Elizabeth Cowell first female TV announcer

On 31 August 1936 Elizabeth Cowell became the first female announcer. This was before the official launch of the television service on 2 November, when the BBC made test transmissions for the RadiOlympia exhibition. Watch her original appearance, plus behind-the-scenes footage including her 'wardrobe test' - never before broadcast on the BBC (with kind permission of the Alexandra Palace Television Society).

Behind the scenes of Elizabeth Cowell's preparation for her first television appearance.

Elizabeth Cowell and Jasmine Bligh were recruited from 1,122 applicants as "hostess-announcers" in preparation for the launch of television. The media took a great interest in them and so when they appeared they were already well known. Both women alternated announcing with looking after guests in the unfamiliar environment of the television studio.

There was a great emphasis on looks, and they were chosen as much for their appearance - Cowell had brunette hair and Bligh had blonde - as for their ability to speak clearly. Without teleprompters they had to deliver their words from memory. They were each issued with two evening dresses and skirts and blouses to wear on air.

During the Second World War the BBC asked the Air Ministry to release Cowell from duty so she could return to the microphone. She died in 1998.