Sylvia Peters
| Sylvia Peters | |
|---|---|
Peters in 2013
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|
| Born |
Sylvia Lucia Petronzio 26 September 1925 London, England, U.K. |
| Died | 26 July 2016 (aged 90) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Television broadcaster |
| Employer | BBC Television |
| Known for | continuity announcer for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II |
| Spouse(s) | Kenneth Milne-Buckley (1950－1982, his death) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Romelo Petronzio Ethel Edwards |
Sylvia Lucia Petronzio (26 September 1925 – 26 July 2016), better known as Sylvia Peters, was an English actress, and from 1947 to 1958 a continuity announcer and presenter for BBC Television. She introduced the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and later advised the Queen as she prepared for her first televised Christmas Message in 1957.
Peters was born in Highgate, north London, to Romelo Petronzio, an Italian who owned a clock-making business, and Ethel Edwards, an English ballet lover. The family later moved to Finchley, north London. She began dancing lessons at the age of three, and later performed in musicals at the Coliseum Theatre in London.
On reading a newspaper advertisement in June 1947 for a continuity announcer for BBC Television, Peters' mother encouraged her to apply because she didn't like Peters being on the stage. Peters completed the audition tasks, which included testing in foreign languages and pronunciation, and screen tests in reading and interviewing, and was chosen from hundreds of applicants. She became one of a team of three continuity announcers with Mary Malcolm and McDonald Hobley. Peters first appeared on screen the same month, June 1947. Television broadcasts then only occurred in the evening, and the announcers had to broadcast live, without an autocue and without rehearsals.
On 2 June 1953, Peters was chosen to introduce the live television broadcast of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, an event which she considered the highlight of her career. She later stated that she thought she was chosen because she was the same age as the Queen – 28 – and because she had an excellent memory – the script was provided to her only the night before the event. On the day, Peters provided linking material from 10a.m. to 11.30p.m. to an estimated audience of 20 million viewers in Britain and 227 million globally. She later became involved in teaching the Queen the broadcasting skills necessary for her Royal Christmas Message broadcasts, by recording a training film for the monarch. The film demonstrated various techniques such as reading a script and using an autocue, the latter of which the Queen chose for her broadcasts.
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