Vocal range

They are the voices in your phone's mailbox, the ones selling you insurance or narrating your favourite television show. BRIAN BOYDprofiles just a few of Ireland's best-known voiceover artists

WITH RTÉ AND TV3 unveiling their new autumn schedules, there’s a prominent role for the voiceover artist in many of the new reality-based programmes. Never seen but always heard, the voiceover artist (or “speech actor” as they are sometimes called) has never been in a stronger position due to the predominance of reality/factual documentary programming strands on TV schedules.

Big Brother'sMarcus Bentley and Come Dine With Me'sDavid Lamb (both of whom stamp their vocal authority and wit on the programmes they narrate) have shown that the unseen voiceover artist can become a celebrity in their own right.

Dubliner Deborah Pearce, a voiceover artist and owner of the Voicebank agency, says that while traditionally actors used voiceover work to subsidise their wages, now – thanks to reality TV – whole careers can be based on voiceover work. “The whole tenor of a programme’s voiceover has moved away from the impartial-style voice of old,” says Pearce. “This has always been the case in advertising, where a particular voice or voices carry the campaign. In more recent times, we have seen how this process has spread to the wider world of television production. Whereas before, the voice of, say, a documentary carried the bare information; now it is increasingly becoming inseparable from the identity of the show.”

For Pearce, the viewer may not notice a good voiceover artist but they will remark on a bad one. "You have to be able to match an actor's particular voice to the job at hand. It's not a skill that's easily learnt, and if you get it wrong it's bad news for the artists and the programme makers. Being a voiceover is not just a matter of being able to read out loud; if it were we'd all be doing it. Everyone on our books are either trained actors, professional presenters or comedians. For example, Off the Railspresenter Sonya Lennon has also been the voice of an Irish Rail TV and radio campaign; comedian and children's TV presenter Jarlath Regan is also the new voice on Quinn Health Insurance. You don't get the real work without the pedigree. Many of the voices we will be hearing on RTÉ and TV3 over the next few months will be from people with plenty of Abbey/Gate theatre experience."

Deborah Pearce

A Gaiety School graduate of the class of 1994, Pearce concentrated on voiceovers after the birth of her first child in 1995 (her daughter is now a well-seasoned voiceover artist in her own right). In 1997, with John Gleeson, she set up Voicebank, Ireland's first dedicated voiceover agency. Pearce is presently the voice on Cracking Crime, RTÉ's crime reconstruction docu-drama. She is also the voice on all Meteor phones as well as various other ad campaigns.

Phelim Drew

Phelim Drew is the son of Ronnie Drew and husband of one of the Nualas, Sue Collins. This is his third season as the voice of TV3's The Apprentice. He is currently in rehearsals at the Abbey for Sam Shepard's Curse of the Starving Class,and runs his voiceover career in tandem with his acting commitments. He's the voice of Guinness, Lexus and the Daily Mailad campaigns.

Gavin O’Connor

A familiar face from his role as Shrewsbury in The Tudors, Gavin O'Connor's voiceover career runs alongside his successful acting and writing careers. O'Connor is the voice on Stars Go Racing, RTÉ's celebrity horse-training reality show (currently on air). He used to work as Gaeilge on numerous cartoons for TG4, such as Spongebob and Scooby Doo, and is one of the leads in Galactik Football, which aired in more than 100 countries. He can also be heard on AIB, 3Mobile and the Irish Examinerad campaigns.

Anne Byrne

One of the first members of Rough Magic theatre group, Anne Byrne's TV appearances include Paths to Freedom. Best-known as the voice on your Vodafone phone (she's the one telling you that you have no new messages), Byrne also lends her voice to From Here to Maternityand Dirty Old Towns, two popular RTÉ documentaries. She is also the ad voice of the Irish Independentand the Taxi Regulator.

Dawn Bradfield

One of Ireland's most respected stage and screen actors, Dawn Bradfield's most recent outing was in the title role of Brian Friel's Molly Sweeneyat the Gate Theatre. She also stars in TV's The Clinic. Bradfield is the voice on Don't Tell the Bride, RTÉ's reality wedding show. She is also the voice of Special K, Quinn Direct and 11890 on your TV screens.

Joe Rooney

A well-known stand-up comedian and character actor, thanks to roles in Father Tedand Killinaskully, Rooney also has his own acclaimed comic creation, Batty Ryan. He's the voice of Young, Dumb and Living Off Mumon TV3. He's also the TV ad voice of Red Bull.

Lorraine Pilkington

Lorraine Pilkington has been acting since she was 16, and is best known for her roles in The Miracle, Human Trafficand Monarch of the Glen. She's also a regular at the Abbey and the Gaiety. She's the voice of RTÉ's Masterchef Irelandand also put on a convincing Scottish accent for the Persil TV ads.