Award-winning voiceover artist, composer and writer Emma Clarke joins BBC Radio 3’s presenter lineup as the new host of Saturday Breakfast from 5 October.
Emma’s voiceover work can be heard across the globe, on radio, TV, inside talking toys, in supermarkets, telephone systems and on public transport. She is one of the voices of the London Underground advising commuters to ‘mind the gap,’ and can be heard on hundreds of adverts, podcasts, games and apps. In 2016 she voiced the starship Avalon in the Hollywood blockbuster movie Passengers, starring alongside Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. On radio she has presented programmes for BBC Radio Manchester and 5 Live, and was featured as a performer and writer in shows on BBC Radio 4 (I Think I’ve Got a Problem, Share and Share Alike, Marking Time and more) and BBC Radio 2 (It’s Been a Bad Week).
Emma is a classical guitarist and has been performing and composing since childhood. She’s one of the Britten Sinfonia Opus 1 composers and is a four-time winner of the Gold award for composition at the World Classical Music awards. As an author she has written books, plays, sketches and sitcoms for radio, television and the stage, and her book You Are Here is an Amazon #1 best-seller.
Emma Clarke says: “I’m absolutely delighted to be joining the Radio 3 family. Honestly, it’s a dream come true. This fantastic opportunity brings together two of my great loves – music and radio. It’s such an honour to be part of such an amazing team. Everyone at the station has made me feel very welcome and I can’t wait to get started.”
After five years presenting Saturday Breakfast, Elizabeth Alker has chosen to leave the programme, but remains on the network. She continues to present Unclassified, dedicated to cross-genre contemporary repertoire, and remains on the presenting team for BBC Radio 3’s Classical Live – showcasing the best classical music from the UK and beyond every weekday afternoon, produced and presented from Salford.
BBC Radio 3 Controller Sam Jackson says: “We’re delighted to welcome Emma to the Radio 3 family, presenting Saturday Breakfast live from Salford. Emma’s wide-ranging experience, knowledge and love for classical music make her a perfect fit, and we hope listeners will tune in as she takes on her first regular show on Radio 3. Huge thanks to Elizabeth Alker for many early mornings presenting the show since 2019, and for her continued commitment to Radio 3’s Classical Live and Unclassified.”
A very welcome change. One of the very few positive changes under Sam Jackson. Whoever thought Alker had a voice for radio is clearly deaf. Her sibilant hissing combined with her excited patronising tone desperate to make every sentence sound like she’s educating kindergarteners was the one reason I abandoned R3 at Saturday breakfasts.shed never get into a drama school for sure. The other kindergarten bore is Tom McKinney. That man has zero personality and could bore for Britain. Thank goodness an adult, Emma Clarke is taking over the Saturday morning slot. Yeah
Yikes! Emma Clarke’s first two shows have been absolutely dreadful. Her tone is patronising, her delivery stilted, and the music is horribly middle-brow and seemingly concerned with rectitude above all else. Bring back Elizabeth Alker, who has a deep interest in music.
I totally agree with you about Tim McKinney, though.
Emma Clarke sounds as though she’s presenting to a class of 5 year olds. It’s all sickly sweet and twee, not what I want to hear on a Saturday morning.
Bring back Elisabeth Alker please or at least someone who knows their audience
Spot on Polly about both of them
Given that she was touted as having classical experience, it’s surprising that she can’t pronounce ‘Chaconne’. I disliked Alker but I’m not sure Clarke isn’t worse.
Update: I swear I just heard her call newsreader Vijay Allis, ‘Vicky’! 😀
All of you carping about Elizabeth Alker, seemingly in mistaken belief that the best public broadcasting organisation in the world exists to pamper solely to your peculiar preferences, just get over yourselves. The other 99+% of the R3 Saturday Breakfast audience disagreed with you and miss her much-loved presenting style and demeanour, hence “audience”! Shame on you for being so insulting.