Barbara Budd
Encyclopedia
Barbara Budd is a Canadian actress, narrator and radio announcer. Between 1993 and April 30, 2010, she was the co-host of CBC Radio One
's As It Happens
.
Born in St. Catharines, Ontario
she studied theatre performance at York University
, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts
degree in 1974. Budd worked for five seasons as a company member at Canada's Stratford Festival under Robin Phillips
(1975-1980). She had minor film roles in the 1980s before joining CBC Radio, for whom she worked as a continuity announcer and substitute host, as well as an occasional guest performer on Royal Canadian Air Farce
, until becoming a permanent host on As it Happens. Three of her guest appearances with Air Farce appear on the troupe's 1990 album To Air Is Human, To Farce Divine. In one of her most famous sketches with Air Farce, a businessman befuddled by the complexities of the new GST
calls the government's information line; Budd plays the customer service representative, who answers his tax questions in the steamy and seductive tone of a phone sex
operator.
She also did voices on animation including shows such as RoboCop: The Animated Series
, Dinosaucers
, Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends
, Stunt Dawgs
, Babar
, The New Archies
, Rupert
, Little Shop
, Blazing Dragons
, Stickin' Around
, The Adventures of Tintin
, Ultraforce
, Pippi Longstocking, Bob and Margaret
and Little Rosey.
She continues to narrate documentary films, recordings and classical music concerts.
On the March 29, 2010 episode of As it Happens she announced that she would be leaving the show on April 30. CBC had elected not to renew her contract. She asked listeners to send her a photo so she could "put a face to the ears". She subsequently revealed that she was never a permanent employee of CBC Radio, but spent her entire tenure with the network as a freelance contractor.
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
's As It Happens
As It Happens
As It Happens is a long-running interview show on CBC Radio One in Canada. Its 40th anniversary was celebrated on-air on 18 November 2008. It has been one of the most popular and acclaimed shows on CBC Radio; it is also distributed in the United States by Public Radio International.The bulk of the...
.
Born in St. Catharines, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
she studied theatre performance at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
degree in 1974. Budd worked for five seasons as a company member at Canada's Stratford Festival under Robin Phillips
Robin Phillips
Robin Phillips is an English actor and director.Phillips was born in Haslemere, Surrey, the son of EllenAnne and James William Phillips. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic and worked as an actor and director for many years in the United Kingdom, finishing as Artistic Director at the Greenwich...
(1975-1980). She had minor film roles in the 1980s before joining CBC Radio, for whom she worked as a continuity announcer and substitute host, as well as an occasional guest performer on Royal Canadian Air Farce
Royal Canadian Air Farce
Air Farce Live, also credited as Air Farce, previously Royal Canadian Air Farce, and Air Farce—Final Flight! for the final season, was a Canadian comedy series starring the comedy troupe The Royal Canadian Air Farce that previously starred in an eponymous radio show on CBC radio from 1973 to 1997...
, until becoming a permanent host on As it Happens. Three of her guest appearances with Air Farce appear on the troupe's 1990 album To Air Is Human, To Farce Divine. In one of her most famous sketches with Air Farce, a businessman befuddled by the complexities of the new GST
Goods and Services Tax (Canada)
The Goods and Services Tax is a multi-level value added tax introduced in Canada on January 1, 1991, by then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and his finance minister Michael Wilson. The GST replaced a hidden 13.5% Manufacturers' Sales Tax ; Mulroney claimed the GST was implemented because the MST...
calls the government's information line; Budd plays the customer service representative, who answers his tax questions in the steamy and seductive tone of a phone sex
Phone sex
Phone sex is a type of virtual sex that refers to sexually explicit conversation between or other persons via telephone, especially when at least one of the participants masturbates or engages in sexual fantasy...
operator.
She also did voices on animation including shows such as RoboCop: The Animated Series
RoboCop: The Animated Series
RoboCop: The Animated Series is an animated series produced in the 1980s by Marvel Productions, and is based on the character and events of the movie RoboCop....
, Dinosaucers
Dinosaucers
Dinosaucers Dinosaucers Dinosaucers (known in Japan as: is an animated television series co-produced in the United States, Canada and Japan. It was created by DIC Entertainment and Madhouse which has done the overseas animation and in association with Ellipse Programmé and Nelvana. This animated...
, Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends
Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends
Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends is an animated program based on the children's books by David Kirk, which airs on Nick Jr. in the United States, on Treehouse TV in Canada, and on Discovery Kids in Brazil...
, Stunt Dawgs
Stunt Dawgs
Stunt Dawgs is an animated comedic adventure series about a team of stunt performers and their bulldog named Human who also solve problems heroically...
, Babar
Babar (TV series)
Babar is an animated television series produced in Canada by Nelvana Limited and The Clifford Ross Company. It premiered in 1989 on CBC and HBO, subsequently was rerun on HBO Family and Qubo. The series is based on Jean de Brunhoff's original Babar books, and was Nelvana's first international...
, The New Archies
The New Archies
The New Archies was a children's television cartoon, based upon the long-running Archie comic books and characters. The series, produced by DiC Entertainment and originally airing on NBC, reimagined Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones, Reggie Mantle, and the other teenage...
, Rupert
Rupert (TV series)
Rupert is an animated television series based on the Mary Tourtel character Rupert Bear, produced by Nelvana, Ellipse Programmé and TVS for the first season, with Scottish Television taken over control when TVS closed. Aired from 1991 to 1997 with 65 half-hour episodes produced. It was broadcast...
, Little Shop
Little Shop
Little Shop is a 1991 animated television series about a teenager and a giant talking plant that eats everything in sight. Little Shop was based on the off-broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors, which was based on the 1960 Roger Corman film The Little Shop of Horrors...
, Blazing Dragons
Blazing Dragons
Blazing Dragons is the title of a popular British cartoon series, the brainchild of Monty Python's Terry Jones. A coinciding graphic adventure video game was released for the original PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996 by Crystal Dynamics...
, Stickin' Around
Stickin' Around
Stickin' Around is a Canadian animated children's television series from Nelvana, which originally aired on YTV in Canada and on ABC in Australia. In Latin America, it was broadcast by Nickelodeon under the title Los Grafitos...
, The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin (TV series)
The Adventures of Tintin is an animated television series based on The Adventures of Tintin, a series of books by Hergé. It debuted in 1991, and 39 half-hour episodes were produced over the course of three seasons...
, Ultraforce
Ultraforce (comics)
The Ultraforce is a fictional superhero group that appears in comic books published by Malibu, and later Marvel, as well as an animated series produced by DIC. Their purpose was to protect the public and keep other Ultras from getting out of line...
, Pippi Longstocking, Bob and Margaret
Bob and Margaret
Bob and Margaret was a Canadian/UK animated television series that was also shown in the United States and all over the world. The series was produced by Nelvana, a Toronto animation studio, and created by Canadian David Fine and Brit Alison Snowden...
and Little Rosey.
She continues to narrate documentary films, recordings and classical music concerts.
On the March 29, 2010 episode of As it Happens she announced that she would be leaving the show on April 30. CBC had elected not to renew her contract. She asked listeners to send her a photo so she could "put a face to the ears". She subsequently revealed that she was never a permanent employee of CBC Radio, but spent her entire tenure with the network as a freelance contractor.