Roger Tilling
Encyclopedia
Biography
Tilling began his broadcasting career in local radio. He worked at Chiltern RadioChiltern Radio
Heart Dunstable was an Independent Local Radio station based in Chiltern Road in Dunstable, Bedfordshire.-History:...
in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire and Oasis Radio in Hertfordshire (later Mercury 96.6
Mercury 96.6
Heart Hertfordshire is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to southern Hertfordshire in the East of England....
) in 1995. He then moved into television working as a continuity announcer for Westcountry Television (the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
region in the South West of England) in 1996. In 1997 he joined Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
as a continuity and promo voiceover. A year later, he moved to Leeds and worked as a continuity and trailer voiceover for Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
, Granada, Tyne Tees and Border Television, as well as being a highly regular on-air voice of LWT in London at the weekends from 1998 to 2002 and then for national ITV after the amalgamation of the ITV regions to London.
Whilst at Granada Television, he was asked to be the temporary announcer of University Challenge
University Challenge
University Challenge is a British quiz programme that has aired since 1962. The format is based on the American show College Bowl, which ran on NBC radio from 1953 to 1957, and on NBC television from 1959 to 1970....
for the 1997 series, and then returned permanently in 2001 and has remained the voice of the programme to date. His voice is heard at the start of every show introducing the presenter, Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Dickson Paxman is a British journalist, author and television presenter. He has worked for the BBC since 1977. He is noted for a forthright and abrasive interviewing style, particularly when interrogating politicians...
, and whenever a contestant buzzes in for a starter question announcing their college and surname. The voiceovers are performed live in the studio and become noticeably more energetic towards the end of the programme, with split-second precision every time as the pace of the show increases.
Apart from popping up on radio and TV commercials with the likes of John Motson
John Motson
John Walker Motson OBE ,AKA Motty, is an English football commentator on both television and radio as well a well known moter. He made his name as 'Moty' after he moted out the entire Huddersfield huddersfield cheerleaders team. writer.-Biography:The son of a Methodist minister, Motson was educated...
for Ford and Alan Whicker
Alan Whicker
Alan Donald Whicker, CBE is a British journalist and broadcaster. His career has spanned over 50 years.-Background:Whicker was born to British parents in Cairo, Egypt...
for Travelocity
Travelocity
Travelocity is an online travel agency and wholly owned subsidiary of Sabre Holdings Corporation, which was a publicly traded company until taken private by Silver Lake Partners and Texas Pacific Group in March 2007...
, he emerged on Granada Sky Broadcasting in 1999, before becoming the voice of The Hallmark Channel (now Universal Channel
Universal Channel
Universal Channel is a television channel specializing in movies and television series in the thriller, drama, comedy, horror, crime and investigation genres, owned by Universal Networks International, a division of NBCUniversal and available on satellite and cable platforms...
) since 2001 in 40 countries worldwide and Movies 24
Movies 24
Movies 24 is a European satellite and cable television channel owned and operated by NBCUniversal. It was launched on 26 June 2006 and is available in Hungary, Poland, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom...
since 2006.
Tilling has also been the voice of other game shows on various channels, including the 70-episode series of Family Fortunes
Family Fortunes
Family Fortunes is a British game show, based on the American game show Family Feud. The programme ran on ITV from 6 January 1980 to 6 December 2002 before being revived by the same channel in 2006 under the title of All Star Family Fortunes...
aired in 2002 and 2003. BBC's Panorama
Panorama (TV series)
Panorama is a BBC Television current affairs documentary programme, which was first broadcast in 1953, and is the longest-running public affairs television programme in the world. Panorama has been presented by many well known BBC presenters, including Richard Dimbleby, Robin Day, David Dimbleby...
producers have regularly brought him in for vocal contributions for their current affairs programmes since 2003.
In 2005, Five chose Tilling to voice the Man Eaters series of wildlife documentaries, and Naked Science series of science documentaries. He is currently the voice of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! is a butter substitute produced by Becel/Flora/Promise, which is a subsidiary of Unilever. It was introduced to the United States in 1986 and later to the United Kingdom and Canada in 1991. The product was put on the market in Germany in 2011. Due to the length of...
, Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
and Deep Heat
Deep Heat (Heat rub)
Deep Heat is a topical, rubefacient, heat rub manufactured by Mentholatum, common in the UK, Ireland and Australia and claim to relieve pains such as rheumatic pain, backache, lumbago and muscle sprains....
television commercials in the UK. His voice can also be heard narrating documentaries for National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
which are broadcast worldwide across the global network, as well as History Channel. In 2009, Roger re-voiced the acclaimed Man Eaters wildlife series for ITV Global for worldwide distribution.
In April 2010, Roger was chosen as the voice of Shreddies
Shreddies
Shreddies is a breakfast cereal sold in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and Germany produced by Post Cereals and General Mills, consisting of malted squares of inter-woven whole grain wheat.Shreddies has been made in the UK since 1955...
television commercials starring Leslie Phillips
Leslie Phillips
Leslie Samuel Phillips, CBE is an English actor with a highly recognisable upper class accent. Originally known for his work as a comedy actor, Phillips subsequently made the transition to character roles.-Early life:...
, promoting the advertising campaign for "More Knitting Nanas Needed". Sky chose Roger for their Soccer AM sponsorship campaign with Head & Shoulders
Head & Shoulders
Head & Shoulders is a brand of anti-dandruff shampoo produced by Procter & Gamble. Head & Shoulders Classic Clean Shampoo is the top-selling shampoo in the United States by dollar sales.- History :...
.
Roger is also currently the voice of Live Rugby for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
Denso
DENSO
is a global automotive components manufacturer headquartered in the city of Kariya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Established December 16, 1949 as , in 1996 the company became DENSO Corporation worldwide...
have used Roger as the English voice of their in-car Satellite Navigation systems for factory-fitted models in Land Rover, Range Rover, Jaguar and Toyota cars since 2005. He has over 15 years of live radio and TV experience. In 2010, British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
selected Roger as the voice of their worldwide inflight entertainment.
Appropriately, he holds a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and is a qualified private pilot
Private Pilot
A private pilot is the holder of a Private Pilot License. They are able to fly to almost anywhere in the world, but are limited in the type of aircraft that they can fly...
. Tilling lives in London and remains busy as a voiceover in television, documentaries, computer games, commercials, radio and the corporate business.