Diana Speed

Who is Diana Speed?

Diana Speed is a continuity announcer and newsreader for BBC Radio 4.

Born in Cornwall, Speed trained as an actress at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.

After two years acting in theatre, television & film, Speed joined Grampian Television in 1986 and became a long-serving continuity announcer. Along with other staff announcers at Grampian, she read Grampian Headlines news bulletins throughout the day and also appeared in various regional programmes including Grampian's contributions to the ITV Telethons in 1988, 1990 and 1992. Speed was the duty announcer on the night of the Piper Alpha disaster and remained on air throughout the night to read news updates and present Grampian's coverage of the unfolding disaster.

Whilst at Grampian, Speed also wrote for the Aberdeen Press and Journal and also gained a teaching qualification. She stayed on at the station until 1998 when the Aberdeen-based presentation department was closed. A year later, she moved to London, freelancing for Radio 4, whilst working as an audio describer. By December 2002, Speed had joined Radio 4 on a full-time basis as an announcer and later a newsreader from 2009. She was promoted to read the news on the Today programme from 2013, following Charlotte Green's departure.