If you've ever noticed that the 'Mind the Gap' announcement at Embankment station sounds different from others on the London Underground, there is a touching reason behind it. The voice belongs to Oswald Laurence, a Rada graduate and theatre actor who died in 2007.
According to a viral Twitter thread by John Bull, staff at Embankment were approached by a distressed woman just before Christmas 2012. She asked where the voice had gone, referring to her late husband's recording. The announcement had been replaced by a new digital system.
The woman, Margaret McCollum, had taken comfort in hearing her husband's voice while travelling through the station. After the change, she asked Transport for London for a copy of the recording. Staff managed to locate it and restored the announcement at Embankment.
Today, the northernbound Northern line platform at Embankment still features Oswald Laurence's distinctive voice, a unique remnant of London's transport history that continues to move passengers and commuters alike.
