Mary Marquis


1937 -

News presenter. Born in Glasgow, Marquis trained in speech and drama at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She joined Borders Television in Carlisle as a continuity announcer, and was the first face seen on screen when that station began broadcasting in 1961. She returned to Glasgow to become the anchor of BBC television's Reporting Scotland which began in 1968. Marquis was thus one of the first female news presenters in the UK and certainly the most enduring, given that she continued on Reporting Scotland until 1988. She became known across the UK through involvement with Nationwide. On radio, she was an early presenter of Good Morning Scotland on BBC Radio Scotland and of the Today programme for BBC Radio Four. She served on the Boards of Scottish Opera (1989 - 2009) and Pitlochry Festival Theatre (1994 - 2014).

Noted for her professionalism, calm voice in a crisis and shoulder-length dark hair, Marquis was awarded an MBE in 1983 and honoured for her 'Special Contribution to Scottish Broadcasting' at the 2007 Scottish BAFTA awards.

She lives in Bearsden (East Dunbartonshire).


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