So I caught a Carphone Warehouse ad today. Nothing particularly exciting; they’re just offering a free laptop if you sign up to AOL broadband with them. I’ve had a look at the specs of said laptop and to be honest, they’re not all that, but then again, I guess it’s to be expected if it’s free…

But yes, that’s irrelevant to what I want to talk about. Well, the second part is - I still want to talk about the Carphone Warehouse ad. Not for it’s superb offer (!) though but rather it’s voiceover artist, one Ed Byrne. Sure he’s been doing it for years now, possibly because I’m guessing the money’s good, but that’s not the point. The point is he has one of those voices that’s just perfect for that type of thing.

Personally I love a unique voice, as is possibly evident with my love of Tim - he has a lovely singing voice don’t you think? There’s nothing more annoying than turning on the radio to hear a generic everyday voice. This is possibly why I listen to the Russell Howard radio show, to hear Jon’s nasel whining.

Comedy just seems to be rife with this sort of thing. There are a fair few comedians I could identify from the sound of their voice alone. An example of this recently would be when I walked into the kitchen and my mum had Radio 4’s stand-up show on and the second I heard it I identified the comedian as the same Ed Byrne, with his lovely southern Irish accent. Yum. He’s just one of many though. I imagine most people would be able to  recognise Rich Hall’s gravelly voice or Mark Watson’s husky Welsh lilt from the off.

Maybe the phrase “he has a voice for radio” needs to be introduced…