Background
Greenslade was born in Formby, Lancashire (now Merseyside).
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Wallace Greenslade
Edit ProfileCareer
He is mainly remembered for being the announcer—and frequently the straight man—for the British Broadcasting Corporation radio comedy series The Goon Show for eight series. During the Second World War, he served for two and a half years as a lieutenant commander in the Royal Naval Reserve. He also worked as a purser with the P&O Lincolnshire.
In 1945 Greenslade joined the British Broadcasting Corporation, where he began in the European Service, as presentation assistant and newsreader.
In 1949 he was appointed a Home Service announcer before becoming a newsreader in both radio and television from November 1955. In addition to The Goon Show, he was announcer for The Great Gilhooly, Star Show and Variety Playhouse.
He was one of the original team of British Broadcasting Corporation Television newsreaders appearing from July 1954 to May 1957. His well-known trademark was always taking off his glasses at the end of each bulletin.
In May and June 1960 he presented the Today programme for two months before his death.
Physically a large rotund man, "the massive Greenslade" a colleague once called him, he died suddenly at his home at Weybridge, Surrey in April 1961, aged 48 from a heart attack. Following a funeral service at Street Mary"s Oatlands, near Weybridge, he was buried at Brooklands Lane Cemetery, Weybridge. Greenslade left a wife, Carol.
A radio play, Ying Tong - A walk with the Goons, was broadcast on British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4 on Wednesday, 4 April 2007, referencing Greenslade, who was also the subject of an episode of The Goon Show, "The Greenslade Story", broadcast in December 1955.
