BBC radio and television veteran Eugene Fraser has died. The broadcaster passed away on Thursday, August 27, with the news confirmed by fellow BBC Radio alum David Symonds in a lengthy and moving Facebook post.
Alongside a recent picture of the pair, Symonds wrote: "The gentleman on the right slipped quietly through the holes of an STC 4038 yesterday afternoon to take his place in the cosmos. Eugene Fraser was more than a friend to me; he was a brother. I have known him longer than I have known my own children."
A Career Spanning Decades
Symonds continued: "His beautiful baritone voice was a godsend in the days when voice quality really mattered... Somewhere there's a recording of Eugene telling his technical operator a dirty joke during the pauses in the shipping forecast. The presentation editor of Radio Four, Jim Black, called him a genius. I will miss Eugene like crazy, but I shall not grieve. He wouldn't want that. For Eugene Fraser's was a life well lived."
Eugene was born in Fiji and educated in New Zealand, where he worked on radio and television. He came to Britain in 1967, joining the BBC as an announcer and newsreader initially on BBC Radio 1 and 2. He became known for presenting shows such as Night Ride, Friday Night is Music Night, and Brass and Strings.
Return to the BBC and Later Work
In 1975, he moved to Radio Victory in Portsmouth. By August 1977, he was back at the BBC as an announcer on Radio 4. He also worked on BBC TV, lending his voice to the children's show Jackanory and briefly hosting Singing Together, the BBC Radio schools series.
When one of his sons, now a successful screenwriter and film director, developed chronic asthma, the family moved to New Zealand for cleaner air. There, Eugene produced TV programmes for a Polynesian audience from late 1989 to early 1992. He rejoined Radio 4 in April 1992 and left in 1993. In 1999, he presented a National Geographic Special.
Tributes from Colleagues and Fans
Tributes flooded in as news of his death was shared. One X user recalled: "Very sad news. When we made the satire 'A day in the life of Radio 4', Eugene did all the continuity pieces, including a masterly speeding-up panicky Shipping Forecast with time running out before the pips. A great sport, great company."
Another added: "Oh no! Sad news. A titan of a man. A consummate broadcaster and a wonderful soul. He took me under his wing when I arrived at Radio 2 and invited me to stay with him at his home in Petersfield. One night in the village pub after a few pints, he sang operatic arias! RIP Eugene."
A third wrote: "Gosh. RIP. If only the current crop of announcers on @BBCRadio4 were half as clear and compelling." A fourth shared: "Magnificent voice and delivery... Thank you for allowing us to pay tribute to his years of great work."
