John Dunn

He combined smoothness of delivery with the hint of an impish smile and a healthy dose of charm and intelligence.

All 6'7" of John Dunn joined the BBC as a studio manager, graduating to newsreading duties across its old Networks. On the first day of Radio 1, his was the voice which dared to announce impishly “now the news, in English” amidst a frenetic Rosko show. At a nascent Radio 2, he hosted great shows like ‘Breakfast Special’ and, later, ‘Late Night Extra’, back in the days when all shows had names. After 1976, he slid, like a hand into a glove, into the evening shift, where he remained for 25 years. John died in 2004.