15 hours ago
BBC presenter becomes choked up during heartfelt Father's Day announcement
BBC One presenter Duncan Newmarch has jerked the nation's tears once again thanks to his Father's Day tribute.
Newmarch has been presenting BBC shows for the last 21 years, introducing some of the channel's biggest programmes.
However, his latest piece of work evoked an especially emotional response from viewers at home.
Just before announcing tonight's episode of Race Across the World, Newmarch took a moment to recognise Father's Day.
The BBC One broadcaster read out: 'Whether you are with your dad, chatting on the phone, or just missing him… happy Father's Day from BBC One.'
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Newmarch took to X to share a clip of his announcement, adding the caption: 'A difficult line for me to read this year. Hope you're with your dad or have spoken to him.'
The famous voice lost his dad, Douglas Newmarch, in July 2016; hence why those particular words were so difficult to read, as he was doing so for the first time since his own father's death.
@CHG3899 took to X to share their thoughts on the special announcement, writing: 'Aww that was lovely Duncan.'
Another X user, @cl_clarke, expressed their connection to the announcement: 'Missing him…still…33 years for me this year.'
@chriswilliams76 also remembered one of Newmarch's previous emotional voice-overs: 'It's nearly five years since your continuity piece before the Strictly final went viral about the fact that Christmas wasn't the Christmas we had all hoped for…'
Indeed, this isn't the first time Newmarch has made viewers cry, as he was responsible for the viral announcement before the Strictly Come Dancing final in 2020.
In December that year, as the UK was facing stricter Covid-19 rules, Newmarch spread a heartwarming message in an attempt to keep spirits high in those tough Tier 4 days.
The message said: 'Now, in a year that has kept us apart, whether you're watching in Tyne and Wear, Devon, Berkshire, or Lincolnshire… we are all watching BBC One together.'
Newmarch tweeted following the announcement, expressing the raw emotion behind it: 'Thank you for the kind comments about my line into the @bbcstrictly final.
'After this afternoon's news I had to rewrite a handful of scripts as they didn't seem appropriate. This is why live announcers can make a difference.'
The announcement soon spread as his words resonated with so many people across the nation who were all losing hope in togetherness as the country faced the unknown.
Many viewers expressed their gratitude on social media, with one user tweeting: 'It made me cry a little bit, because it was unexpected but perfectly put. Thank you.'
Others praised the sincerity and warmth of his words, highlighting the comfort they found in his announcement. More Trending
Newmarch was also praised by TV critic Scott Bryan, who said: 'As many people have pointed out, those touching poignant words came from @DuncanNewmarch.'
He later wrote back to declare his pride for his profession, saying: 'Thanks Scott. After the PM's announcement, some of tonight's lines (written yesterday) just didn't work so I had some last-minute rewrites.
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'Here's to the live announcers across all channels.'
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