Tom Browne (broadcaster and actor)
Encyclopedia
Tom Browne is a British broadcaster and actor, born in Lymington
, Hampshire
, and educated at King's College School
, Wimbledon
.
. He appeared very briefly in the second series (set in 1945, the first series being set in 1928) of The Flaxton Boys
playing the part of Captain Ewing in the episode called, "Is your journey really necessary?" shown on television on 25 March 1973.
He began his radio broadcasting career in Denmark
in 1965. He married a Danish girl and moved to Chiswick in west London and in 1972 was unexpectedly chosen by BBC producer Johnny Beerling
to succeed Alan Freeman
as presenter of the BBC Radio 1
Sunday afternoon chart show. He presented this show from October 1, 1972 to March 26, 1978 - initially it was a three-hour show from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. each Sunday called "Solid Gold Sixty" selecting hits which were becoming popular (not necessarily in numerical order including those that were 'bubbling under' between 60 and 21) and was broadcast on Radio 1 (247 metres medium wave).
From January 1, 1973, the top 20 hit numbers running from 20 to 1 were also broadcast simultaneously on the BBC Radio 2 VHF/FM transmitters in stereophonic sound (88-91 MHz) and on long wave at exactly 6 p.m. each Sunday evening for one hour after which, at 7 p.m., the transmitters reverted back to BBC Radio 2. The programme was listened to by millions and started with the sound of the Apollo mission's 'we have lift-off!' words. Sound effects amongst many included a racing car indicated a record was rapidly moving up the top 20. Another example was the female vocal group sound of 'IT'S A TOP TWENTY ENTRY - RIGHT!!' which was used regularly on the programme. After the number 2 hit had finished playing, a further vocal run-down by Browne of numbers 20 down to 2 followed (with Tom's choice of background music) and then the number one record was announced and played which completed the programme. The chart was first broadcast (compiled by the British Market Research Bureau) on Johnnie Walker's programme the previous Tuesday (247 metres MW only) and played by Walker at that time. The music used for that rundown was Booker T and the MG's track entitled, "Time is Tight".
The Sunday chart show would be the only show Browne ever presented on Radio 1, but he did present occasional music documentaries on the station, notably on Abba
, Queen
and The Stylistics
, and he never showed any sign of crossing over to television (except for his brief appearance in 1973 mentioned earlier), for example via Top of the Pops
. His smooth style and Received Pronunciation
James Mason
-like voice (becoming more noticeable in later years; initially he had tried to sound more like a 1970s pop radio DJ) were unusual for Radio 1 even then, and would be utterly unthinkable now.
After leaving Radio 1 he broadcast for BBC Radio 2
in the early 1980s, provided the voiceover for many TV and radio
adverts, and continued his acting career, notably appearing in Yorkshire Television's Emmerdale Farm (as it was then called) playing the character Dryden.
He subsequently became a newsreader for BBC World
television and then moved to Hong Kong
, where he became a popular broadcaster on the British Armed Forces radio service in the final years of British rule. His final appearance on national BBC radio came at the very end of 1991, when he presented "The Million Selling Singles of the 60s and 70s" on BBC Radio 2, although he was a contributor to Radio 1's "25 Years of the UK Top 40", which aired in September 1992.
He fronted BFBS Radio Hong Kong's weekday breakfast show until the territory reverted to the Chinese in 1997 and continued working in radio, as well as a commercial voice-over artist and freelance video presenter until 2005, thereafter retiring to live in Thailand with his Thai wife. He currently owns a farm where they grow rice and mushrooms with the mountains of North Central Thailand in the distance. In 2003 he recorded linking vocals for Shaun Tilley
's UK Rewind Top Twenty Show.
Lymington
Lymington is a port on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is to the east of the South East Dorset conurbation, and faces Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight which is connected to it by a car ferry, operated by Wightlink. The town...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, and educated at King's College School
King's College School
King's College School, commonly referred to as KCS, King's, or KCS Wimbledon, is an independent school for day pupils in Wimbledon in south-west London. The school was founded as the junior department of King's College London and occupied part of its premises in Strand, before relocating to...
, Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
.
Radio and acting career
As an actor, he graduated from RADARada
Rada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
. He appeared very briefly in the second series (set in 1945, the first series being set in 1928) of The Flaxton Boys
The Flaxton Boys
The Flaxton Boys is a British historical children's television series set in the West Riding of Yorkshire and covering a timespan of almost a century. The series was made by Yorkshire Television and was broadcast on ITV between 1969 and 1973, running for 4 series and 52 episodes, each of 30...
playing the part of Captain Ewing in the episode called, "Is your journey really necessary?" shown on television on 25 March 1973.
He began his radio broadcasting career in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in 1965. He married a Danish girl and moved to Chiswick in west London and in 1972 was unexpectedly chosen by BBC producer Johnny Beerling
Johnny Beerling
John William Beerling is a veteran radio producer and station controller.-National Service:He began his radio career during his national service from 1955-7 when he ran a radio station for the Royal Air Force station British Forces Aden in the Aden Protectorate, acting as its station manager,...
to succeed Alan Freeman
Alan Freeman
Alan Leslie "Fluff" Freeman, MBE was a British disc jockey and radio personality in the United Kingdom for 40 years.-Career:...
as presenter of the BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
Sunday afternoon chart show. He presented this show from October 1, 1972 to March 26, 1978 - initially it was a three-hour show from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. each Sunday called "Solid Gold Sixty" selecting hits which were becoming popular (not necessarily in numerical order including those that were 'bubbling under' between 60 and 21) and was broadcast on Radio 1 (247 metres medium wave).
From January 1, 1973, the top 20 hit numbers running from 20 to 1 were also broadcast simultaneously on the BBC Radio 2 VHF/FM transmitters in stereophonic sound (88-91 MHz) and on long wave at exactly 6 p.m. each Sunday evening for one hour after which, at 7 p.m., the transmitters reverted back to BBC Radio 2. The programme was listened to by millions and started with the sound of the Apollo mission's 'we have lift-off!' words. Sound effects amongst many included a racing car indicated a record was rapidly moving up the top 20. Another example was the female vocal group sound of 'IT'S A TOP TWENTY ENTRY - RIGHT!!' which was used regularly on the programme. After the number 2 hit had finished playing, a further vocal run-down by Browne of numbers 20 down to 2 followed (with Tom's choice of background music) and then the number one record was announced and played which completed the programme. The chart was first broadcast (compiled by the British Market Research Bureau) on Johnnie Walker's programme the previous Tuesday (247 metres MW only) and played by Walker at that time. The music used for that rundown was Booker T and the MG's track entitled, "Time is Tight".
The Sunday chart show would be the only show Browne ever presented on Radio 1, but he did present occasional music documentaries on the station, notably on Abba
Abba
ABBA is the name of a former Swedish pop music group.Abba may also refer to:* ABBA , a self-titled album by the Swedish pop music group ABBA* "Abba ", a song by Christian pop and rock artist, Rebecca St...
, Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
and The Stylistics
The Stylistics
The Stylistics are a soul music vocal group, and were one of the best-known Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. They formed in 1968, and were composed of lead Russell Thompkins, Jr., Herbie Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All of their US hits were ballads, graced by the...
, and he never showed any sign of crossing over to television (except for his brief appearance in 1973 mentioned earlier), for example via Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. His smooth style and Received Pronunciation
Received Pronunciation
Received Pronunciation , also called the Queen's English, Oxford English or BBC English, is the accent of Standard English in England, with a relationship to regional accents similar to the relationship in other European languages between their standard varieties and their regional forms...
James Mason
James Mason
James Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
-like voice (becoming more noticeable in later years; initially he had tried to sound more like a 1970s pop radio DJ) were unusual for Radio 1 even then, and would be utterly unthinkable now.
After leaving Radio 1 he broadcast for BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
in the early 1980s, provided the voiceover for many TV and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
adverts, and continued his acting career, notably appearing in Yorkshire Television's Emmerdale Farm (as it was then called) playing the character Dryden.
He subsequently became a newsreader for BBC World
BBC World
BBC World News is the BBC's international news and current affairs television channel. It has the largest audience of any BBC channel in the world...
television and then moved to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, where he became a popular broadcaster on the British Armed Forces radio service in the final years of British rule. His final appearance on national BBC radio came at the very end of 1991, when he presented "The Million Selling Singles of the 60s and 70s" on BBC Radio 2, although he was a contributor to Radio 1's "25 Years of the UK Top 40", which aired in September 1992.
He fronted BFBS Radio Hong Kong's weekday breakfast show until the territory reverted to the Chinese in 1997 and continued working in radio, as well as a commercial voice-over artist and freelance video presenter until 2005, thereafter retiring to live in Thailand with his Thai wife. He currently owns a farm where they grow rice and mushrooms with the mountains of North Central Thailand in the distance. In 2003 he recorded linking vocals for Shaun Tilley
Shaun Tilley
Shaun Tilley is a British radio presenter, currently working for Gold & Wish FM.He has worked for a variety of other radio stations, including Rock FM, Capital FM, Radio Caroline, Real Radio, KCFM, Time 106.6, Big L, and Radio Luxembourg...
's UK Rewind Top Twenty Show.