Laurie Macmillan

Laurie Macmillan

Laurie Macmillan (May 10, 1947 - October 8, 2001) was a BBC Radio 4 newsreader and continuity announcer born in Aberdeen on the east coast of Scotland.

Educated at Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls, Monmouthshire, South Wales and then at Newcastle University graduating with a degree in Politics and Philosophy.

She joined the BBC in 1968 as a Trainee Studio Manager, became a studio manager in 1973 and an announcer in 1975. Easily recognisable in the BBC Newsroom by her thick dark hair that was so long she would frequently end up sitting on it. Worked on The World at One, PM, It's Your Line and You and Yours on BBC Radio 4, also occasionally working on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Local Radio, and briefly reading the news on Newsnight on BBC2.

Wrote and presented a schools radio series on industrial geography, and was for a time an aficionado of Radio 4's Bells on Sunday, becoming an expert on peals of Grandsire Doubles and Steadman Triples.

In the late 1970s she and partner Martine Ronaldson moved to Sticklepath in Devon (They later married in 1986). They renovated the cottage and she grew organic vegetables. She maintained a broad range of interests - attending evening classes studying astronomy looking at what was a sky relatively clear of light pollution; studying Gaelic she tried it out while on walking holidays in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, later returning to Radio 4 on a part time basis.

Noted for her forthright expression of her opinions of other people's usage of spoken English, plain speaking and treating people at all levels of seniority and none with the same straight forthright manner, because of this her views were highly prized.

She found it difficult to talk about herself or her problems, and always was far more interested in others and general gossip.

Having been diagnosed with breast cancer and despite being breathless from the treatment she returned to Radio 4 although only working on the 6 O'Clock News until March 2001 when the cancer returned. She died on 8 October 2001 in Okehampton, Devon from breast cancer.

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/1589026.stm BBC News Online - "Radio 4 newsreader loses cancer fight"]
* [http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article35676.ece Independent Online Obituary]


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