Ronald Gordon Honeycombe (27 September 1936 – 9 October 2015), known professionally as Gordon Honeycombe, was a British

newscaster A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...

, author, playwright and stage actor. Honeycombe was born in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

, in the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

. He was educated at the

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, is now part of the Senior School. The Junior School is located on Arboretum Ro ...

and read English at

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the unive ...

. He completed

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

with the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

, mainly in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

, where he was also an announcer with Radio Hong Kong. Returning to the UK, he embarked on an acting career which led to television and public prominence as a national newscaster with ITN. He later settled in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia, where he continued to work in radio, television and theatre, and was regularly engaged in voice-over work for radio and television, and in documentary narrations.

Career highlights

Honeycombe joined the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

, working from 1962 to 1964 as an actor at

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

and at the

Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels. History Origins The theatre was constructed in th ...

, London. From 1965 to 1977 at ITN, he became nationally known as a newscaster. He was twice voted the most popular newscaster in Britain, by readers of the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its Masthead (British publishing), masthead was simpl ...

'' and of '' The Sun''. From 1977 to 1984, he concentrated on writing, while continuing many other activities, such as presenting television shows for

Scottish Television Scottish Television (now, legally, known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV network franchisee for Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation since 31 August 1957 and is th ...

Southern Television Southern Television was the ITV broadcasting licence holder for the South and South-East of England from 30 August 1958 to 31 December 1981. The company was launched as 'Southern Television Limited' and the title 'Southern Television' was co ...

and for the BBC. He returned to regular newsreading from 1984 to 1989 as chief newsreader at

TV-am TV-am was a TV company that broadcast the ITV franchise for breakfast television in the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 until 31 December 1992. The station was the UK's first national operator of a commercial breakfast television franchis ...

. He was voted the most popular male TV newscaster by readers of ''

Woman's Own ''Woman's Own'' is a British lifestyle magazine aimed at women. Publication ''Woman's Own'' was first published in 1932 by Newnes. In its early years it placed women's rights and social problems firmly in the foreground. Its first "agony aunt" was ...

'' magazine in 1986, and received the

Television and Radio Industries Club The Television and Radio Industries Club (widely known as TRIC) is a British institution chartered in 1931 to "promote goodwill in the television and radio industries". The Club holds an annual awards ceremony each March honouring achievement in te ...

Newscaster of the Year Award in 1989. While appearing on British television, he also recorded voice-overs or narrations of many television and other documentaries, training films, commercials and cinema shorts, and was involved in many industrial presentations, conferences, in-house videos and fund-raising charity events. He produced and directed his own play ''The Redemption'' for the

Festival of Perth Perth Festival, named Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF) between 2000 and 2017, and sometimes referred to as the Festival of Perth, is Australia's longest-running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia. The program features ...

in Western Australia, in March 1990, and settled in that area.

Appearances

Beside the appearances listed below, Honeycombe also presented, appeared in and narrated many television programmes and appeared in many television plays and series. He has also sung at major fund-raising events for various charities.

Film

*'' Blood of the Vampire'' (1958) - Stretcher Bearer (uncredited) *''

Ransom Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice. When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''re ...

'' (1974) - newsreader (uncredited) *''

The Medusa Touch ''The Medusa Touch'' is a 1973 novel by Peter Van Greenaway, which was adapted fairly faithfully into a feature film in 1978. The novel tells the story of a radically disenchanted novelist with highly destructive telekinetic powers. ''The Medu ...

'' (1978) - TV Newscaster *''

Castaway A castaway is a person who is cast adrift or ashore. While the situation usually happens after a shipwreck, some people voluntarily stay behind on a deserted island, either to evade captors or the world in general. A person may also be left as ...

'' (1986) - TV Newscaster *''

The Fourth Protocol ''The Fourth Protocol'' is a thriller novel by British writer Frederick Forsyth, published in August 1984. Etymology The title refers to the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which (at least in the world of the novel) contained four secr ...

'' (1987) - Television Announcer *'' Bullseye!'' (1990) - TV Announcer *''

Let's Get Skase ''Let's Get Skase'' is a 2001 Australian comedy starring Lachy Hulme, Alex Dimitriades, Craig McLachlan, Alex Menglet, and Bill Kerr. It is based on the life of failed Australian businessman Christopher Skase, who after the collapse of his Qintex ...

'' (2001) - Murray Bishop *'' The Sculptor'' (2008) - Gordon *''Then She Was Gone'' (2010) - Seymour (final film role)

British stage

The Physicists in 1963. Aldwych Theatre * ''Suspects'', in 1989 at

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the C ...

* '' Run for Your Wife'', in 1990 touring with

Les Dawson Leslie Dawson Jr. (2 February 1931 – 10 June 1993) was an English comedian, actor, writer, and presenter, who is best remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and jokes about his mother-in-law and wife. Early life Les Dawson w ...

* ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part o ...

'' in 1989–90 at the

Wimbledon Theatre The New Wimbledon Theatre is situated on the Broadway, Wimbledon, London, in the London Borough of Merton. It is a Grade II listed Edwardian theatre built by the theatre lover and entrepreneur, J. B. Mulholland. Built on the site of a large hous ...

, with

Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer, actress and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her ...

* ''Aladdin'' in 1990–91 at the Pavilion Theatre,

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the English ...

, with

Su Pollard Susan Georgina Pollard (born 7 November 1949) is an English actress and singer. Her career has spanned over 45 years; she is most famous for her role in the sitcom '' Hi-de-Hi!''. She also appeared in ''You Rang, M'Lord?'' and '' Oh, Doctor Bee ...

Australian stage

* ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunk ...

Works

From 1965, as well as his own books, Honeycombe wrote for television, radio, stage and films. One of his best-known books is the horror novel ''Neither the Sea Nor the Sand''. Early in his career, Honeycombe wrote two horror novels, described by horror historian Stefan R Dziemianowicz as "atmospheric modern

gothics Gothics is a mountain in the High Peaks Region of the Adirondack Mountains. The mountain gets its name due to its large rock slides' resemblance to Gothic architecture. The summit has near 360 degree views, which combined with its location in ...

whose rugged natural northern English settings resonate with their unsparing supernatural horrors."Stefan R Dziemianowicz, "Honeycombe, Gordon" , in S. T. Joshi and Dziemianowicz, (ed.) ''Supernatural literature of the world : an encyclopedia''. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2005. (p. 562). The first of these, ''Neither the Sea Nor the Sand'', tells the story of a woman whose dead lover returns to life.Chris Morgan, "Honeycombe, Gordon", in

David Pringle David Pringle (born 1 March 1950) is a Scottish science fiction editor and critic. Pringle served as the editor of '' Foundation'', an academic journal, from 1980 to 1986, during which time he became one of the prime movers of the collective whi ...

, ed., ''St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost and Gothic Writers''. London: St. James Press, 1998, (p.280-1) It was followed by ''Dragon Under the Hill'', where a history professor in Northumberland finds himself re-enacting a tragedy that took place in the Viking era. Dziemianowicz noted that since Honeycombe's books were published before the horror boom of the 1970s, they have been "greatly overlooked as a result".

Fiction books

* ''Neither the Sea Nor the Sand'' (1969) * ''Dragon Under the Hill'' (1972) * ''The Edge of Heaven'' (1981)

Non-fiction books

* ''Adam's Tale'' (1974) * ''Red Watch'' (1976) * ''Royal Wedding'' (1981) * ''Nagasaki 1945'' (1981) * ''The Murders of the Black Museum'' (1982) * ''The Year of the Princess'' (1982) * ''Selfridges'' (1984) * ''The TV-AM Celebration of the Royal Wedding'' (1986) * ''More Murders of the Black Museum'' (1995) * ''The Complete Murders of the Black Museum'' (1995) * ''Siren Song'' (1992)

Stage and radio dramatisations

* ''The Redemption'' * ''Lancelot and Guinevere'' * ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse. A second edition followed in 16 ...

Television plays

* ''The Golden Vision'' (

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

, 1968), * ''Time and Again'' (

Westward Television Westward Television was the first ITV (TV network), ITV franchise-holder for the South West England, South West of England. It held the franchise from 29 April 1961 until 31 December 1981. After a difficult start, Westward Television provided a ...

, 1974) * ''The Professionals: Weekend in the Country (

TV Series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

), 1980) * ''The Thirteenth Day of Christmas'' (

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was its ...

, 1985)

Musical adaptation

* ''The Princess and the Goblins'' (both book and lyrics: staged in 1994)

Private life

Honeycombe was a

freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

under the

United Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic grand lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron ...

, initiated in 1959 in the

Apollo University Lodge Apollo University Lodge No 357 is a Masonic Lodge based at the University of Oxford aimed at past and present members of the university. It was consecrated in 1819, and its members have met continuously since then. University of Oxford Membershi ...

No 357 (Oxford). He had a great interest in his

family history Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

, carrying out research as well as organising extended family gatherings. Nonetheless, he did not marry, and had no children.

Notes

References

External links

Gordon Honeycombe's web site
*
Brief reviews of books by Gordon Honeycombe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Honeycombe, Gordon 1936 births 2015 deaths People from Karachi British male stage actors 20th-century British historians British non-fiction crime writers 20th-century British novelists British dramatists and playwrights British television writers British television presenters ITN newsreaders and journalists People educated at Edinburgh Academy Alumni of University College, Oxford English horror writers British male screenwriters English male dramatists and playwrights British male television writers British male novelists