Muriel Young
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2015) |
Muriel Young | |
|---|---|
| Born | Muriel Young 19 June 1923 Bishop Middleham, County Durham, England |
| Died | 24 March 2001 (aged 77) Stanhope, County Durham, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Television Announcer Presenter Producer |
| Years active | 1955–86 |
Muriel Young (19 June 1923 – 24 March 2001)[1] was an English television continuity announcer, presenter and producer.[2]
Early life
Young was born in 1923 in Bishop Middleham[1] near Sedgefield, County Durham. As a child, she lived with her family in the gatehouse of Elmwood (now the Elmwood Community Centre), Hartburn, County Durham near Stockton-on-Tees. Her father, Wilfrid Young, was batman and later chauffeur to Col. Kitching, who lived at Elmwood for many years after retiring from the army in 1939.[citation needed]
Early career
Young worked briefly as a librarian on leaving school and attended art college, before deciding to embark on a career as an actress. She joined a repertory theatre in Henley-on-Thames, where her uncle was directing. She subsequently performed at the Gateway Theatre, London, and the Theatre Royal in Chatham. Trying to get into the film industry, she did modelling for advertising agencies, including promoting products such as toothpaste, which paid her enough money until she became an actress. She also studied to be a dental nurse and used her artistic talents to paint glassware.[1]
Films
Starting out as an actress, she starred with Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall in The Constant Husband (1955);The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan (1953), (acting in a segment featuring The Mikado);[3] and I'm All Right Jack (1959) as an announcer,[3] without the director knowing that it was in fact her real-life job.
Television
In 1955, as the first
She was a presenter of children's programmes for Associated-Rediffusion and
]She devised Clapperboard, presented by Chris Kelly, Granada's film magazine show for children. Young was also an occasional panellist on the ATV talent show New Faces. Changing direction again in the mid-1980s, Young made two series of Ladybirds, a Channel 4 programme from Mike Mansfield's independent company.[3]
Personal life
In 1986, Young left her successful career in television and moved back to County Durham, where she lived in part of Stanhope Castle with her husband Cyril Coke, a television drama director, whom she had married in 1954. Coke was the son of the film actor Edward Rigby and the novelist Phyllis Austin. The couple met when he was casting director for The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan. Coke died in 1993.[1]
Although most references gave her year of birth as 1928, she was actually born on 19 June 1923; her parents' marriage was registered in the first quarter of 1923.[5]
She died in Stanhope, County Durham on 24 March 2001, aged 77.[6][7]
References
- ^ a b c d Hayward, Anthony (26 March 2001). "Muriel Young obituary". The Independent. London, UK. Archived from the original on 17 April 2010.
- ^ "Pictures of Muriel Young at the TV announcers website". Retrieved 25 January 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ IMDb
- ^ Profile Archived 17 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine, transdiffusion.org. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- ^ Extract from the General Register Office of Births, Deaths & Marriages:
*Name: YOUNG, Muriel
* Registration District: Sedgefield
*County: Durham
*Year of registration: 1923
*Quarter of Registration: Jul–Aug–Sep
*Mother's Maiden Name: (Vera) Maddison
* Volume No: 10a
*Page No: 356 - ^ "Muriel Young - People - Transdiffusion Broadcasting System". www.transdiffusion.org. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Obituary: Muriel Young". The Guardian. 29 March 2001. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
External links
- Muriel Young at IMDb