By Julie Tomlin
The face of Gordon Honeycombe is to return to the screen when he
reads the news once more as part of ITN’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Honeycombe, who last read the news for ITN in 1977, is one of five
former newsreaders who will be presenting the ITV Evening News later
this month.
Twice voted the most popular newsreader in Britain,
by readers of The Sun and the Daily Mirror, Honeycombe is returning
from Australia where he now lives, to present the news with Mary
Nightingale on 22 September.
Honeycombe, who returned to the
screen as TVam’s chief newsreader between 1984 and 1989, was voted the
most popular male TV newscaster by readers of Woman’s Own in 1986 and
was Britain’s longest-serving TV newscaster.
The BBC has agreed
to allow BBC One O’clock News presenter Anna Ford to return to ITN for
a day, 24 years after she left to join TV-am.
Other familiar
faces who will be copresenting the news during the week of 19 to 23
September are Selina Scott, the former News at Ten co-anchor who left
the broadcaster 1986; Martyn Lewis, who left ITN to present the BBC’s
news bulletins; and Julia Somerville, who joined ITN in 1987 and was
presenter on the ITV News Channel until 2001. They will appear
alongside either Nightingale, who has recently returned from maternity
leave, or Mark Austin.
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