Marcus Morgan Bentley (born 4 October 1967) is a British actor, broadcaster and

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non- diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentation ...

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 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

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. 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, County Durham, and brought up in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham. He attended

East 15 Acting School East 15 Acting School (East 15) is a British drama school in Loughton, Essex.Its degrees are awarded by the University of Essex, with which it merged on 1 September 2000. As of 2020, Essex University, where East 15 is located, has been ranked No. ...

''Big Brother''

Bentley was selected as the narrator of the

(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". His most notable catchphrase is "Day (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 ''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...

'', '' Teen Big Brother'', '' Celebrity Hijack'' and ''

Ultimate Big Brother ''Ultimate Big Brother'' was the final series of the UK reality television programme '' Big Brother'' to air on Channel 4. The series was produced by Remarkable Pictures, a division of Endemol. ''Ultimate Big Brother'' was an All Star edition ...

''. Despite not being confirmed, Bentley is expected to narrate Big Brother again following the announcement that ITV2 would be reviving the show in 2023, stating in news reports that he had been having calls and updates from producers.

Other work

Before ''Big Brother'', Bentley starred in several TV adaptations of

Catherine Cookson Dame Catherine Ann Cookson, DBE (''née'' McMullen; 20 June 1906 – 11 June 1998) was a British writer. She is in the top 20 of the most widely read British novelists, with sales topping 100 million, while retaining a relatively low profile i ...

'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 Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966) is an American actor. He has starred in the films '' Soul Man'', '' The Hitcher'', '' Grandview U.S.A.'', ''Red Dawn'', ''Secret Admirer'' and '' The Outsiders''. He has also appeared in '' Gett ...

, and

Elizabeth Hurley Elizabeth Jane Hurley (born 10 June 1965) is an English actress and model. As an actress, her best-known film roles have been as Vanessa Kensington in ''Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' (1997) and as the Devil in ''Bedazzled (2000 ...

. 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 Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

References

External links

Marcus Bentley – TV Tome
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bentley, Marcus 1965 births Living people 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of East 15 Acting School English game show hosts English male television actors English male voice actors Actors from Gateshead Actors from Stockton-on-Tees Actors from County Durham