Regional news faces say goodbye to ITV

In the ITV Yorkshire region John Shires and Gaynor Barnes are to bid farewell tonight, while Pam Royle hosts her last news programmes for ITV Border and ITV Tyne Tees this evening.

In the ITV Yorkshire region, John Shires and Gaynor Barnes, who’ve been part of the Calendar News presenting team for more than thirty years, are to leave the programme for the final time having announced their departure from the Leeds based news centre last week.

John Shires joined Yorkshire Television in 1989 and co-presented Calendar alongside Richard Whiteley and has been a regular face across the region ever since covering and presenting both news and sport programmes and reports.

His first major report for Calendar came a few weeks after he joined Yorkshire Television when the disaster at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium, in which 96 people died, unfolded before YTV cameras.

“After 32 years at Calendar, it hasn’t been an easy decision to retire. I’ll miss the people I work with, and I’ll also miss the buzz of a live news programme.

“I can look back on so many stories and momentous events covered, so many friendships and memories – most of them happy. However, it’s time to move on to the next chapter and, before I go I’ll reveal which football club I really support!” – John Shires

Another face from the Calendar News team departing is Gaynor Barnes who joined Yorkshire Television in 1991 and has worked on many regional programmes as well as networked YTV afternoon series It’s A Vet’s Life alongside veterinary surgeon John Baxter.

Gaynor was a regular on Yorkshire Television’s magazine series Tonight, community projects programme Action Time and chat and features show Live Lunch. She also became the voice of ITV game show Winner Takes All in 1997.

More recently Gaynor has been a regular presenter of the regional bulletins Good Morning Calendar on GMB and the main evening edition of ITV News Calendar at 6pm.

“Making the decision to leave Calendar hasn’t been an easy one. Bringing the news to viewers for nearly three decades has been a privilege and pleasure.

“My career with the company has surpassed all my expectations. I will, without doubt, miss work and all the wonderful colleagues and friends I’ve made. However, with a rather special birthday looming – now the right time for me to take my gap year” – Gaynor Barnes

Tonight sees the final farewell to Pam Royle in the ITV Tyne Tees and ITV Border regions. Pam has been the news face across Cumbria and southern Scotland since 2009, however with Tyne Tees Television has been a regular evening fixture since the late 1980s.

“I feel very privileged to have had the career I’ve had. I have met royalty, Prime Ministers and stars from the worlds of movies, music and television. Often though, it’s been meeting our viewers and telling their stories that has had the biggest impact on me.

“I am always struck by their resilience and fortitude in often the direst of circumstances. It’s been an honour to be trusted with telling the story of their lives” – Pam Royle

Pam became the main co-host of Tyne Tees Television’s Northern Life, alongside Paul Frost, in 1989. Pam has been part of every main evening news show ever since including Tyne Tees Today from November 1992, Network North (Teesside news programme) from March 1993, Tyne Tees News from December 1995, North East Tonight from September 1996 and currently ITV News Tyne Tees since 2013.

In 2009 with the merger of Border News and Tyne Tees News departments, Royle also became a regular on the ITV Lookaround programme for Cumbria and Southern Scotland.

There has also been a host of other programmes along the way too including Tyne Tees Newsweek, the signed and subtitled regional news show, magazine series’ Primetime, The Richard Whiteley Show and North East Today as well as her own documentary programme Your Town On The Telly and With Voices Raised a religious series that showcased choirs and singing groups from around the region performing a variety of hymns, sacred songs and spirituals. When ITV celebrated its 50th anniversary it was Pam who hosted the TTTV celebratory programme.

Across the years on the local news, she’s worked alongside local personalities including ‘Mr North East’ Mike Neville MBE, Andrew Friend, Stuart McNeil, Andy Kluz, Jonathan Morell and currently Ian Payne.

ITV Local News, 6pm weekdays on ITV