McDonald Hobley

Dennys Jack Valentine McDonald-Hobley (9 June 1917 – 30 July 1987) was a British actor of stage and screen, radio and television broadcaster and compère, who was one of the earliest BBC Television continuity announcers, appearing on screen from 1946 to 1956. Born in Stanley in the Falkland Islands and educated at Brighton College, England, he decided to become an actor and began his career as a character actor in repertory theatre. The Second World War saw Hobley serve as a gunner in the Royal Artillery and become a captain in the South East Asia Command. He was seconded by Lord Mountbatten to the British Forces Broadcasting Service in Ceylon.

After he was demobbed in 1946, Hobley was entered into a competition for announcers of the BBC Television service and was successful. He announced, commentated on sport, compèred panel games, provided film commentary and conducted interviews on chat shows. Hobley resigned from the BBC in 1956 to join ABC Weekend TV as an announcer, and left three years later to become a freelancer. He had roles in stage musicals, pantomimes and plays.

Childhood and early career Hobley (pronounced to rhyme with 'nobly') was born the son of Charles McDonald Hobley, the naval chaplain at the cathedral in Stanley, Falkland Islands, and his wife Gladys on 9 June 1917. He was christened Dennys Jack Valentine McDonald-Hobley and had an older sister. He was first educated at a preparatory school for children of English residents run by his father in Chile. The family moved to England when he was ten, and his father established a preparatory school in Burgess Hill. Hobley attended Brighton College, England, a public school, from 1931 to 1936. He represented the college in fives, hurdles and rugby, and was captain of the athletic, cricket, and fencing teams. Hobley went under the stage names Val Blanchard and Robert Blanchard, using his mother's maiden name. and preferred to be referred to as "Mac". He was involved in an ultimately abandoned plot to abduct Adolf Hitler and bring him to Britain. He attracted Lord Mountbatten's attention; Mountbatten seconded Hobley to the British Forces Broadcasting Service in Ceylon in the final months of the war, working at Radio SEAC.

Post-war He told an acquaintance in the Far East that he would like to try to become an announcer for the BBC so he could meet drama directors. After being demobbed in 1946, He began work on 7 June 1946, the day of BBC Television's reopening, He was the only male BBC announcer. He once introduced the politician Sir Stafford Cripps as 'Sir Stifford Crapps'. Hobley was the presenter of arts films on the magazine programme Kaleidoscope from 1946 to 1953,

In March 1956, he resigned from the BBC The following year, with his ABC contract allowing him to work freely on weekdays, he returned to BBC Television to be the quiz-master of Up for the Cup, a fortnightly sports quiz show for ten teams of football supporters. Hobley also introduced for ABC the musical magazine What's News?, Film Fanfare in which he reported on news, previews and views of films and actors, State Your Case in which contestants vied to win £100, and Holiday Town in which he visited various resorts across Britain. He also compèred the talent discovery programme Bid for Fame, the panel game Tell the Truth, Close Up, and Hometown Saturday Night. He returned to the BBC in October 1960, presenting a Woman's Hour programme on television at the instigation of BBC women's programme director Doreen Stephens, as well as a record show on the radio. He compèred the weekly half-hour children's entertainment programme Whistle Stop! at several locations in Britain starting from the same month. Hobley resumed his acting career in the BBC Television comedy play Looking for Garrow in which he played an English lord, whose daughter becomes involved with a beatnik. He went on to have a guest appearance as a television announcer in ABC's Our House.

He returned to present one series of the inter-town contest It's a Knockout on BBC 1 in 1966. During that year, Hobley also returned to radio, fronting the Coffee Break Show on the pirate station Wonderful Radio London. On BBC radio and television, he was chairman of the comedy quiz Does the Team Think? from 1958 to 1976. Hobley had a role as Harold Furness in the ATV serial Crossroads in 1967. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of BBC Television, he re-appeared in November 1986, as an in-vision announcer between programmes on BBC 2.

Hobley had roles in multiple films. Upon his return to the stage in 1960, he toured in musicals, pantomimes and plays.

He was married three times. His second marriage was to the fashion model Noel Scott-Gorman, and his final marriage was to the actress and musical comedienne Jean Pauline McDonald. With his first wife Hobley had a daughter, who died of cancer in October 1956.

He died on 30 July 1987 at his home in Bournemouth during recovery from an operation to remove a cancerous tumour in his head, when he suffered a fatal heart attack. A memorial service was held for Hobley at The Church Of The Transfiguration in Dorset on the afternoon of 7 August 1987. He was cremated at Bournemouth Crematorium.

Awards Hobley was named TV Personality of the Year in both 1953 and 1954 and was a recipient of the Baird Medal.