Voice Overs for Shiny Floors
Posted on December 15, 2010
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Typically, in the early days, the BBC would make all it’s own ” trails” these are the little BBC adverts they show that tell you what you can see, say next Saturday. So come a Friday you are bombarded with these in between programmes, saying ” Dale Winton brings you the National Lottery, live, Saturday at 8, on BBC1.” To generate these requires a huge number of people, and I would typically be at the BBC about three times a week voicing these. I’d get a call from my agent, and be given the scantiest of information, just the where to be, and when. Sometimes if you’re lucky you get a contact name to ask for. Agents field so many of these promo, trail voiceovers daily that they are just not worth concentrating on, so they normally delegate the handling of them to the junior in the office. It’s bread and butter stuff for the whole industry, but truth be told, we all thank the good Lord for the vast churn of trails required by the UK television industry each week.
My mobile would ring, and I’d answer it to hear my agent on the other line to Jude Law or someone far higher up the food chain. They’d be on the other line chatting to Jude, and simply speed dial me as an side to book something as pedestrian as a trail voice over.
BRiiiing…….”hi it’s Richard speaking….”
Pause. I overhear my agent on the over line……
” Haaaaaaa nooooo so Sadie did what love…..bloody he’ll – I do NOT BELEEEEEVE…..oh hold on Jude sweetie – just one sec love let me get rid of this……..
” Hello? Richard…..? Hi….er….AMA BBC White city tomorrow 4.30 for an hour is that OK?”
” Errrrr, yes should be fine”
” Thanks Rich – be good” clunk. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
And that’s the booking.
I take the tube down to White City, and in those days, the voice overs were done in the old part of White City, known as BBC Broadcast Centre. this is literally UK Tv history personified. If ever you watched Blue Peter as a kid and saw the presenter doing anything outside, or if BBC Children in Need had a requirement for hundreds of people to be gathered in a wide open space near the studio, BBC Broadcast Centre was where it takes place.
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