Clive Mason
Encyclopedia
Clive Mason is a Deaf British television presenter born in Glasgow
, Scotland
, United Kingdom
. He was the first person to use British Sign Language
(BSL) on television. It was not until 2003 that BSL was recognised by the government as a language in its own right.
saw a video of Mason which was made as part of its research into BSL. It was from this that Mason was offered a job on See Hear
, a programme for deaf and hard of hearing people. He was involved in various Christmas
shows and pantomime
specials. He also featured regularly as a guest in the BBC Schools programme You and Me
with Cosmo and Dibs. Twenty years later he is still with See Hear and is the longest-serving member of staff on the programme. Due to his passion for highlighting issues of concern among the Deaf, in 2005 at the Remark! Film & TV Awards, Mason was presented with a lifetime achievement award. Judges called Mason a "Deaf icon" and commended him with being the inspiration for many young deaf people becoming involved in the media
.
More recently Mason has been involved in preparing a signed version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
. He has also achieved Level 4 NVQ qualification in British Sign Language at the RNID. Clive said "This qualification will enable me to go forward and achieve my A1 assessor certificate. I have always been in the media world and would like to extend my skills to NVQ 3 teaching and assessing and work for universities. I would also like to encourage local deaf people to work alongside me."
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He was the first person to use British Sign Language
British Sign Language
British Sign Language is the sign language used in the United Kingdom , and is the first or preferred language of some deaf people in the UK; there are 125,000 deaf adults in the UK who use BSL plus an estimated 20,000 children. The language makes use of space and involves movement of the hands,...
(BSL) on television. It was not until 2003 that BSL was recognised by the government as a language in its own right.
Early life
Mason was born deaf, and at the age of five, he entered a school for deaf children. Before this age he had not been taught sign language and felt isolated due to the communication barrier.Career
Before his career in television, Mason worked closely with Paddy Ladd, a deaf academic, who was researching BSL at a local polytechnic. Mason had been made redundant and decided to attend college. It was shortly after this that the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
saw a video of Mason which was made as part of its research into BSL. It was from this that Mason was offered a job on See Hear
See Hear
See Hear is a weekly magazine programme for deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK, broadcast on Wednesday afternoons at 1pm. The programme focuses on the British and the worldwide deaf community and covers a broad range of topics from areas such as education, deaf people's rights, technology...
, a programme for deaf and hard of hearing people. He was involved in various Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
shows and pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
specials. He also featured regularly as a guest in the BBC Schools programme You and Me
You and Me (TV series)
You and Me is a BBC television programme for pre-school children broadcast in the 1970s to 1990s. The programmes consisted of various segments intended to educate and entertain young children and included elements for early literacy and numeracy....
with Cosmo and Dibs. Twenty years later he is still with See Hear and is the longest-serving member of staff on the programme. Due to his passion for highlighting issues of concern among the Deaf, in 2005 at the Remark! Film & TV Awards, Mason was presented with a lifetime achievement award. Judges called Mason a "Deaf icon" and commended him with being the inspiration for many young deaf people becoming involved in the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
.
More recently Mason has been involved in preparing a signed version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling, published on 8 July 2000.The novel won a Hugo Award in 2001, the only Harry Potter novel to do so...
. He has also achieved Level 4 NVQ qualification in British Sign Language at the RNID. Clive said "This qualification will enable me to go forward and achieve my A1 assessor certificate. I have always been in the media world and would like to extend my skills to NVQ 3 teaching and assessing and work for universities. I would also like to encourage local deaf people to work alongside me."