McDonald Hobley

== Post-war ==

== Post-war ==

He told an acquaintance in the Far East that he would like to try and become an announcer for the [[BBC]] so he could meet with drama directors.<ref name="LE1984Profile">{{cite news |date=1 March 1984 |title=Actor's career took off when he joined up |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/lincolnshire-echo-mcdonald-hobley-profil/159275018/ |access-date=18 November 2024 |work=[[Lincolnshire Echo]] |page=11 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> After being [[Demobilization|demobbed]] in 1946,<ref name="LMercury1953Profile" /> Hobley joined the London Vaudeville Company for one right to appear in the ex-service's performance of ''There is a Kingdom''.<ref name="BEM1956Profile" /><ref name="LC1957" /> He later received a telegram to enter a competition to select announcers for the post-war revival of [[BBC Television]] when a friend of his entered his name.<ref name="LEM1954" /><ref name="LE1984Profile" /> Hobley was selected as an announcer in May 1946 after winning over 281 other applicants.<ref name="AnnualObituary1987" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=13 May 1946 |title=New Television Announcer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-despatch-new-television-announce/159274267/ |access-date=18 November 2024 |work=Birmingham Evening Dispatch |page=4 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> He began work on 7 June 1946, the day of BBC Television's reopening,<ref name="LMercury1953Profile" /> and stopped acting in theatre.<ref name="LEM1960">{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Cathryn |date=21 October 1960 |title=Mac Hobley's an actor now |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/leicester-evening-mail-mac-hobleys-an-a/159298978/ |access-date=18 November 2024 |work=Leicester Evening Mail |page=6 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> His job was to announce, commentate on sport, compère panel games, film commentary and conduct interviews on chat shows.<ref name="LMercury1953Profile" /><ref name="AnnualObituary1987" /> Hobley covered events such as the [[Coronation of Elizabeth II]] and [[Eurovision (network)|Eurovision]]'s launch.<ref name="AnnualObituary1987" />

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 with drama directors.<ref name="LE1984Profile">{{cite news |date=1 March 1984 |title=Actor's career took off when he joined up |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/lincolnshire-echo-mcdonald-hobley-profil/159275018/ |access-date=18 November 2024 |work=[[Lincolnshire Echo]] |page=11 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> After being [[Demobilization|demobbed]] in 1946,<ref name="LMercury1953Profile" /> Hobley joined the London Vaudeville Company for one right to appear in the ex-service's performance of ''There is a Kingdom''.<ref name="BEM1956Profile" /><ref name="LC1957" /> He later received a telegram to enter a competition to select announcers for the post-war revival of [[BBC Television]] when a friend of his entered his name.<ref name="LEM1954" /><ref name="LE1984Profile" /> Hobley was selected as an announcer in May 1946 after winning over 281 other applicants.<ref name="AnnualObituary1987" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=13 May 1946 |title=New Television Announcer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-despatch-new-television-announce/159274267/ |access-date=18 November 2024 |work=Birmingham Evening Dispatch |page=4 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> He began work on 7 June 1946, the day of BBC Television's reopening,<ref name="LMercury1953Profile" /> and stopped acting in theatre.<ref name="LEM1960">{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Cathryn |date=21 October 1960 |title=Mac Hobley's an actor now |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/leicester-evening-mail-mac-hobleys-an-a/159298978/ |access-date=18 November 2024 |work=Leicester Evening Mail |page=6 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> His job was to announce, commentate on sport, compère panel games, film commentary and conduct interviews on chat shows.<ref name="LMercury1953Profile" /><ref name="AnnualObituary1987" /> Hobley covered events such as the [[Coronation of Elizabeth II]] and [[Eurovision (network)|Eurovision]]'s launch.<ref name="AnnualObituary1987" />

He was also one of the compères on the BBC's ''[[Come Dancing]]'' programme and appeared on various other shows as himself.<ref name="AnnualObituary1987" /><ref name="WhosWhoTV" /> Hobley headed the team of BBC Television's early continuity announcers, which included [[Jasmine Bligh]], [[Peter Haigh]], [[Mary Malcolm]] and [[Sylvia Peters]].<ref name="PenguinTV">{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Jeff |url=https://archive.org/details/penguintvcompani0000evan_p3t5/ |title=The Penguin TV Companion |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-241-95291-7 |edition=Fourth |location=London, England |pages=454, 523 |chapter=Hobley, McDonald |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]] |orig-year=2001}}</ref> He once introduced the politician [[Sir Stafford Cripps]] as 'Sir [[spoonerism|Stifford]] [[Defecation|''Crapps'']]'.<ref>Michael Farrell, ''Key Issues for Primary Schools'', Routledge, London, 2003, p. 70.</ref> Hobley was the presenter of arts films on the magazine programme ''[[Kaleidoscope (British TV series)|Kaleidoscope]]'' from 1946 to 1953,<ref name="OldBrightonians" /><ref name="PenguinTV" /> and was also a presenter of BBC TV's ''For Deaf Children'' between 1953 and 1956''.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Programme Index |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?q=%22McDonald+Hobley%22+%22Deaf%22#top |access-date=18 November 2024 |publisher=[[BBC Genome Project]]}}</ref>

He was also one of the compères on the BBC's ''[[Come Dancing]]'' programme and appeared on various other shows as himself.<ref name="AnnualObituary1987" /><ref name="WhosWhoTV" /> Hobley headed the team of BBC Television's early continuity announcers, which included [[Jasmine Bligh]], [[Peter Haigh]], [[Mary Malcolm]] and [[Sylvia Peters]].<ref name="PenguinTV">{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Jeff |url=https://archive.org/details/penguintvcompani0000evan_p3t5/ |title=The Penguin TV Companion |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-241-95291-7 |edition=Fourth |location=London, England |pages=454, 523 |chapter=Hobley, McDonald |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]] |orig-year=2001}}</ref> He once introduced the politician [[Sir Stafford Cripps]] as 'Sir [[spoonerism|Stifford]] [[Defecation|''Crapps'']]'.<ref>Michael Farrell, ''Key Issues for Primary Schools'', Routledge, London, 2003, p. 70.</ref> Hobley was the presenter of arts films on the magazine programme ''[[Kaleidoscope (British TV series)|Kaleidoscope]]'' from 1946 to 1953,<ref name="OldBrightonians" /><ref name="PenguinTV" /> and was also a presenter of BBC TV's ''For Deaf Children'' between 1953 and 1956''.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Programme Index |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?q=%22McDonald+Hobley%22+%22Deaf%22#top |access-date=18 November 2024 |publisher=[[BBC Genome Project]]}}</ref>