Elizabeth Cowell (1912–1998) was a British broadcaster and television announcer. She was one of the first three

BBC Television Service BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

presenters, along with

Jasmine Bligh Jasmine Lydia Bligh (20 May 1913 – 21 July 1991) was an English broadcaster and television announcer for the BBC. In the late 1930s, she was one of the first three BBC Television Service presenters, and she, along with Leslie Mitchell and Eli ...

and Leslie Mitchell. She began announcing when the Television Service started in 1936 and made her debut on Monday 31 August that year at

Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is an entertainment and sports venue in North London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. A listed building, Grade II listed building, it is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and th ...

in London. This was a few months before the official launch of BBC Television on 2 November 1936. She worked as a driver for the Air Ministry early during World War II before she returned to the BBC. She returned in 1946 after its nearly seven-year hiatus due to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Cowell was the voice of 'the Woman' on the soundtrack of

Paul Rotha Paul Rotha (3 June 1907 – 7 March 1984) was an English documentary film-maker, film historian and critic. Early life and education He was born Paul Thompson in London, and educated at Highgate School and at the Slade School of Fine Art. Care ...

's documentary ''Land of Promise'' (1946). When BBC television started broadcasting again in 1946 Cowell was married to the laird of a Scottish estate and had left the BBC.

References

1912 births 1998 deaths British television presenters History of television in the United Kingdom 20th-century British writers Radio and television announcers

External links

*
Elizabeth Cowell
at BBC.co.uk {{UK-tv-journalist-stub