John Snagge

John Snagge

John Derrick Mordaunt Snagge OBE (8 May1904 – 25 March1996) was a long-time British newsreader and commentator on BBC Radio. He was educated at Winchester College, a boys' independent school in Winchester, Hampshire, in southern England.

He joined the BBC in 1924 after graduating from Pembroke College, Oxford, taking up the position of assistant director at Stoke-on-Trent's new local radio station. He broadcast his first sports commentary (of a Hull City versus Stoke City football match) in January 1927, after the BBC obtained the rights to cover major sporting events.

In 1928, Snagge was transferred to London to work as one of the BBC's main announcers alongside Stuart Hibberd. From 1931 until 1980, he commentated on the annual Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race. He provided commentary for the coronation of King George VI in 1937 and again in 1953 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

At the start of World War II, Snagge was made the BBC's presentation director and delivered important radio announcements as the war unfolded. By the time of the D-Day landings in 1944, he was presenting the magazine programme "War Report" which featured regular news from the beaches of Normandy.

In the early 1950s, Snagge played a role in negotiations that led to the radio comedy series "The Goon Show" being commissioned by the BBC. He was also the subject of many running gags during the show, and provided many self-parodying announcements, usually recorded. He was a defender of the show against many efforts to cancel it, even to staking his career on it. Later, in the 1970s, he echoed his wartime role by appearing as the newsreader in the radio version of "Dad's Army".

On 5 July 1954, John Snagge read the first BBC television news bulletin.

Snagge retired in 1965, but continued to provide commentaries for the Boat Race until 1980. Around this time he also appeared on Noel Edmonds' Radio 1 show on Sunday mornings, a role subsequently taken up by Brian Perkins.

During the 1949 University Boat Race Snagges' voice filled with excitement and he reported: "I can't see who's in the lead but it's either Oxford or Cambridge".

John Snagge died in 1996, aged 91.

External links

* [http://www.radioacademy.org.uk/record.jsp?type=celeb&ID=48 John Snagge] at the Radio Academy's Hall of Fame.
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/ram/dday_6_6_44_radio_bulletin.ram John Snagge announcing the D Day landings, June 6, 1944]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/cta/events2000/queenmum/bbcan1.ram John Snagge announcing the death of King George VI, February 6, 1952]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • John Henry Whitley — (1866 – 1935), often known as J. H. Whitley, was a respected and successful British politician whose life and career spanned a period of significant social change, from roots in the heart of the Industrial Revolution through to the inter war… …   Wikipedia

  • Oliver St John, 3rd Baron St John of Bletso — (c. 1540–1618) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1588 until 1596 when he inherited the peerage as Baron St John of Bletso. St John was a son of Oliver St John, 1st Baron St John of Bletso, and Agnes Fisher.[1] He was… …   Wikipedia

  • Kilfinane — Infobox Irish Place name = Kilfinane gaeilge = Cill Fhíonáin crest motto = map pin coords = left: 110px; top: 72px north coord = 52.3602778 | west coord = 8.4930556 | irish grid = R680230 area = | elevation = 151 m province = Munster county =… …   Wikipedia

  • Lord's Taverners — The Lord s Taverners is an English charity dedicated to the promotion of cricket among young people. The name of the organisation derives from its origins; in 1950, a group of cricket loving actors who regularly met at the Tavern pub in Lord s to …   Wikipedia

  • The Goon Show running jokes — This is a list of running jokes the 1950s British radio programme The Goon Show. Contents 1 Catch phrases 2 Regular plot devices 3 Very long jokes 4 Footnotes …   Wikipedia

  • Neddie Seagoon — was a character in the 1950s British radio comedy show, The Goon Show. He was created and performed by Welshman Harry Secombe. Seagoon was usually the central character of a Goon Show episode, with Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers many characters …   Wikipedia

  • The Goon Show cast members and characters — This is a list of regular cast members of the 1950s British radio programme The Goon Show and the characters they portrayed.Harry Secombe Neddie Seagoon Main article: Neddie Seagoon Uncle OscarUncle of Henry and Min. A very old pensioner (Henry… …   Wikipedia

  • Winston Churchill — For other uses, see Winston Churchill (disambiguation). Churchill redirects here. For other uses, see Churchill (disambiguation). The Right Honourable Sir Winston Churchill …   Wikipedia

  • Winston Churchill — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Winston Churchill (homonymie). Winston Churchill …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Dad's Army — For other uses, see Dad s Army (disambiguation). Dad s Army Series title card Format Sitcom Written by Jimmy Perry and …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”