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{{short description|British radio and television presenter (born 1954)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
'''Helen McDermott''' (born 24 March 1954) is a British radio and [[List of ITV journalists and newsreaders|television presenter]], best known for her work at [[Anglia Television]].

McDermott began her broadcasting career in the 1970s as a continuity announcer and newsreader for [[Westward Television]] in [[Plymouth, England|Plymouth]].<ref>[http://tvannouncers.thetvroomplus.com/channel-20.html The TV Room Plus – Anglia TV announcers' profiles] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120715194356/http://tvannouncers.thetvroomplus.com/channel-20.html |date=2012-07-15 }}</ref> While at Westward, she made an attempt at a singing career under the pseudonym of 'Helen Barnes'.<ref>[http://www.letstalk24.co.uk/features/story.aspx?brand=LETSOnline&category=Features&tBrand=letsonline&tCategory=features&itemid=NOED11%20Mar%202008%2015%3A16%3A44%3A000 Listen to Helen McDermott's hit record], letstalk24.co.uk, 11 March 2008</ref>

In 1979, the year of the ITV strike, McDermott joined [[Anglia Television]] as an announcer and newsreader, where she quickly became one of the station's most popular faces. In 1980, while working as part of the announcing staff, McDermott devised the idea of utilising a puppet during the regular children's birthdays' slots, based upon her previous work at Westward alongside station mascot [[Gus Honeybun]]. The puppet ''BC'' (or ''Birthday Club'') went on to become a fixture on Anglia for 22 years. BC was retired in July 2002, with a spokesman for Anglia paying tribute when the news was announced in June of that year: 'BC has had a marvellous run on Anglia for 22 years, and we appreciate that many viewers will be sorry to see him go. But nothing is forever in television.'<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20020824202343/http://www.continuity-booth.co.uk/bc.html The Continuity Booth – BC], archive.org</ref>

McDermott left Anglia's presentation department when in-vision continuity was phased out at the station in the late 1980s. She later became one of the chief anchors for the East sub-regional edition of ''[[Anglia News]]'' between 1990 and 2001, and continued to work on a range of other regional programmes.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121010175020/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/460354?view=credit BFI profile – Helen McDermott]</ref>

She was also a presenter at [[99.9 Radio Norwich]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.999radionorwich.com/on-air/info.php?refnum=18 |title=99.9 Radio Norwich – Helen McDermott |access-date=2008-12-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081225082135/http://www.999radionorwich.com/on-air/info.php?refnum=18 |archive-date=2008-12-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref> but left in 2010 following budget cuts by station owners Tindle Radio. In January 2011, McDermott joined [[BBC Radio Norfolk]] in Norwich as presenter of the 11{{nbsp}}am to 1{{nbsp}}pm slot from Monday to Thursday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/norfolk/hi/tv_and_radio/newsid_9306000/9306700.stm|title=BBC Radio Norfolk changes its schedule in the New Year|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=20 December 2010|accessdate=12 January 2011}}</ref> In January 2012 her programme was dropped from the Radio Norfolk schedule.

McDermott has run OhYesItIz Productions with [[Desmond Barrit]] since 2004, producing the annual [[pantomime]] at the [[Gorleston Pavilion|Pavilion Theatre]] in [[Gorleston]].<ref>{{cite web |title=OhYesItIz – Traditional Family Pantomime |url=https://www.ohyesitiz.co.uk/about |website=OhYesItIz |access-date=2 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Sam |title=Panto email falls foul of filth filter |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/oct/14/schools.primaryeducation |website=The Guardian |access-date=2 February 2023 |language=en |date=14 October 2004}}</ref> In 2012 she appeared in ''[[Mother Goose]]'' alongside her former [[ITV Anglia|Anglia television]] colleague [[Paul Lavers]].

In 2014 McDermott began appearing as a reporter on Norwich television station [[Mustard TV]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/mustard_tv_s_picks_of_the_week_1_3767141|title = Mustard TV's picks of the week|date = 11 September 2014}}</ref> Within weeks she was asked to co-present the channel's flagship nightly entertainment programme, ''The Mustard Show''.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDermott, Helen}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Radio and television announcers]]
[[Category:British television presenters]]
[[Category:1954 births]]

{{UK-tv-bio-stub}}

Helen McDermott - Revision history

imported>Wozal: added Category:1954 births using HotCat