McDonald Hobley

McDonald Hobley, born Dennys Jack Valentine McDonald-Hobley, (9 June 1917,^[1] Stanley, Falklands Islands – 30 July 1987) was one of the first BBC Television continuity announcers, appearing from 1946 to 1956.^[2]

Childhood and early career

He was the son of Charles McDonald Hobley, the naval chaplain at the cathedral in Stanley^[3] and his wife Gladys, née Blanchard. He was christened Dennys Jack Valentine McDonald-Hobley and attended Brighton College, a public school, from 1931-36.^[4] He began his acting career in repertory theatre, under the stage names Val Blanchard and Robert Blanchard, using his mother's maiden name, and toured before the Second World War in J. B. Priestley's Time and the Conways.

War service

He served in World War II with the Royal Artillery. He was involved in an ultimately abandoned plot to abduct Adolf Hitler and bring him to Britain. He also served in Ceylon with the British Forces Broadcasting Service.

Post-war

After being demobbed, he was selected as an announcer for the post-war revival of BBC Television.

He was also one of the comperes on the BBC's Come Dancing programme and appeared on various other shows as himself.^[5][6] He headed the team of BBC TV's early continuity announcers which included Peter Haigh and Sylvia Peters. Hobley was also a presenter of BBC TV's For Deaf Children from 1953 to 1955, and It's A Knockout in 1966. He re-appeared in November 1986 as an in-vision announcer on BBC2, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of BBC Television.

On radio he was chairman of Does The Team Think?

He left the BBC to join Granada Television in 1956 for its opening. Later Hobley appeared in London's West End in the farce No Sex Please, We're British and other drama and comedy roles in television. Just before his death, he returned to the Falklands for a Channel 4 broadcast about the then British South Atlantic Dependencies. In July 1987 he was rehearsing the world premiere of Anthony Marriott and Bob Grant's play "Home is Where Your Clothes Are" produced by David Tudor. He had extreme difficulty learning his lines, which was unusual, and sadly David Tudor had to release him from his contract. A few days later he died of a brain tumour^{[citation needed]}.

He famously once introduced the politician Sir Stafford Cripps as 'Sir Stifford Crapps'.

References and external links

• McDonald Hobley at the Internet Movie Database

1. ^ "Details of grave - includes picture". http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13698586. Retrieved 2008-08-08. 
2. ^ "Whirligig TV history". http://www.whirligig-tv.co.uk/tv/history/interludes.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-08. 
3. ^ "JSFnetUK guide to It's A Knockout and Jeux Sans Frontières". http://www.jsfnet.co.uk/bio_hobley.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-08. 
4. ^ "Old Brightonians website". http://www.oldbrightonians.com/hobley_01.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-08. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ "Swalwell village memories, TV page H". http://www.swalwelluk.co.uk/picpages/pic-radioh.html. Retrieved 2008-08-07. 
6. ^ "Pictures of Hobley at the TV announcers website". http://tvannouncers.thetvroomplus.com/images.php?id=482. Retrieved 2009-01-25. 

Persondata
Name	Hobley, Macdonald
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1917-06-09
Place of birth
Date of death	1987-07-30
Place of death