Marcus Bentley
Encyclopedia
Marcus Bentley is a British
actor, broadcaster
and voice-over
artist. Born in Gateshead
, he was brought up in Stockton on Tees and attended East 15 Acting School
in Essex
.
Bentley is most famous for narrating the UK version of reality show Big Brother
since its inception. He also did other continuity announcements for Channel 4
until he left in July 2011 to continue narrating the revived Big Brother on Channel 5. Bentley's voiceover work has led to his heavy Teeside accent
becoming one of the most recognised voices in the UK.
Bentley has also appeared on stage and in TV shows; The Bill
and London's Burning
. Although he rarely makes public appearances, Bentley's public profile has been raised since Big Brother's Channel 5 revival.
, which remains his best-known work. He has narrated all eleven series to date, as well as the spin-offs Celebrity Big Brother, Teen Big Brother: The Experiment
and Big Brother Celebrity Hijack. The producers of Big Brother gave him the job of narrator because they liked the way he said "Chickens". His most notable catchphrase is "Day [x] in the Big Brother house...".
Despite having a low profile he has made some exceptions. On day 59 of Big Brother 2003 he was interviewed in the camera run by Dermot O'Leary
on BBLB and during Big Brother 2002
he was interviewed in the studio. On 13 August 2006, to accept his award as Big Brother's Little Brother's employee of the week, the final one of the series, he chose not to appear in person but was interviewed unseen from within the BBLB studio with a voice over Dermot, the host. He made another exception on 28 January 2008, when he made the link to Dermot's best bits while being seated in the Hijacker Booth. His face remained unseen, as all lights were down in the Booth. As part of the running joke surrounding him, Bentley has occasionally been featured on BBLB reading a humorous script for the show, albeit filmed from a back view so as not to reveal what he looks like on the show itself. Bentley's voice also appeared in the fictional Big Brother based horror television series Dead Set
.
On 23 May 2010, Bentley made an on camera appearance in the final ever Big Brother teaser trailer. Bentley starred in it as a priest saying goodbye to Big Brother, as various old housemates such as Nikki Grahame, Nasty Nick and Brian Dowling danced and laid Big Brother to rest.
On 28 July 2010 (Day 49) during Big Brother Series 11 and as part of the Ignore the Obvious task, he appeared in the house narrating scenes live with a microphone while bowling it around the house. The housemates were under instruction to not react to various unusual events, including Bentley's appearance in the house. His lines included “Some of the housemates are in the living room, passing round the Jaffa Cakes” and “Rachel is in the bathroom. Alone”.
He was the voice of Titan the Robot
in BB11.
After the last episode of Ultimate Big Brother, a short video was uploaded to the official site. It showed Marcus walking out the house with a suitcase, looking up, and going "Day one, of the rest of my life..." During the final Big Brother's Big Mouth a short film was made showing Marcus comically holding a family hostage after Big Brother had ended, so that he could continue to narrate people's lives.
Another of Bentley's roles is the unseen question master on Sky One
quiz show, Dirty Money.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
actor, broadcaster
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
and voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
artist. Born in Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, he was brought up in Stockton on Tees and attended East 15 Acting School
East 15 Acting School
East 15 is a British drama school in Debden, Loughton, Essex. At the main campus, Loughton, it occupies an 18th century mansion, Hatfields, and has its own theatre, the Corbett, which is adjacent. The Corbett Theatre is an adaptation of a 15th-century barn...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
Bentley is most famous for narrating the UK version of reality show Big Brother
Big Brother (UK)
Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
since its inception. He also did other continuity announcements for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
until he left in July 2011 to continue narrating the revived Big Brother on Channel 5. Bentley's voiceover work has led to his heavy Teeside accent
Accent
-Speech and language:* Accent , pronunciation characteristic of a certain locality* Accent , of a word* Stress , tone levels and emphasis used in many languages for words or grammar* A diacritical mark is also known as an accent....
becoming one of the most recognised voices in the UK.
Bentley has also appeared on stage and in TV shows; The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
and London's Burning
London's Burning
London's Burning was a British television drama programme produced by London Weekend Television for the ITV network that focused on the lives of members of the London Fire Brigade, principally those of the Blue Watch at a fictional fire station called Blackwall.It was broadcast between 1986 and...
. Although he rarely makes public appearances, Bentley's public profile has been raised since Big Brother's Channel 5 revival.
Big Brother
He was selected as the narrator of the UK version of Big BrotherBig Brother (UK)
Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
, which remains his best-known work. He has narrated all eleven series to date, as well as the spin-offs Celebrity Big Brother, Teen Big Brother: The Experiment
Teen Big Brother (UK)
Teen Big Brother was a UK spin off of the popular television programme Big Brother in which teenagers inhabited the house. The show was presented by Dermot O'Leary.- Overview :...
and Big Brother Celebrity Hijack. The producers of Big Brother gave him the job of narrator because they liked the way he said "Chickens". His most notable catchphrase is "Day [x] in the Big Brother house...".
Despite having a low profile he has made some exceptions. On day 59 of Big Brother 2003 he was interviewed in the camera run by Dermot O'Leary
Dermot O'Leary
Dermot O'Leary is an English television and radio presenter. He established himself as a presenter of Big Brother's Little Brother on Channel 4 before moving on to The X Factor on ITV. O'Leary has also presented on the BBC and has his own radio show on BBC Radio 2...
on BBLB and during Big Brother 2002
Big Brother 2002 (UK)
Big Brother 3 was the third series of Big Brother UK. The series started on 24 May 2002, ending on 26 July 2002 and the final of this series drew 10.0 million viewers. Votes in the final week totalled 8.6 million...
he was interviewed in the studio. On 13 August 2006, to accept his award as Big Brother's Little Brother's employee of the week, the final one of the series, he chose not to appear in person but was interviewed unseen from within the BBLB studio with a voice over Dermot, the host. He made another exception on 28 January 2008, when he made the link to Dermot's best bits while being seated in the Hijacker Booth. His face remained unseen, as all lights were down in the Booth. As part of the running joke surrounding him, Bentley has occasionally been featured on BBLB reading a humorous script for the show, albeit filmed from a back view so as not to reveal what he looks like on the show itself. Bentley's voice also appeared in the fictional Big Brother based horror television series Dead Set
Dead Set (TV series)
Dead Set is a critically acclaimed BAFTA-nominated horror drama created by English writer Charlie Brooker.The series takes place primarily on the set of a fictional season of the real television show Big Brother...
.
On 23 May 2010, Bentley made an on camera appearance in the final ever Big Brother teaser trailer. Bentley starred in it as a priest saying goodbye to Big Brother, as various old housemates such as Nikki Grahame, Nasty Nick and Brian Dowling danced and laid Big Brother to rest.
On 28 July 2010 (Day 49) during Big Brother Series 11 and as part of the Ignore the Obvious task, he appeared in the house narrating scenes live with a microphone while bowling it around the house. The housemates were under instruction to not react to various unusual events, including Bentley's appearance in the house. His lines included “Some of the housemates are in the living room, passing round the Jaffa Cakes” and “Rachel is in the bathroom. Alone”.
He was the voice of Titan the Robot
Titan the Robot
Titan the robot is the stage name of a robot suit created by Cyberstein Robots Ltd in 2004, operated physically by a human dancer performer....
in BB11.
After the last episode of Ultimate Big Brother, a short video was uploaded to the official site. It showed Marcus walking out the house with a suitcase, looking up, and going "Day one, of the rest of my life..." During the final Big Brother's Big Mouth a short film was made showing Marcus comically holding a family hostage after Big Brother had ended, so that he could continue to narrate people's lives.
Other work
Aside from Big Brother, Bentley could be heard on Channel 4 as a continuity announcer until he resigned after ten years, when he reprised his Big Brother narrator role on the revived Channel 5 series.Another of Bentley's roles is the unseen question master on Sky One
Sky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
quiz show, Dirty Money.