrains]

It was under SEMA (and I believe Eryl was too) - I believe SEMA either merged with or got taken over by ATOS Worldline in the early 2000s.

That is interesting. I had not heard of that SEMA system before. I am pretty sure i do remember hearing Ruth at some stations in Cornwall or Devon or Somerset (i can not remember which exactly) in the mid or late 1990s i think. So she has been used for over 25 years or maybe almost 30 years.

What is the connection between Atos and Worldline these days? The announcements system was originally Atos but then became Worldline instead but i am not sure if Worldline is just a company or sub brand that Atos still owns?

Do you have any recordings or know of any recordings of Ruth or Eryl from the Wessex Trains / Wales & West / Wales & Borders / Valley Lines era? It would be very interesting to see if the announcements and wording has changed much over the years?

 

[adc82140]

I think a lot of us in the community radio sector would be happy to do some voice overs for the PA in return for a small donation to help keep our radio stations on air. I know I would.

 

[TheManOnThe172]

Things were more casual in the early days of recorded announcements when my parents both started recording, mostly for Southern Region, in the early 1970's. My mother started first - recruited by the machine suppliers, Infomat of West Croydon, through a temp agency because she had a qualification in Speech and Drama. My father got roped in (moonlighting from his job as a curator at the Science Museum) when they needed a male voice for contrast. It was quite strange to hear them both playing against each other as I waited for my train home from school at East Croydon.

 

[Sorcerer]

I won't lie, if Avanti West Coast managed to get Patrick Stewart to do onboard announcements then we can safely say that Virgin's talking toilets was the biggest waste of money on the West Coast franchise.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I won't lie, if Avanti West Coast managed to get Patrick Stewart to do onboard announcements then we can safely say that Virgin's talking toilets was the biggest waste of money on the West Coast franchise.

Many on here have said it, or at least implied it. In fact, whenever Virgin Trains is brought up, someone always brings the talking toilets up. Yes, they had a lot of success with the original idea (Please don’t flush nappies, sanitary towels….. hopes dreams goldfish) and then took it too far to the point where it became annoying (celebrities and all that), but honestly, if all a TOC did wrong was make it’s toilets talk it should be commended.

 

[Sorcerer]

Many on here have said it, or at least implied it. In fact, whenever Virgin Trains is brought up, someone always brings the talking toilets up. Yes, they had a lot of success with the original idea (Please don’t flush nappies, sanitary towels….. hopes dreams goldfish) and then took it too far to the point where it became annoying (celebrities and all that), but honestly, if all a TOC did wrong was make it’s toilets talk it should be commended.

Yeah but it's only somewhat arguable that it was a waste of money since some people found it charming or humorous. But if Avanti proved that getting Patrick Stewart to do announcements was possible then it would very much be undeniable because then you could say that Virgin could've done it themselves instead of spending that money on talking toilets. I know they got Will Farrell to do some talking toilets even, but Patrick Stewart as an announcer would be priceless.

 

[syorksdeano]

I would prefer Brian Blessed to do the announcements.... Imaging him telling you what train is arriving on Platform 1.

In fact imagine him working at Manchester Piccadilly platform 13 & 14 "GET BEHIND THE F***ING RED LINE"

 

[Metal_gee_man]

A lot of the time it's being in the right place at the right time, and knowing the right people, take Geoff Marshalls Thameslink closure announcements for example

 

[ScottGallagher]

I won't lie, if Avanti West Coast managed to get Patrick Stewart to do onboard announcements then we can safely say that Virgin's talking toilets was the biggest waste of money on the West Coast franchise.

I'm no trekkie but Patrick Stewart just has one of those excellent authoritative voices , you probably wouldnt want to hear 'make it so' before or after using the lav though.

However back on earth , the likelihood of Avanti ever doing anything like that is below zero!!

 

[weepingwillowb]

An aunt of mine was a station announcer at Chester in the early 1960s; she spoke very clearly without an accent, and, according to my mother, she'd once won a prize at an eisteddfod for speaking.

 

[30907]

Slightly OT, but I understand that the Revd David Watson, a well-known York Vicar with a southern public-school voice, did some recordings for on-board PA when the first suitably equipped stock appeared on the ECML. It caused some surprised reactions.
I imagine one of his congregation worked at York HQ....

 

[Recessio]

Who did the station recordings used during Network South East? I remember seeing footage of stations in what's now Southeastern territory, it was a guys voice, clearly pre-recorded and not live.

 

[busestrains]

Who did the station recordings used during Network South East? I remember seeing footage of stations in what's now Southeastern territory, it was a guys voice, clearly pre-recorded and not live.

There were a couple of different voices in the Network South East area depending on the station and the system used

Ditra system had two voices:
• John Elgar
• Unnamed Female (who amazingly lasted at Bishops Stortford and Seven Sisters until 2012 but was removed everywhere else around privatisation in the late 1990s and early 2000s)

Infomat system had four voices:
• Angela Peberdy
• Gordon Reid
• Julie Berry
• Robert Lister

So these six voices are the ones you would have heard during the Network South East era.

Who did the station recordings used during Network South East? I remember seeing footage of stations in what's now Southeastern territory, it was a guys voice, clearly pre-recorded and not live.

I forgot to mention in my previous post there was also a seventh voice used during the Network South East era called Liz Crowther and i believe she was on the Infomat system too if i remember correctly but she seemed to be replaced earlier than the others.

 

[Recessio]

There were a couple of different voices in the Network South East area depending on the station and the system used

Ditra system had two voices:
• John Elgar
• Unnamed Female (who amazingly lasted at Bishops Stortford and Seven Sisters until 2012 but was removed everywhere else around privatisation in the late 1990s and early 2000s)

Infomat system had four voices:
• Angela Peberdy
• Gordon Reid
• Julie Berry
• Robert Lister

So these six voices are the ones you would have heard during the Network South East era.


I forgot to mention in my previous post there was also a seventh voice used during the Network South East era called Liz Crowther and i believe she was on the Infomat system too if i remember correctly but she seemed to be replaced earlier than the others.

Thank you! By searching for John Elgar I found a YouTube channel with lots of BR/NSE announcements, recorded by someone who used to work in a control room, by the sounds of it. The description of each video contains lots of information including the announcer name.

The one I was thinking of was Robert Lister. This is an example from Lewisham.

(I think the video I was recalling earlier was from a Thames News report filming at Dartford).

 

[BJames]

There were a couple of different voices in the Network South East area depending on the station and the system used

Ditra system had two voices:
• John Elgar
• Unnamed Female (who amazingly lasted at Bishops Stortford and Seven Sisters until 2012 but was removed everywhere else around privatisation in the late 1990s and early 2000s)

Infomat system had four voices:
• Angela Peberdy
• Gordon Reid
• Julie Berry
• Robert Lister

So these six voices are the ones you would have heard during the Network South East era.


I forgot to mention in my previous post there was also a seventh voice used during the Network South East era called Liz Crowther and i believe she was on the Infomat system too if i remember correctly but she seemed to be replaced earlier than the others.

I had completely forgotten about the Seven Sisters voice but travelled through there a lot then (continue to do so now) - but I managed to find this video with that unnamed female:

Some little oddities to it including at 2:24 where she just announces "Seven Sisters. This is Seven Sisters" immediately after announcing the Enfield Town calling pattern, and before repeating it again. The calling pattern was repeated multiple times per train.


I quite like Anne actually, I think possibly more because I've grown up hearing her voice in places such as Liverpool Street and she's a very familiar sound. I do most like her at London Terminals though and I was surprised that stations on West Anglia's Overground routes weren't updated to Emma Hignett following TFL's takeover like they were elsewhere - always thought it would be good for some differentiation.

 

[Jimini]

Thank you! By searching for John Elgar I found a YouTube channel with lots of BR/NSE announcements, recorded by someone who used to work in a control room, by the sounds of it. The description of each video contains lots of information including the announcer name.

The one I was thinking of was Robert Lister. This is an example from Lewisham.

(I think the video I was recalling earlier was from a Thames News report filming at Dartford).

That voice takes me back to my childhood in the '90s and many a journey from Clapham Junction! Connex slam door trains are a long time ago now, I guess! (I'm 42.)

 

[Parallel]

Not Network SE but Southeastern used the voices of Paulina Cavilla and Roger (a different Roger to GWR Rodger) previously. They were only used on the SE network on Southeastern’s DITRA/Amey system. I always found it interesting that they went for two non-standard announcers over Phil and Celia.

 

[Mat17]

I always thought Sean Connery would have been good.

Patrick Stewart would be interesting but William Shatner would be funnier...

 

[busestrains]

Thank you! By searching for John Elgar I found a YouTube channel with lots of BR/NSE announcements, recorded by someone who used to work in a control room, by the sounds of it. The description of each video contains lots of information including the announcer name.

The one I was thinking of was Robert Lister. This is an example from Lewisham.

(I think the video I was recalling earlier was from a Thames News report filming at Dartford).

Robert Payne has an amazing Youtube channel. It is a treasure trove of hundreds and hundreds of old British Rail and Network South East announcements from the 1970s and 1980s and 1990s eras. I have spent many hours listening to those old recordings. It is nice hearing the old recordings. I regret not recording more announcements during that era.

I had completely forgotten about the Seven Sisters voice but travelled through there a lot then (continue to do so now) - but I managed to find this video with that unnamed female:

Some little oddities to it including at 2:24 where she just announces "Seven Sisters. This is Seven Sisters" immediately after announcing the Enfield Town calling pattern, and before repeating it again. The calling pattern was repeated multiple times per train.


I quite like Anne actually, I think possibly more because I've grown up hearing her voice in places such as Liverpool Street and she's a very familiar sound. I do most like her at London Terminals though and I was surprised that stations on West Anglia's Overground routes weren't updated to Emma Hignett following TFL's takeover like they were elsewhere - always thought it would be good for some differentiation.

That is a good find. Great video. I quite liked those old announcements. I shall have to try and dig out my old recordings of her at Bishops Stortford and Seven Sisters as i have a few. I also have a few from Stansted Airport and Tottenham Hale as she also remained at those stations until the late 2000s i think.

Anne Jermy is on the Worldline system where as Emma Hignett is on the Amey system so i presume TFL did not want to spend the money switching. Especially as i know Amey is far more expensive than Worldline is.

That voice takes me back to my childhood in the '90s and many a journey from Clapham Junction! Connex slam door trains are a long time ago now, I guess! (I'm 42.)

Those announcements certainly bring back memories. It feels just like yesterday that Connex South Central and Connex South Eastern still had slam door trains. But i think it was the mid 2000s they were all withdrawn by.

Not Network SE but Southeastern used the voices of Paulina Cavilla and Roger (a different Roger to GWR Rodger) previously. They were only used on the SE network on Southeastern’s DITRA/Amey system. I always found it interesting that they went for two non-standard announcers over Phil and Celia.

I really like Pauline Cavilla and SE Roger and they were both definitely in my top five favourite announcers. They had great voices for announcements. I wish they would bring them back. I have quite a few recordings of them but i wish i had recorded more as they had some great announcements.

Pauline Cavilla could also be heard doing the next train announcements on the Bakerloo Line and Central Line station platforms until around 2018 when the standard Elinor Hamilton system replaced her.

Roger was actually called Mark Stutter i believe. He was also a professional voice over artist. I believe he did the English language airport announcements at most of the airports in Spain too. Sadly it appears he died in August 2017 which is sad. I always thought of him as the male version of Celia Drummond as he had quite a posh voice. It seems he moved to Spain in his later years (similar to how Celia Drummond moved to France in her later years) but he continued doing voiceovers for the UK while he lived there.

 

[365 Networker]

Slightly OT, but I understand that the Revd David Watson, a well-known York Vicar with a southern public-school voice, did some recordings for on-board PA when the first suitably equipped stock appeared on the ECML. It caused some surprised reactions.
I imagine one of his congregation worked at York HQ....

Is this his voice on the MK4 PA system? Skip to 10:38

There is also a female voice - (12:15)

 

[Tractor Factor]

I quite like Anne actually, I think possibly more because I've grown up hearing her voice in places such as Liverpool Street and she's a very familiar sound. I do most like her at London Terminals though...

There is something almost comforting about her voice.
It's that sort of thing that GBR needs to invest in so they become a singular voice of the railways and thus creates trust between the announcer and the customers. That's why you get older, well known news readers doing big events - trust in them and what they are telling you due to familiarity.

 

[busestrains]

Is this his voice on the MK4 PA system? Skip to 10:38

There is also a female voice - (12:15)

I have always wondered who those male and female voices are on the LNER MK4 trains. It is a shame they rarely get used. Out of all the times i have travelled on LNER MK4 trains i think i have only heard them once or twice.

There is something almost comforting about her voice.
It's that sort of thing that GBR needs to invest in so they become a singular voice of the railways and thus creates trust between the announcer and the customers. That's why you get older, well known news readers doing big events - trust in them and what they are telling you due to familiarity.

It would make it boring if there was just one announcer everywhere. It is nice to have a variety of different voices on different trains and at different stations.

Also i doubt the Scottish would be happy with an English accent voice at their stations. Although they do use Anne in Northern Ireland so maybe it would work.

But if they are going to choose just one announcer to be used everywhere on the network than i would at least choose a professional voice over artist rather than Anne who is a Worldline staff member. In my opinion that "Only Woman" lady that was previously at, Brighton, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, London Victoria, Blackpool North, all VTWC stations, would be a very good choice. She had a great voice for announcements. She had a good sounding voice and a nice fairly neutral accent so would be good for use everywhere in the country.

 

[30907]

Is this his voice on the MK4 PA system? Skip to 10:38

There is also a female voice - (12:15)

Very unlikely as he died in 1984, and the announcements dated from the early Mk2 a/c era.

He, being dead, yet speaketh (says the Letter to the Hebrews) but even so....

 

[ThisIsSurbiton]

But if they are going to choose just one announcer to be used everywhere on the network than i would at least choose a professional voice over artist rather than Anne who is a Worldline staff member

I think the main difference between the systems isn't so much the professionalism of the voices, but in the way the announcements are put together. The Ditra/Ketech/Amey/etc. systems were always much better at this than Worldline. Through decent speakers I think Anne sounds good, although many stations can't manage that. It's the tiny extra pauses that grate. Phil Sayer and friends could almost have been there doing the announcements live.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

I think a lot of us in the community radio sector would be happy to do some voice overs for the PA in return for a small donation to help keep our radio stations on air. I know I would.

Same here, but I have a funny feeling that when GBR / Great British Railways comes into being in 2023, new annoucers are introduced.