Marcus Bentley

Marcus Bentley (born 4 October 1967) is a British actor, broadcaster and voice-over artist. Bentley is most known for narrating the UK version of the Dutch reality television programme Big Brother since its inception in 2000, until the series' end in 2018. He also did other continuity announcements for Channel 4 until he left in July 2011 to continue narrating the revived Big Brother on Channel 5. Bentley's voice-over work and distinctive Geordie accent has led to him becoming one of Britain's most recognised voices.

Marcus Bentley
Born (1967-10-04) 4 October 1967
Gateshead, County Durham, England[1]
NationalityBritish
Alma materEast 15 Acting School
Occupation(s)Actor, voice-over artist, media personality, broadcaster, continuity announcer
Years active1990s–present
Employer(s)Channel 4
Channel 5
ITV2
TelevisionBig Brother
SpouseJools Bentley (1997–present)
Children3

Bentley has also appeared on stage and in London's Burning. Although he rarely makes public appearances, his public profile has been raised since Big Brother's revival on Channel 5.

Early life

Bentley was born in Gateshead, and brought up in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham.[1] He attended East 15 Acting School.

Big Brother

Bentley was selected as the narrator of the Channel 4 (2000–2010) and Channel 5 (2011–2018) reality television programme Big Brother, which originated in the Netherlands, and this remains his best-known work. The producers of Big Brother gave him the job of narrator because they liked the way he said "Chickens".[1] His most notable catchphrase is "Day [x] (in the Big Brother house...)". Bentley has narrated all nineteen series of the show to date, as well as the spin-off shows Celebrity Big Brother, Teen Big Brother, Celebrity Hijack and Ultimate Big Brother.

Bentley is to narrate Big Brother again following the announcement that ITV2 would be reviving the show in 2023, and earlier stated in news reports that he had been having calls, updates and discussions with producers. He also narrated the trailers for the series.

Other work

Before Big Brother, Bentley starred in several TV adaptations of Catherine Cookson's novels where he honed his now familiar Teesside accent. He also starred in several TV commercials as well as minor parts in feature films, such as Mad Dogs and Englishmen, which starred Joss Ackland, C. Thomas Howell, and Elizabeth Hurley.

Aside from Big Brother, Bentley could be heard on Channel 4 as a continuity announcer until he left after ten years, when he reprised his Big Brother narrator role on the revived Channel 5 series.

Another of Bentley's roles is the unseen question master on Sky One quiz show, Dirty Money.

Channel 5

From December 2011, Bentley began doing continuity links on Channel 5, complementing his role as narrator of Big Brother on the same channel.

Personal life

Bentley married his wife Jools in 1997. The couple have three children, and live in Kent.[2]

References
  1. McLean, Gareth (9 August 2009). "The voice of Big Brother". The Guardian.
  2. Davies, Alex (16 August 2018). "Marcus Bentley Celebrity Big Brother voice: Facts about the CBB voiceover man". OK!. Northern & Shell. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
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