John Marsh (newsreader)

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John Marsh is a freelance newsreader on BBC Radio 2.

"Boggy", as he has been nicknamed by Terry Wogan, is from Sussex, and was originally a cameraman. However, a radio opportunity came up,^[when?] and he ended up in BBC Radio 4. In 1982 he transferred to Radio 2. Marsh presented various radio shows, but recently became a freelance newsreader, after taking retirement. He frequently contributed to Wake Up To Wogan, joining in the banter with the late Paul Walters and Wogan himself.

He was the original (uncredited) announcer on the first two radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on Radio 4, and returned, credited, to this role in the third, fourth and fifth series made in 2004 and 2005. It is also his voice heard reading the shipping forecast at the end of the Thomas Dolby song Windpower.

1 Wake Up To Wogan
2 Weekend Wogan
3 References
4 External links

Wake Up To Wogan [edit]

Marsh took compulsory retirement at the age of 60 in February 2007. Up until then Marsh's duties on Wake Up to Wogan included reading the news, weather and traffic. He continues to read the news on the network. His appearance on Wogan was confined to week long events approximately every three weeks. This continued until December 2009, when Terry Wogan retired from his daily broadcasts.

"Boggy" is also the star of the "Janet and John" stories that Sir Terry reads, after letting slip that his wife was called Janet. These stories often take the form of John parting Janet's company, doing something, returning to Janet to explain the day's events (most of which form double entendres), Janet being displeased and John being attacked - finishing the tale with the words "Poor John" or "Run John, Run". These stories are sold in a book and five CDs to raise money for Children in Need.

Marsh's newsreader companions were:

Weekend Wogan [edit]

In February 2010, Terry Wogan started his live Sunday morning show Weekend Wogan, and Marsh is the regular announcer on the programme. He also appears on the stage for banter with Wogan, and to listen to the Janet and John stories, which have carried over from the morning show. In the second series, a mixture of live performances and pre-recorded ones, John is absent and is replaced by Alan Dedicoat.