Forum for former BBC staff

Forum for former BBC staff
http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl >> Notices, obituaries and tributes >> Douglas Vaughan http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1268425358 Message started by simonm on Mar 12^th, 2010, 8:23pm

Title: Douglas Vaughan
Post by simonm on Mar 12^th, 2010, 8:23pm

Quote:

Douglas Vaughan had a household voice, which was known
to millions who watched television or listened to the radio during
the second half of the last century.

He was a continuity announcer whose voice was the link between
programmes or sometimes he would read the news or the
weather forecasts.

During the late 1960s and 1970s, his voice described the
antiques in a popular quiz programme at the time called
Going For A Song and which made famous an antiques
expert called Arthur Negus.

Mr Vaughan was born in Wanstead, London, and attended the
Royal Masonic School before studying at Bristol University.
As a student after the outbreak of World War II, he he joined
the Army and served with the Devon Regiment before suffering
an eye injury in 1942.

After the war finished, he joined the BBC and worked for them
in Bristol until he retired in the 1980s.

He lived in Clifton Wood with his wife Joan, who worked as a
sound engineer with the BBC.

He is survived by his son Nigel, a stepdaughter, Anna, and
one grandchild.

His funeral will be held at Canford Crematorium, Bristol on
Monday March 15th at 11AM.

(Bristol Evening Post, third edition, 12th March 2010)

There was also a brief notice in The Times.

. . .

Douglas was hugely liked by so many. He had the voice of his namesake Paul,
although arguably with even more gravitas. In the case of Sound and Film Test
Room, that liking might have been a trifle reluctant, since he once famously EFR'ed the
West Region continuity clock for being a quarter-second slow.

I remember two significant incidents: firstly as a 'sprog,' being almost bowled
over by a high-speed Douglas crossing the old BH reception area, bang on
time for the afternoon news on VHF, but late if impeded in any way. He had it
down to the quarter-second (see above).

The second incident was years later when, as a dubbing mixer, I was recording
voiceovers for a regional TV arts programme. Some 'bright young things' in
production had persuaded a recently-retired Douglas to voiceover a short film
"to give it a period feel."

We older hands knew what to expect: Douglas appeared, bang on time,
delivered the script perfectly in the first take, and departed, leaving comments
of "Wow, that was amazing!" in his wake.

. . .

Douglas Vaughan: a man with a twinkle in his eye, who charmed
through his excellence and his kindness.

Far from forgotten, RIP, Dougie.

Simonm.

Title: Re: Douglas Vaughan
Post by david.shute on Mar 13^th, 2010, 1:33pm

Not only a superb PRO but a very generous colleagues particularly to people like me who were starting out in broadcasting back in the 60s in the golden days of the BBC in Bristol.
David Shute
:)

Title: Re: Douglas Vaughan
Post by Roundabout on Apr 16^th, 2010, 8:00am

I too endorse David Shute's tribute to Douglas and his kindness to 'sprogs'...as a trainee SM in the 60s in Bristol we often marvelled at the scheduling which involved the two of us travelling between the several studios in Whiteladies Road to do various voice overs and announcements when we could have stayed in one place and done the lot. A real pro. and one of my mentors on the way to my own career in Radio.