Saturday, May 12, 2007

The strange business of voiceovers

Being an ex-radio man, I have a bizarre interest in who does the voiceovers on TV and Radio shows and adverts. Most people don't even think about it, or just recognise the well-known actors who do it, but I try and identify the professional voiceover chaps which you never see.

Take Pete Drummond, for example. I have spent most of my life saying "that's Pete Drummond" while most people look at me strangely. Pete Drummond used to do virtually every voiceover on BBC, Channel 4, E4, Film 4...you name it. He seems to have gone a bit quiet recently.

Bill Mitchell used to be the voiceover man's voiceover man and you heard him on virtually every radio station in the world.

The late Patrick Allen was one of the most successful voiceover people in the UK, famed for his Barratt adverts, but he did loads of other stuff.

Which brings me to Peter Dickson. He is currently one of the most frequent voices on British television. Interestingly, he has taken over from Patrick Allen in using a sort of Patrick Allenish voice. He does Ant and Dec, the Price is Right, Paul O'Grady, The Sun, E4...the lot.

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