About Alvar Lidell
Tord Alvar Quan Lidell was an English radio announcer and newsreader for the BBC and compere. He joined BBC Birmingham as chief announcer in 1932 before moving to London the following year. Lidell was made deputy chief announcer of the BBC in 1937 and announced important events such as Edward VIII's abdication and Britain's declaration of war with Germany in 1939. During the war, he was part of a team of newsreaders employed by the War Office, and became the first announcer to identify himself by name via radio. "Here is the news, and this is Alvar Lidell reading it" became an inadvertent catchphrase of his. Lidell left the BBC for one year for service in the Royal Air Force and became chief announcer of the BBC Third Programme in 1946. Lidell became a regular reader of news bulletins for the BBC Home Service and the Light Programme on 5 February 1951.
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