Alan Dedicoat

Alan Dedicoat is a British announcer from Hollywood, England, for programmes on BBC One. He is known as the "Voice of the Balls" on the National Lottery programmes, providing a voiceover for the draws since 1995.^[1] He was a BBC Radio 2 newsreader until his retirement from this role in March 2015. Since their inceptions in May 2004 and June 2005 respectively, Dedicoat has been the announcer on the BBC One reality TV competition Strictly Come Dancing and its American version Dancing with the Stars.

Alan Dedicoat
Born	Hollywood, England, United Kingdom
Occupation(s)	Announcer, newsreader
Years active	1979–present
Employer	BBC
Website	Official website

Dedicoat and Wiltshire Air Ambulance

Early life

Dedicoat was born in Hollywood in Worcestershire.^[2] The son of a newsagent, Dedicoat was educated at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys in Birmingham, and the University of Birmingham.^[2] Dedicoat originally worked in the Civil Service as an executive officer, before joining the BBC.^[3]

Career

Dedicoat joined BBC Radio WM at Pebble Mill in 1979 as a presenter, before moving to BBC Radio Devon four years later. After working in the West Country, he moved to London to join the Presentation Department of BBC Radio 2 in 1986 at Broadcasting House^[2] and later became its head, a position he retained until his retirement in 2015. The National Lottery and its draw programmes were launched on BBC Television in 1994. The following year, Dedicoat began working as the show's announcer.^[1] He acquired the nickname "Voice of the Balls" from presenter Sir Terry Wogan.^[2] He read the news on BBC Radio 2's weekday breakfast show, Wake Up to Wogan, until the programme ended in December 2009.

In October 2015, a recording of Dedicoat was obtained by The Sun newspaper, in which he allegedly claimed that the BBC allowed a "drug peddler" to deliver Class A substances to the desks of staff. He subsequently apologised and retracted his comments, stating that during a covertly-recorded conversation he was elaborating on rumours he had heard from someone else.^[4]

In September 2023, Dedicoat joined Portsmouth-based Victory Online where he currently hosts a Sunday morning show titled the "Sunday Supplement".^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Dedicoat is the co-owner of multiple examples of the AEC Routemaster (the best-known London red bus) with fellow broadcasters Charles Nove, Ken Bruce and Steve Madden.^[5] He is Patron of the Hospital Broadcasting Association, and has taken part in the National Hospital Radio Awards, both as the voiceover and in person. In addition, Dedicoat is the president of Hospital Radio Bedside, a hospital radio station broadcasting to hospitals in Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and Wimborne^[6] and also of Hospital Radio Reading (Royal Berkshire Hospital).

Dedicoat is ambassador for Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance Charity.^[7]