Marcus Bentley (born 4 October 1967) is a British actor,
broadcaster and
voice-over artist. Bentley is most known for narrating the
British version of the Dutch reality television programme ''
Big Brother'' since its inception in 2000. He also did other continuity announcements for
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
until he left in July 2011 to continue narrating the revived ''Big Brother'' on
Channel 5. Bentley's voice-over work and distinctive Geordie accent has led to him becoming one of Britain's most recognised voices.
Bentley has also appeared on stage and in ''
London's Burning''. Although he rarely makes public appearances, his public profile has been raised since ''Big Brother''s revival on Channel 5.
Early life
Bentley was born in Gateshead, and brought up in
Stockton-on-Tees,
County Durham.
He attended
East 15 Acting School.
''Big Brother''
Bentley was selected as the narrator of the
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
(2000–2010),
Channel 5 (2011–2018) and
ITV2 (2023–) reality television programme ''
Big Brother'', which originated in the Netherlands, and this remains his best-known work. The producers of ''Big Brother'' gave him the job of narrator because they liked the way he said "Chickens".
His most notable catchphrase is "Day
(in the Big Brother house...)". Bentley has narrated all twenty-one series of the show to date, as well as the spin-off shows ''
Celebrity Big Brother'', ''
Teen Big Brother'', ''
Celebrity Hijack'' and ''
Ultimate Big Brother''.
Other work
Before ''Big Brother'', Bentley starred in several TV adaptations of
Catherine Cookson's novels where he honed his now familiar Tyne and Wear accent. He also starred in several TV commercials as well as minor parts in feature films, such as ''
Mad Dogs and Englishmen'', which starred
Joss Ackland,
C. Thomas Howell, and
Elizabeth Hurley.
Aside from ''Big Brother'', Bentley could be heard on Channel 4 as a continuity announcer until he left after ten years, when he reprised his ''Big Brother'' narrator role on the revived Channel 5 series.
Another of Bentley's roles is the unseen question master on ''
Sky One'' quiz show, ''
Dirty Money''.
Channel 5
From December 2011, Bentley began doing continuity links on Channel 5, complementing his role as narrator of ''Big Brother'' on the same channel.
Personal life
Bentley married his wife Jools in 1997. The couple have three children, and live in
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
.
References
External links
Marcus Bentley – TV Tome*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bentley, Marcus
1967 births
Living people
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
Alumni of East 15 Acting School
English game show hosts
English male television actors
English male voice actors
Actors from Gateshead
Actors from Stockton-on-Tees
Male actors from County Durham