Career
He joined the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1926 and worked on Children"s Hour, which he was in charge of from 1929 to 1932. In 1935 he left the British Broadcasting Corporation and became a commentator for British Movietone News. He was apparently appointed as part of Movietone"s redesign in April 1935, and his first cr is for "Emperor Kang Teh Rides with Mikado for Army Review" in Movietone Number.310 from 13 May 1935.
Howland was soon regularly employed on sports items, apparently because of his fast verbal delivery.
The cr for "Sport: Reported by Alan Howland" first appeared in British Movietone News Number.312A of May 1935, but within a few months he was almost exclusively employed on this work. In March 1937, Howland commentated for "The Boat Race" in British Movietone News Number.407A, and a writer in the World Film News noted that when he viewed the story "in a tiny Lancashire village hall": "The event of the evening was the derisive roar that greeted the commentator"s: "Ah expect you reahlahs that ahm an Oxford man mahself"."
He commented on the 1936 Olympics from Berlin, but Howland"s last Movietone cr was "Leslie Mitchell Reviews the News pageant of Movietone.
Sports Reported by Alan Howland" in British Movietone News Number.531A from August 1939. He rejoined the British Broadcasting Corporation in January 1940.
He made the request on British Broadcasting Corporation radio on 29 May 1940 for crew with mechanical skills to support the small ships assembled to help in the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940.
In June 1942, he resigned from the British Broadcasting Corporation in protest at additional menial tasks announcers were called upon to undertake. He played a small part in a 1945 version of Agatha Christie"s "Love from a Stranger" broadcast on the General Forces Programme on 9 May 1945, from 7.30pm to 8.30pm, which was produced by Martyn C. Webster. This version was repeated on 4 July at the same time.
