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Jon Briggs

Jon Briggs is an English voice-over artist, radio and , and conference moderator best known for providing the original male voice for Apple's in the , as well as serving as the announcer and statistician for over 1,800 episodes of the quiz show The Weakest Link from 2000 to 2012 and in 2017. Briggs' voice-over career spans commercials, awards ceremonies, and broadcasting, where he has been recognized as one of the UK's most prominent commercial voices. He recorded his contributions to Siri in 2005 for software company Scansoft (later ), which Apple licensed for the launch in 2011; he only learned of the role when he heard his own voice during a BBC review of the device. Although replaced by synthesized voices starting with in 2013, his natural delivery—known internally as ""—remains available in some text-to-speech systems and has been praised for aiding , particularly for visually impaired users. In addition to these iconic roles, Briggs served as the signature voice for , the UK's most-listened-to radio station, for 13 years, announcing programs and continuity links. He has narrated hundreds of television commercials and acted as the "Voice of God" announcer at major events, including the National Business Awards, , and the Millies military honors ceremony. Beyond voice work, Briggs has moderated over 350 conferences for global companies such as , , , and , interviewing high-profile figures like former U.S. President , entrepreneur Sir , and astronaut ; his style blends authoritative delivery with humor, as demonstrated at launches like that of the . Briggs also established and operated one of the UK's leading voice-over agencies for 25 years, mentoring talent in the industry, and has since focused on coaching, including long-term work with Land Rover's Chief Design Officer since 2008. His multifaceted career highlights his versatility in audio production and live presentation, making him a staple in British media and corporate events.

Early life and education

Childhood and upbringing

Jon Briggs was born on 24 January 1965. He was raised in Littlemore, a suburb of , before the family moved to north . His parents were students at the during his early years, fostering a family environment immersed in academic life that encouraged intellectual curiosity and creativity. Briggs later recalled his childhood as secure and happy amid Oxford's vibrant mix of town and academic ("gown") influences. From a young age, he was exposed to performance through local activities, including plays, where his naturally clear and loud enabled him to project effectively to audiences. This early involvement in performance sparked his interest in media. During his teenage years, Briggs developed a keen passion for , including making amateur recordings and frequenting local radio stations. At age 16, in April 1981, he gained hands-on experience by spending a day at BBC Radio , where he recorded a promotional trailer alongside Timmy .

Formal education

Jon Briggs received his early education at the in , a preparatory school he attended as a child. He subsequently enrolled at , where he completed his secondary education. Born in 1965, Briggs was 16 years old in April 1981 when he first contributed to BBC Radio Oxford while still a student, marking an early foray into that aligned with his developing interests. Following the completion of his and studies, Briggs transitioned into a professional career in .

Early career in broadcasting

Radio beginnings

Jon Briggs began his professional broadcasting career at the age of 16 in April 1981, when he was given the opportunity to record a promotional for a Saturday morning show with at BBC Radio Oxford. After completing his schooling at , having earlier attended , , and attending , Briggs relocated to for work with the , before returning to . In 1984, he served as a reporter for on the program The Chip Shop, the BBC's inaugural foray into broadcasting. By 1985, Briggs returned to BBC Radio Oxford to present the breakfast show Oxford AM, a role he held until 1987. This position marked his first major presenting opportunity, where he hosted morning segments focused on , interviews, and music to engage listeners during peak commute hours. His early experiences in local radio, building on the national exposure from Radio 4, provided foundational skills in live presenting and helped transition him toward larger opportunities beyond regional broadcasting.

Television announcing

Jon Briggs joined as a continuity announcer in 1988, at the age of 23. He held this position until 1990, marking his entry into national television broadcasting during a period when the had a relatively limited number of channels, including , , , and the recently established . In this role, Briggs was responsible for introducing programmes, delivering station idents, and providing smooth transitions between content, often from the channel's presentation suite. His work allowed him to reach a wide national audience, building on the vocal delivery and timing skills he had developed in radio. This experience elevated his visibility in the broadcasting industry, showcasing his ability to maintain a professional and engaging on-screen presence in a competitive landscape. Following his time at , Briggs contributed to the launch of in 1993, serving as the first on-air presenter for the shopping channel. This role involved hosting live segments to promote products, further demonstrating his versatility in television presentation and helping to establish the channel's format in the market.

Radio and presenting roles

BBC Radio contributions

Jon Briggs made notable contributions to BBC Radio through a series of presenting and announcing roles that spanned several decades. Early in his BBC tenure, he hosted the breakfast program on BBC Radio 5 from 1990 to 1992, anchoring the show six mornings a week and conducting live interviews as part of the station's launch-era programming. This role highlighted his skills in fast-paced news and broadcasting, building on his foundational experience in local radio. From the mid-1990s onward, Briggs served as the primary voice for , spending 13 years in continuity announcing duties that involved introducing programs, delivering station identifiables, and providing seamless transitions for one of the UK's most popular radio networks. His distinctive became synonymous with the station, enhancing listener engagement during peak hours and special broadcasts. Briggs also contributed reporting to 4's current affairs programs, such as PM, Today, The World at One, and The World Tonight, covering topics in news and analysis that underscored his journalistic versatility within the ecosystem. In addition, he provided voice work for various BBC Radio specials, including co-presenting the 2019 Archive on 4 episode "Voice in the Machine," where he explored the history of synthetic speech technologies alongside voice artist Emma Hignett. Throughout these engagements, Briggs cultivated professional relationships across the network, collaborating with producers, journalists, and on-air talent that informed his subsequent voice-over and moderating career.

Other radio shows

Briggs hosted The Weekend Wireless Show on London's commercial radio station from 1998 to 2003, a program that blended entertainment segments with light talk elements to engage weekend listeners. This role marked a significant expansion into , where he drew on his prior credentials to deliver dynamic on-air presentations across independent airwaves. Beyond the LBC tenure, Briggs undertook various guest and fill-in hosting duties on commercial radio stations, allowing him to maintain a presence in the medium amid shifting professional priorities. These appearances encompassed diverse formats, including talk-oriented discussions and entertainment-driven segments, reflecting his adaptability in non-BBC environments. Throughout this period, Briggs balanced his commercial radio commitments with emerging projects, which demanded precise vocal delivery and grew into a major focus by the mid-2000s. This dual engagement highlighted his versatility, as live radio hosting complemented the studio-based demands of commercials and narrations.

Voice-over and commercial work

The Weakest Link

Jon Briggs served as the voice-over artist and statistician for the British quiz show The Weakest Link, providing narration for 1,694 episodes broadcast on and from 2000 to 2012, as well as a 2017 celebrity special. His distinctive baritone delivery became synonymous with the show's format, particularly through signature phrases such as "You are the . Goodbye!" delivered after contestant eliminations, and "Bank!" to confirm prize money accumulations. These lines, combined with Briggs' calm, authoritative tone contrasting host Anne Robinson's acerbic style, contributed to the show's cultural phenomenon status in early British television, spawning parodies, merchandise, and international adaptations while embedding the in popular lexicon. Briggs recorded his voice-overs in post-production sessions separate from the live studio filming, often completing multiple episodes' worth of narration in a single day to align with the show's rapid production schedule, which wrapped principal recording by 2011 for episodes airing into 2012. His collaboration with was integral to the show's ; as the unseen "Statman," Briggs provided statistics and cues that supported Robinson's on-camera interrogations, fostering a dynamic interplay that enhanced the program's tension and appeal without direct on-set interaction. Briggs' contributions have been recognized as a cornerstone of UK quiz show history, with his voice helping propel The Weakest Link to peak viewership of over 9 million and establishing it as one of the BBC's most enduring and influential formats of the era.

Additional voice projects

Jon Briggs has voiced hundreds of advertisements for UK brands since the 1990s, contributing to campaigns for companies such as Duracell, The Mirror, The Times, Nokia, and Acuvue, as well as inflight entertainment systems. His work extends to radio commercials and corporate videos, including e-learning projects and live event announcements known as "Voice of God" for awards ceremonies like the Millies, National Business Awards, Asian Awards, Railway Children Ball, and Mobile News Awards. In addition to commercial broadcasting, Briggs provided the default British male voice for Apple's iOS VoiceOver accessibility feature, enabling visually impaired users to navigate devices by reading aloud emails, websites, and other content. This role underscores his versatility in promotional and assistive media, separate from his broader Siri contributions. Briggs is widely regarded as one of the UK's top commercial voices, praised for his professionalism and recognizability in the industry over four decades. Clients highlight his reliability in delivering high-impact voice work for diverse media formats.

Involvement with Siri

Voice recording process

In 2005, Jon Briggs recorded his voice for ScanSoft, an American software company specializing in and synthesis technologies, which acquired later that year and was renamed as such. This work was part of a broader effort to build a text-to-speech database, though Briggs was unaware at the time that the recordings would eventually be licensed by Apple for use in its , . The recording sessions occurred in a professional studio over the course of three weeks, where Briggs delivered over 5,000 carefully scripted sentences. These phrases, crafted by speech engineers, were designed to encompass a comprehensive set of phonemes, intonations, and linguistic patterns essential for concatenative , ensuring the voice could be reassembled into natural-sounding responses. Briggs maintained a consistent, delivery—pausing only at and avoiding emotional —to optimize the audio samples for synthetic processing. Briggs was selected for the project due to his established background in commercial work, which demonstrated a clear and neutral accent ideal for a versatile voice. The with ScanSoft included strict non-disclosure provisions that prohibited public discussion of the recordings, a restriction that extended through Apple's 2011 Siri launch, after which Apple itself urged Briggs to refrain from revealing his involvement.

Usage and replacement

Jon Briggs' voice debuted as the default male option for the English variant of upon the virtual assistant's launch with the on October 14, 2011. This marked the first widespread deployment of his recordings, which had been captured several years prior, enabling to respond to user queries in a natural British accent across millions of devices. The voice remained in use for nearly two years, becoming a staple for iPhone users until its replacement with the software update on September 18, 2013. Apple introduced new synthesized voices during this redesign, shifting away from the original recordings to more advanced , which included additional and accent options. However, the voice, known internally as "", remains available in some Apple text-to-speech features, such as , as of 2025. The transition sparked significant public reaction, with many UK users voicing disappointment and nostalgia for Briggs' distinctive tone on forums and social media, often petitioning for its return. Briggs reflected on the experience in interviews, describing the replacement as disappointing yet inevitable amid technological evolution, likening himself to the original James Bond actor Sean Connery whose iconic role endured despite successors. Despite its relatively short tenure, Briggs' voice played a pivotal role in popularizing voice-activated assistants in the UK, familiarizing consumers with hands-free interaction and establishing as a household name through its authoritative and recognizable delivery.

Later career and ventures

Talent agency and

In the 1990s, Jon Briggs founded Excellent Talent Ltd., a prominent UK-based voice-over agency that represented approximately 200 top artists in the industry. The agency, established in , leveraged Briggs' extensive experience in voice-over work to build a reputation for nurturing talent in and commercial narration. He managed its operations for 25 years, focusing on artist development and industry connections, until its sale in 2020. Following the agency's sale, Briggs launched the podcast You're On the Air! on November 17, 2020, as a dedicated to exploring the craft of and artistry. Hosted on his official website and distributed via platforms like , the series featured in-depth interviews with professionals, such as sports Mark Chapman and journalist , emphasizing techniques for effective audio delivery in an era where smartphone technology democratizes ; the ran until May 2021. Briggs has also established himself as a coach and moderator in workshops, drawing on his voice-over foundation to guide aspiring and established professionals. Through initiatives like The Showstealers, a training program he founded, he conducts group sessions and one-on-one mentoring to refine presentation skills, script delivery, and performance polish for live events and media. These efforts complement his by providing practical, hands-on support to the voice-over and community.

Recent professional shifts

In 2021, Jon Briggs retrained as a funeral celebrant, drawing on his extensive experience in writing and to create and deliver personalized ceremonies that celebrate the lives of the deceased. He has since conducted services throughout the , including in locations such as , , and , where he focuses on crafting empathetic narratives based on family contributions to honor individual stories. This transition followed the sale of his voice agency and marked a deliberate pivot toward roles emphasizing emotional support and human connection, contrasting with his earlier high-profile legacy. A precursor to these empathetic pursuits was Briggs' co-presentation of the 2019 BBC Radio 4 episode "Voice in the Machine" from the Archive on 4 series, which delved into the evolution of synthetic voices and their societal impact, blending his broadcasting expertise with reflections on technology's human elements. By 2023, Briggs was actively incorporating funeral celebrancy into his portfolio alongside voice coaching and training, where he helps professionals refine their and vocal delivery for greater impact. Into 2025, Briggs has sustained his career as a broadcast journalist, building on decades of on-air experience at outlets like the , while continuing voice coaching workshops that enhance and communication skills for clients in and corporate settings. In April 2025, he announced his departure from Nordlings Talent (formerly Excellent Talent) to join Great British Talent as a represented artist. This ongoing work allows him to balance his enduring voice legacy—rooted in iconic projects like —with newer, more intimate roles that prioritize storytelling and emotional resonance, including through his as a platform for narrative exploration.

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