Freelance directory
Anne Diamond
Sparkling Anne Diamond joined TV-am as main presenter in June 1983 from the BBC aged 28. Her on-screen partnership with Nick Owen brought the station unimaginable success. After Nick's departure in 1986, Anne teamed up with a variety of co-presenters including Adrian Brown, Mike Morris, Richard Keys, Geoff Meade and David Foster. In 1988 she got her own Sunday morning show "Summer Sunday", and in 1989 this became known as "Anne Diamond on Sunday". Anne finally left TV-am in 1990 to pursue other career opportunities and look after her young family.
Wincey Willis
Wincey joined TV-am in May 1983 as main weekday weather presenter. She'd been spotted doing the regional weather forecasts on Tyne Tees Television. She quickly became very popular with viewers and was part of the 'new look' line-up that helped turn around the fortunes of "Good Morning Britain" in the early days. As well as the weather, Wincey also presented other features such as Caring Christmas, Wincey's Pets and Wincey's Wall. She left the station in 1987. Wincey can now often be heard on BBC Local Radio in Coventry and lectures in media and wildlife conservation.
Nick Owen
Nick Owen was at TV-am right from the very start. He read the sport on the first edition of Good Morning Britain and appeared regularly in the first few weeks, sharing the slot with Mike Morris. Nick took over from David Frost as main weekday male presenter in April 1983, sharing the famous sofa with Angela Rippon and then Anna Ford. When Angela and Anna left the company Nick co-presented "Good Morning Britain" with Lynda Berry. He was then joined by Anne Diamond in June 1983 and the hugely successful "Anne and Nick" partnership began. Nick secured an exclusive interview with Princess Michael of Kent in 1985 after it was revealled she had family connections with the SS. He also made the headlines in 1985 when Pamela Stephenson famously pulled down his trousers live on air in an effort to make him 'more popular' with TV viewers. His last programme was in August 1986 when he left to join ITV Sport. Nick's time at TV-am is told in his autobiography "In the time of Nick" which is available from good bookshops. Viewers in the Midlands see Nick every night at 6.30pm presenting the regional news programme "Midlands Today".
Mike Morris
Like Nick Owen, Mike Morris joined TV-am as a sports reporter and presenter and was there for the launch in 1983. Mike quickly became the main 'face' of TV-am Sport and presented bulletins until the end of 1987. During this time he would also regularly co-present "Good Morning Britain", filling in for Nick and Adrian Brown. From 1988 onwards Mike took over as "Good Morning Britain" presenting alongside Anne Diamond, Kathy Rochford, Kathryn Holloway, Kathy Tayler, Linda Mitchell, Maya Even and Lorraine Kelly. Mike presented the very last TV-am programme. He then went on to become regular presenter of Yorkshire TV's news magazine programme "Calendar".
Jayne Irving
Jayne joined TV-am before the station even went on the air, working as a reporter based in Bristol. Her talents were quickly spotted and she was soon presenting news bulletins on "Good Morning Britain". Early in 1984 Jayne got the chance to cover for Anne Diamond and then established herself as a regular on the TV-am sofa, usually alongside Nick Owen and John Stapleton. In 1986 Jayne became the regular host of the new "After Nine" slot and appeared every weekday. When the ACTT dispute began in Novemebr 1987, Jayne would often be the only face to appear on screen, acting as a continuity announcer linking into various recorded programmes. Jayne was a driving force behind the station's successful life-saving Cervical Cancer Campaign. She left TV-am in 1989 to join the BBC.
Gordon Honeycombe
Gordon Honeycombe joined TV-am in January 1984 as TV-am's main news presenter. Already a familiar face to ITV viewers from his many years with ITN, Gordon brought much needed authority and credibility to the half hourly news bulletins. He stayed with the company until 1989. Gordon wrote TV-am's Official Celebration of the Royal Wedding in 1986, a book about the marriage of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. He is a successful author and actor.
Richard Keys
He's now the face of Sky Sports, but Richard was TV-am's face of sport for many years. He began making regular appearances on "Good Morning Britain" in 1984 sharing the sports desk with Mike Morris but was to become one of TV-am's main presenters in 1986, often co-presenting the main programme with Anne Diamond. In 1988 he got his own show, the hour long news programme "The Morning Programme" and continued to co-present GMB. He left TV-am in 1990 to join Sky.
Henry Kelly
Fast talking, quick witted Henry Kelly joined TV-am in June 1983 as host of the Saturday edition of "Good Morning Britain" with Toni Arthur. Hired by Greg Dyke, Henry quickly established himself as one of TV-am's most popular presenters. He was a regular stand in presenter on the weekday programme and could also be seen presenting "Summer Sunday" over the years. His last appearance was in 1987. He can now be heard on BBC Radio Berkshire.
David Frost
David Frost, now Sir David, was one of the founders of TV-am. Along with Peter Jay he helped gather the team together that was to win ITV's first breakfast franchise. He famously said the first words on the first show "Hello, good morning and welcome to TV-am", and found himself in the awkward position of having to stand aside when viewing figures fell in the first few weeks. Unlike other members of The Famous Five, David remained with the company to the very end as presenter and company director. His "Frost on Sunday" programmes made the news as well as reported it. The successful formula was transferred to BBC1 in 1993.
Lizzie Webb
Lizzie Webb, or "Mad Lizzie" as she was known in TV-am's early days, woke Britain up with an energetic exercise routine every morning from May 1983 to December 1992. Recruited by Greg Dyke, Lizzie was, and is, a trained dance teacher specialising in fitness through music and movement. Lizzie was behind many fitness campaigns at TV-am over the years, one of the most successful being "Feeling Fine in '89". Lizzie has produced numerous best selling keep fit videos and books and is now behind a new initiative to get Britain's youngsters fit "Creativity in Sport". We're delighted to continue to represent Lizzie, so for press enquiries about her, or to book her for TV or other work please contact Ian White on 05602 430269 or email ian.white@tv-am.org.uk .
Anneka Rice
Anneka Rice was a guest presenter on "Good Morning Britain" between 1985 and 1987, filling in for Anne Diamond. She would co-present the programme with Nick Owen, Henry Kelly, Mike Morris and Richard Keys. Anneka was a well known presenter of childrens programmes and the popular Channel Four programme "Treasure Hunt".
Kathy Tayler
Champion sportswoman and BBC "Holiday" presenter, Kathy Tayler joined TV-am in 1989 as co-presenter of "Good Morning Britain" with Mike Morris and Richard Keys. She later moved to the "After Nine" programme when Jayne Irving left and remained regular presenter until December 1992.
Lorraine Kelly
Originally from Dundee, Lorraine Kelly was recruited by TV-am to work as a reporter in Scotland in 1984. In 1988 she was given the opportunity to host "The Morning Programme" between 6am and 7am, covering for Richard Keys. Viewers liked her and she soon started hosting "Good Morning Britain" with Mike Morris. In October 1989 Lorraine took over the main presenter role and stayed with TV-am until the very last day. She joined GMTV in January 1993 as one of their main presenters.
Maya Even
Dr Maya Even was born in Canada and is an Oxford University graduate. She joined TV-am in 1989 as Westminster Correspondent and presenter of daily politics slot on "The Morning Programme". In 1990 she took over from Richard Keys as regular host of the early show and began deputising for Lorraine Kelly on GMB. She also fronted the revamped "First Report" and covered for David Frost with "Even on Sunday".
Lisa Aziz
Lisa Aziz became the face of TV-am News in 1989, replacing Gordon Honeycombe as regular newscaster. She'd worked briefly as a reporter for TV-am after leaving HTV West. Lisa joined Sky News in 1992 and continued fronting their bulletins for TV-am. She remained with Sky until 2006 and now presents ITV West's regional news programme from Bristol.
Ulrika Jonsson
Swedish born Ulrika first worked for TV-am as a secretary in the late 80s. In 1989 she returned to present the station's weather bulletins. A big hit with male viewers, Ulrika also presented other parts of the programme such as "Ulrika on the Move", "Success" and "Good Morning Moments". She made her last regular appearance in 1992.
Kathryn Holloway
Kathryn joined TV-am in 1988 as Newcastle based reporter from Tyne Tees Television. As well as helping set up TV-am's regional studio for the North East, Kathryn soon became a regular presenter on "The Morning Programme" and "Good Morning Britain". She was one of the first reporters sent to the scene of the Lockerbie Air Disaster. Kathryn stayed with TV-am until the very end, later joing Living TV and Sky.
Kathy Rochford
A well established presenter and reporter in the Midlands, Kathy Rochford was the obvious choice to join TV-am as Birmingham based reporter in 1988. Kathy presented many editions of "The Morning Programme" and "Good Morning Britain" and was on the sofa alongside Mike Morris for two massive stories - two air disasters withing days of each other, Lockerbie and Kegworth. Kathy left TV-am to help launch the BBC's "East Midlands Today" programme from Nottingham.
Adrian Brown
Adrian was already a TV-am reporter and newsreader when he was asked to take over from Nick Owen as main "Good Morning Britain" presenter in August 1986. He presented the programme with Anne Diamond for a few months but returned to foreign reporting in 1987.
Caroline Righton
Caroline Righton was recruited to get the early rising men tuning in to TV-am's first hour, so said the advert at the time! She joined in April 1987 and left in October the same year. Caroline managed to appear on almost every breakfast show around at the time including "Breakfast Time" and "Channel Four Daily". Caroline is now a successful writer and author of The Life Audit. See her website. www.thelifeaudit.com
Kay Burley
Now the face of Sky News, Kay Burley joined TV-am in 1985 from Tyne Tees Television as a reporter and occasional newsreader. In 1987 she got the chance to present TV-am's first hour, filling in for Caroline Righton, and covered some of Anne Diamond's maternity leave.
Geoff Clark
Geoff Clark was the face of "Saturday Sport" but also presented TV-am's first hour on a regular basis. When TV-am went off air, Geoff joined Meridian's South East operation but can now be seen as main presenter on the BBC's "South East Today" regional news programme.
Martin Frizell
An accomplished reporter and production journalist, Martin Frizell was one of TV-am's main reporters. He later became a regular presenter on "First Report", "Newsweek" and "Good Morning Britain". He was with TV-am almost until the end and is now editor of GMTV and married to their main presenter Fiona Phillips.
Angela Rippon
One of TV-am's "Famous Five" presenters, joined the company at the very start and was involved in planning the station's launch in 1983. Presenter of "Good Morning Britain" and "Daybreak". Left TV-am in April 1983.
Anna Ford
One of the "Famous Five" presenters, Anna hosted the very first "Good Morning Britain" with David Frost. Already well established as a newscaster on ITN's "News at Ten", Anna was a prime catch for the new company. She was heavily involved in the pre-launch, helping to publicise the arrival of breakfast television in the UK at public events and to advertisers. Although things didn't go to plan, Anna's contribution to the launch of TV-am was huge. She later was to join BBC News and left in 2006 to join the board of Sainsbury's.
Mary & Michael Parkinson
Husband and wife team Mary and Michael Parkinson were at TV-am from the very start, mainly hosting weekend and bank holiday programmes. Their programmes drew in the biggest audiences in the first few months. Michael was one of the "Famous Five" presenters and joined the station as well known chat show host. He had a place on the TV-am board. Mary and Michael gave up their Saturday programme in 1984.
Lynda Berry
Lynda Berry was one of TV-am's first news presenters and began as a regular host of "Daybreak" in 1983. She joined TV-am from TVS where she'd been a reporter and before that worked at ATV. When Angela Rippon and Anna Ford left in April 1983, Lynda was paired with Nick Owen as a temporary presenter on "Good Morning Britain". She covered the Prince and Princess of Wales' tour of Australia. Lynda left TV-am in 1984.
Commander David Philpott
Former naval commander David Philpott was signed up to be TV-am's first weather forecaster and presenter. He appeared on the very first programme and remained with TV-am until 1987 making regular weekend appearances on "The Sunday Programme", "Good Morning Britain" and "Wide Awake Club". David was also a regular presenter on TSW in Plymouth.
Moya Doherty
Moya was a reporter and presenter at TV-am in the mid eighties, often appearing as a continuity announcer at weekends and presenter of "After Nine" on weekdays. She has made a great success of stage producing and is responsible for the world famous "Riverdance" performances, along with former TV-am weekend editor John McColgan.
Jeni Barnett
Jeni Barnett was with TV-am from the start presenting the highlight slot "Pick of the Week" on Saturdays and Sundays. Actress Jeni was one of TV-am's most popular contributors and was the viewers' voice, reading out letters in her famous "Postbag" slot. She left TV-am in 1987 and is now a main presenter on UKTV Food.
Gyles Brandreth
Wacky, witty and amusing, Gyles was famous for his many wooly jumpers and clever use of words. He presented various parts of the programme including "Postbag". Gyles Brandreth later became a Tory MP.
Gary Champion
Gary was one of TV-am's regular sports reporters and presenters. Gary would often host the Saturday edition of "Good Morning Britain" between 6.55am and 7.30am.
Derek Jameson
Former Fleet Street editor, Derek Jameson was hired to review the morning newspapers and "sound off" about things in the news.
Eve Pollard
Successful newspaper editor Eve Pollard was TV-am's queen of gossip, bringing showbiz tittle tattle to the early morning TV screen. She is the mother of TV presenter Claudia Winkleman.
Charles Golding
Charles Golding was a regular contributor to "Good Morning Britain" covering many subjects including movies, videos, computers and items of interest for younger viewers. He was often seen on "The Wide Awake Club" and hosted his own news quiz on Sunday mornings called "What's News?". Charles has edited various publications and also runs a successful media training business. See his website: www.bowtie.co.uk .
Paul Reizin
Paul was one of TV-am's regular reporters covering news stories all over the country, but developed a niche for the wild and wacky...stories with an amusing, unusual or totally bizarre twist! He presented many 'strands' including the popular "Reizin Shine" and "Pick of the Week".
Jimmy Greaves
Former footballer 'Greavsie' was brought in to TV-am in 1983 by Greg Dyke as TV reviewer. He was with the station to the very end and appeared on the last programme. In 1986, Jimmy was guest presenter on "After Nine" when a week of programmes was devoted to the fabulous 1950s.
Dr Hilary Jones
TV-am's resident doctor, host of daily "Doc Spot" feature on Good Morning Britain. Very popular with the ladies, Dr Hilary also presented "After Nine" during Kathy Tayler's maternity leave. He's now a regular on GMTV.
Chris Tarrant
Along with Roland Rat, Chris Tarrant was brought in to help attract new viewers in TV-am's early days. He took to the road in the summer of 1983 to present "By the Seaside", daily live reports from UK seaside holiday resorts. Chris was also co-presenter of the Saturday Good Morning Britain in Autumn 1983 and returned to the station in 1985 to present another series of summer reports.
James Baker
James, son of former BBC newsreader Richard Baker, started at TV-am working in the post room. A stint as a programme researcher followed and he began work in the childrens department. He first became known to younger viewers presenting the quiz "Crack It" on the Saturday morning show "Splat". This success led to him becoming one of the three main presenters on the new "Wide Awake Club" in 1984.
Arabella Warner
Childrens TV researcher turned presenter, Arabella was a regular on "The Wide Awake Club". She also often appeared as continuity announcer on Sunday mornings linking all of TV-am's programmes.
Tommy Boyd
Tommy Boyd joined TV-am in 1985 as a presenter on "The Wide Awake Club". As well as hosting other items for children, including "Fizzical", Tommy was also head of weekend programmes for some time.
Timmy Mallett
Probably TV-am's craziest presenter, Timmy was with TV-am from the start to the end hosting pop music items, Saturday shows and eventually the famous "Wacaday" programme. He made the word "Bleugh" famous and introduced younger viewers to wild and wacky characters over the years.
Michaela Strachan
Pop mad Michaela joined TV-am in 1986 as a presenter on the Sunday edition of The Wide Awake Club alongside Timmy Mallett and Tommy Boyd. She also fronted "Michaela" and "Hey, Hey it's Saturday", as well as "WAC '90". Away from TV-am she was also regularly seen on other childrens programmes and the ITV night time show "The Hitman and Her". Michaela also had success as a pop singer .
Robert Kee
One of TV-am's original "Famous Five" presenters, Robert Kee was 63 when he hosted our very first programme. "Daybreak" appeared between 6am and 7am from 1st February 1983 and was a format of rolling news, weather, sport, farming and finance. Robert Kee had a background in serious journalism having made a name for himself on programmes such as the BBC's "Panorama" and ITN's "First Report". His biggest role at TV-am involved covering the General Election in June 1983 and he made appearances on the station as late as spring 1987.
Rustie Lee
Rustie Lee first made an appearance on TV-am as a regular contributor to the Saturday edition of "Good Morning Britain". Her lively cookery spots and infectious laugh quickly became very popular and she was then to make regular weekday appearances. Rustie, also an entertainer and restaurant owner in the 1980s, presented other features on TV-am such as "Roving with Rustie" and "Fun in the Sun". Her TV recipe for Caribbean Christmas Cake was especially popular. At the last general election Rustie Lee was a candidate for the UK Independence Party. You can contact Rustie Lee via the TV-am website.