  tord alvar quan lidell mbe (11 september 1908 &ndash; 7 january 1981) was a bbc radio announcer and newsreader. during the second world war his distinctive voice became synonymous with the reading of news. ==early life== lidell was born in wimbledon park, surrey, to swedish parents. his father john adrian lidell was a timber importer; his mother was gertrud lidell (nÃ©e lundstrÃ¶m). 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 lawyerâs daughter (they had two daughters and a son). he made some historic broadcasts, including the announcement of edward viiiâs abdication. on 3 september 1939 he read the ultimatum to germany from 10 downing street then, at 11 a.m. introduced neville chamberlain who told the nation that they were at war with germany. it was during the second world war that the bbc named its previously anonymous announcers and newsreaders - to distinguish them from enemy propagandists. during the war, "here is the news, and this is alvar lidell reading it" became an inadvertent catchphrase. in 1943 he served with the raf as an intelligence officer (some of the time at bletchley parkbletchley park people: churchill's geese that never cackled, marion hill, sutton publishing 2004, i
1908_births 1981_deaths Alumni_of_Exeter_College,_Oxford BBC_newsreaders_and_journalists Members_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire People_educated_at_King\'s_College_School,_Wimbledon Radio_and_television_announcers