Alvar Lidell - Revision history

Kurt at 22:36, 16 January 2023

2023-01-16T22:36:12Z

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	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
	\| name = Alvar Lidell~~<br />~~[[Order of the British Empire\|MBE]]		\| name = Alvar Lidell
	\| image =		\| honorific_suffix = [[w:Order of the British Empire\|MBE]]
			\| image = Alvar Lidell.jpg
	\| caption =		\| caption =
	\| birthname = Tord Alvar Quan Lidell		\| birthname = Tord Alvar Quan Lidell
	\| birth_date = {{Birth date\|df=yes\|1908\|9\|11}}		\| birth_date = {{Birth date\|df=yes\|1908\|09\|11}}
	\| birth_place = [[Wimbledon Park]], [[Surrey]], [[England]]		\| birth_place = [[w:Wimbledon Park\|Wimbledon Park]], [[w:Surrey\|Surrey]], [[w:England\|England]]
	\| death_date = {{Death date and age\|1981\|1\|7\|1908\|9\|11\|df=yes}}		\| death_date = {{Death date and age\|1981\|01\|7\|1908\|9\|11\|df=yes}}
	\| death_place = [[Northwood, London\|Northwood]], [[Middlesex]]		\| death_place = [[w:Northwood, London\|Northwood]], [[w:Middlesex\|Middlesex]]
	\| education = [[King's College School]], Wimbledon		\| education = [[w:King's College School\|King's College School]], Wimbledon
	\| alma_mater = [[Exeter College, Oxford]]		\| alma_mater = [[w:Exeter College, Oxford\|Exeter College]]
	\| occupation = [[Radio]] [[announcer]], [[News presenter\|newsreader]]		\| occupation = [[w:Radio\|Radio]] [[w:announcer\|announcer]], [[w:News presenter\|newsreader]]
	\| spouse = Nancy Margaret Corfield		\| spouse = Nancy Margaret Corfield
	~~\| nationality = British~~		\| credits = ''[[w:BBC News\|BBC News]]''
	~~\| residence =~~
	\| credits = ''[[BBC News]]''
	}}		}}
	'''Tord Alvar Quan Lidell''' [[Order of the British Empire\|MBE]] (11 September 1908 – 7 January 1981) was a [[BBC]] [[radio]] [[announcer]] and [[news presenter\|newsreader]]. During the Second World War his distinctive voice became synonymous with the reading of news.<ref name="wimbledon">{{cite news \|title=Heritage: This is the news - with Alvar Lidell \|url= http://www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/heritage/news/10135731.This_is_the_news___with_Alvar_Lidell/ \|newspaper= Wimbledon Guardian \|accessdate=7 March 2014 \|date=4 January 2013 \|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200919060905/https://www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/news/10135731.heritage-this-is-the-news-with-alvar-lidell/ \|archive-date=19 September 2020 \|url-status= live}}</ref>		'''Tord Alvar Quan Lidell''' [[w:Order of the British Empire\|MBE]] (11 September 1908 – 7 January 1981) was a [[w:BBC\|BBC]] [[w:radio\|radio]] [[w:announcer\|announcer]] and [[w:news presenter\|newsreader]]. During the Second World War his distinctive voice became synonymous with the reading of news.<ref name="wimbledon">{{cite news \|title=Heritage: This is the news - with Alvar Lidell \|url= http://www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/heritage/news/10135731.This_is_the_news___with_Alvar_Lidell/ \|newspaper= Wimbledon Guardian \|accessdate=7 March 2014 \|date=4 January 2013 \|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200919060905/https://www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/news/10135731.heritage-this-is-the-news-with-alvar-lidell/ \|archive-date=19 September 2020 \|url-status= live}}</ref>

	==Early life==		==Early life==
	Lidell was born in [[Wimbledon Park]], [[Surrey]], to [[Sweden\|Swedish]] parents. His father John Adrian Lidell was a [[timber]] importer; his mother was Gertrud Lidell (née Lundström). Lidell attended [[King's College School]], Wimbledon and [[Exeter College, Oxford]]. As a boy, he studied [[piano]], [[piccolo]], [[cello]] and [[singing]], and was a noted [[actor]] at Oxford.		Lidell was born in [[w:Wimbledon Park\|Wimbledon Park]], [[w:Surrey\|Surrey]], to [[w:Sweden\|Swedish]] parents. His father John Adrian Lidell was a [[w:timber\|timber]] importer; his mother was Gertrud Lidell ({{née}} Lundström). Lidell attended [[w:King's College School\|King's College School]], Wimbledon and [[w:Exeter College, Oxford\|Exeter College]]. As a boy, he studied [[w:piano\|piano]], [[w:piccolo\|piccolo]], [[w:cello\|cello]] and [[w:singing\|singing]], and was a noted [[w:actor\|actor]] at Oxford.

	==BBC==		==BBC==

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References

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	==References==		==References==
	{{Reflist}}		{{Reflist}}
	* ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]''		* ''[[w:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography\|Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]''

	==External links==		==External links==

Kurt: /* External links */

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External links

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	*[http://www.bestpubquiz.co.uk/alvar-lidell/ Alvar Lidell announcing the Abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936]		*[http://www.bestpubquiz.co.uk/alvar-lidell/ Alvar Lidell announcing the Abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936]
	*[http://www.bestpubquiz.co.uk/alvar-lidell/ Alvar Lidell announcing on BBC Radio that Germany had invaded Poland – September 1, 1939]		*[http://www.bestpubquiz.co.uk/alvar-lidell/ Alvar Lidell announcing on BBC Radio that Germany had invaded Poland – September 1, 1939]

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	{{DEFAULTSORT:Lidell, Alvar}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Lidell, Alvar}}

Kurt: 1 revision imported

2022-07-24T19:31:22Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 14:31, 24 July 2022
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en>BrownHairedGirl: add {{Use dmy dates}}

2022-04-13T05:04:31Z

add {{Use dmy dates}}

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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Alvar Lidell<br />[[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]
| image =
| caption =
| birthname = Tord Alvar Quan Lidell
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1908|9|11}}
| birth_place = [[Wimbledon Park]], [[Surrey]], [[England]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1981|1|7|1908|9|11|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Northwood, London|Northwood]], [[Middlesex]]
| education = [[King's College School]], Wimbledon
| alma_mater = [[Exeter College, Oxford]]
| occupation = [[Radio]] [[announcer]], [[News presenter|newsreader]]
| spouse = Nancy Margaret Corfield
| nationality = British
| residence =
| credits = ''[[BBC News]]''
}}
'''Tord Alvar Quan Lidell''' [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (11 September 1908 – 7 January 1981) was a [[BBC]] [[radio]] [[announcer]] and [[news presenter|newsreader]]. During the Second World War his distinctive voice became synonymous with the reading of news.<ref name="wimbledon">{{cite news |title=Heritage: This is the news - with Alvar Lidell |url= http://www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/heritage/news/10135731.This_is_the_news___with_Alvar_Lidell/ |newspaper= Wimbledon Guardian |accessdate=7 March 2014 |date=4 January 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200919060905/https://www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/news/10135731.heritage-this-is-the-news-with-alvar-lidell/ |archive-date=19 September 2020 |url-status= live}}</ref>

==Early life==
Lidell was born in [[Wimbledon Park]], [[Surrey]], to [[Sweden|Swedish]] parents. His father John Adrian Lidell was a [[timber]] importer; his mother was Gertrud Lidell (née Lundström). Lidell attended [[King's College School]], Wimbledon and [[Exeter College, Oxford]]. As a boy, he studied [[piano]], [[piccolo]], [[cello]] and [[singing]], and was a noted [[actor]] at Oxford.

==BBC==
After some brief teaching and singing jobs, he joined BBC [[Birmingham]] as chief announcer, transferring to London after a year. He became deputy chief announcer in 1937, and the following year married Nancy Margaret Corfield, a lawyer's daughter. They had two daughters and a son. He made some historic broadcasts, including the announcement of [[Edward VIII of the United Kingdom|Edward VIII]]'s [[abdication]]. On 3 September 1939 he read the [[ultimatum]] to [[Germany]] from [[10 Downing Street]] and then, at 11 a.m. introduced [[Neville Chamberlain]] who told the nation that it was at [[war]] with [[Germany]].<ref>{{cite web |title=News - Outbreak of War with Germany |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/ww2outbreak/7916.shtml |publisher=BBC Archive |accessdate=7 March 2014}}</ref>

It was during the [[Second World War]] that the BBC named its previously anonymous announcers and newsreaders - to distinguish them from enemy [[propaganda|propagandists]]. During the war, ''"Here is the news, and this is Alvar Lidell reading it"'' became an inadvertent [[catchphrase]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Alvar Lidell |url= http://www.radioacademy.org/hall-of-fame-member/alvar-lidell/ |publisher=The Radio Academy |accessdate=7 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140307201046/http://www.radioacademy.org/hall-of-fame-member/alvar-lidell/ |archivedate=7 March 2014 }}</ref> Announcing the British victory at El Alamein, he said "Here is the news, and cracking good news it is too!"<ref name="wimbledon"/> In 1943 he served with the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] as an intelligence officer (some of the time at [[Bletchley Park]],<ref>{{cite book |title= Bletchley Park People: Churchill's Geese That Never Cackled |first=Marion |last=Hill |publisher= Sutton Publishing |year=2004 |isbn=0-7509-3362-3}}</ref>) but returned to the BBC a year later. In 1946 he was appointed chief announcer on the new [[BBC Third Programme]], where he remained for six years.<ref name="wimbledon"/>

In 1952 the BBC's news service was reorganised, and he returned as a newsreader, also doing a little [[television]] work. He was appointed an [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] in 1964 and retired in 1969. In 1979 he published an article about the deteriorating standards of speech at the BBC in ''[[The Listener (British magazine)|The Listener]]'' - the BBC immediately set up a panel of experts to report on the matter. Lidell also worked as a [[narrator]], and recorded over 237 volumes for [[Books for the Blind]], including long works such as [[Anna Karenina]]. As a [[baritone]], he gave recitals and recorded with [[Gerald Moore]] at the [[piano]]. In 1970 Lidell was heard as narrator on the [[Apple Records]] recording of ''[[The Whale (Tavener)|The Whale]]'' by composer [[John Tavener]].

Recordings of Lidell's news bulletins have been included in many films set in Britain during the Second World War, such as the movie ''[[Battle of Britain (film)|Battle of Britain]]'' (1969).

In later life he lived for a time at [[Little Knighton]], Worcestershire, England. He died at [[Northwood, London|Northwood]], [[Middlesex]], aged 72.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]''

==External links==
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/audio/40091000/rm/_40091115_8925_10_5_40_lowcountry.ram Alvar Lidell announces the German invasion of Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg, May 10, 1940]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/audio/40175000/rm/_40175133_9047_07_12_1941lidell.ram Alvar Lidell announces the Japanese attack on US targets in the Pacific, December 7, 1941]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050513115116/http://www.islandfarm.fsnet.co.uk/BBC%20News%20Recording%20Read%20By%20Alvar%20Lidell.htm Alvar Lidell reading the BBC news in March 1945]
*[http://www.bestpubquiz.co.uk/alvar-lidell/ Alvar Lidell announcing the Abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936]
*[http://www.bestpubquiz.co.uk/alvar-lidell/ Alvar Lidell announcing on BBC Radio that Germany had invaded Poland – September 1, 1939]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lidell, Alvar}}
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
[[Category:People educated at King's College School, London]]
[[Category:BBC newsreaders and journalists]]
[[Category:Radio and television announcers]]
[[Category:Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]