Peter Tomlinson (born 4 April 1943) is a broadcaster and continuity announcer. He created the British children's television series Tiswas and was the programme's co-presenter in its early years.[1]
He was also one of the earliest presenters on Harlech Television.[2] In 2007 he became the High Sheriff of the West Midlands.[1]
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He was one of the first announcers on Harlech Television[2] (later HTV).
In the early 1970s, he moved to ATV. Fellow broadcaster Alex Trelinski recalled "he brought some great laughs into his continuity slots. The highlight of the week was on a Friday night when ATV would screen a horror film after News at Ten under the umbrella title of "Appointment with Fear". Everybody would have fun, with often the continuity suite lights being darkened, and Peter Tomlinson would appear clutching a teddy bear. I wouldn't bother with the film, but his intro was worth watching and would have me in stitches".[2]
In 1973, Tomlinson was given the task of linking a bunch of children shows on ATV on a Saturday morning. To liven things up, in between cartoons, he totally ad-libbed a competition, offering viewers the chance to win a T-shirt. The response to the competition was enormous and quite unprecedented for the station. This gave Tomlinson the confidence to approach the ATV's management and show them there was an untapped audience out there. The management agreed and Tiswas was born.[3]
Known as the "plummy-voiced" member of the team, he was a regular presenter on the show from 1974 to 1977, when it was still only shown in the Midlands region. He did though make sporadic appearances after that up until 1980, when the show was at the peak of its (almost) national popularity.[4][5]
After leaving ATV in 1979 he joined Beacon Radio in Wolverhampton and the Black Country. He later became managing director and a presenter of Saga Radio's West Midlands station.[2]
During the 1980s he was heard providing the voice-over on Central Independent Television's popular quiz show Blockbusters.[6]
At a ceremony in the Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts in Birmingham in April 2007, Tomlinson was named the new High Sheriff of the West Midlands. He said "I feel very honoured to be asked to become the High Sheriff of one of the busiest shrievalties in the country. I am looking forward to serving my country and making a difference where I can."[2]
He is the son of actor David Tomlinson, star of Bedknobs & Broomsticks and Mary Poppins.[2]