Peter Haigh

Peter Varley Haigh (b. North London, 28 July 1925, d. January 2001 age 75) was a familiar and popular face as an in-vision announcer on BBC television in the years after the Second World War.

Education

The son of an engineer, he was educated at Aldenham School, Aldenham.

War service

He was commissioned in 1944 into the 5th Battalion, the Welsh Guards. He served in Palestine and Egypt, and joined the British Forces Broadcasting Service in Jerusalem. He later helped start up the BBC Overseas News station in Mombasa, Kenya.

Post war

After leaving the army he failed to get a job as a BBC radio announcer, but joined BBC television as an announcer in March 1952 after a trial at Alexandra Palace, then the main BBC Television Centre in London. He joined the team of continuity announcers headed by McDonald Hobley and Sylvia Peters. He went on to present Come Dancing and Picture Parade, a film review programme with co-presenter Derek Bond, the actor.

In 1957 he married the 1950s film star Jill Adams. They had a daughter, Peta Louise.

Although he fitted well into the style of early 1950s BBC television, with the changing style of TV after the introduction of commercial television in 1955, his career declined, and his first marriage broke up.

From the mid 1960s he lived in Portugal running a restaurant and bar popular with British tourists, and met his German-born second wife, Inge. They returned to the UK in the 1980s but he could not resume his broadcasting career. He made a final television appearance as guest of Des Lynam on a series called It's My Pleasure. He later worked occasionally for BBC radio and did voice-overs for advertisements.