Pam Royle 

1 January 2007 tbs.pm/3512

Pam Royle has been a main Tyne Tees presenter since 1989.

After working in advertising, as an assistant librarian, and teaching in Hong Kong, Pam got into television news in Hong Kong after working as a voice coach for the presenters at a radio station.

Pam initially joined Tyne Tees as weather presenter when Wincey Willis left for TVam in 1982, as well as doing a few stints as a continuity announcer. Pam then left Tyne Tees to work on LWT News as a presenter but later returned towards the end of the eighties to co-anchor Northern Life and Tyne Tees Today, alongside Paul Frost.

When Tyne Tees Today was split in two in 1993, Pam was originally penciled in to present the new southern opt out with Paul but was switched to the northern Tyne Tees Today at the last minute. Logical, as she lived on Teesside.

With Paul Frost taking the decision to leave daily news, she presented the new Tyne Tees Today with a variety of other hosts, and later co-anchored the northern edition of Tyne Tees News with Andrew Friend.

With Mike Neville’s arrival in 1996 and the creation of North East Tonight, Pam moved to presenting the northern news bulletins as well as filling in for Mike on his infrequent holidays.

In 1999 Pam was again promoted to co-anchor, presenting the Primetime section of the new look North East Tonight; launched as part of a revamp of the programme caused by the decision to axe News at Ten.

It was to be a short lived promotion – just four weeks later Primetime had been axed and Pam returned to presenting the north bulletins and the new north opt out in North East Tonight. As part of this, Pam also got the privilege of introducing one whole item on North East Tonight, as well as being the main stand in when Mike was away.

It was all change again in May 2001 when Pam left North East Tonight to host the Newcastle version of the new lunchtime lifestyle programme, North East Today – a job which also had the bonus of giving its presenters the summer off.

Although North East Today lasted longer than Primetime, its fate was sealed, and was axed in December 2002, although Pam left before that in September.

The reason for the move was caused by the decision to move regional news out of the post 11pm slot, and re-integrate it with the returned News at Ten. The re-juvinated bulletin was relaunched with a new set at the Teesside studios and a new presenter – Pam.

Pam continued to work on the 6pm bulletin, standing in for Mike Neville during his annual summer vacation, and with Mike’s illness in 2005, became the most prominent of the stand-ins and took the reigns of the north edition of North East Tonight in January 2006, along with Jonathan Morrell before moving to the south edition in September 2006.

Following the decision to merge Tyne Tees with Border, Pam became host of the new combined programme alongside North East Tonight South presenter, Ian Payne.

Pam also has the dubious honour of making it onto ‘It’ll Be Alright On The Night’, in a clip from her LWT days. During a report on mad cow disease a reporter said “This old cow will have to be put down within the week…” – unfortunately for Pam, the LWT crew flashed up Pam’s face at the wrong time…