From the
BBC» .Mind the Gap Tube announcement returns after wife's plea Oswald Laurence made the recording used on the London Underground four decades ago
A 40-year-old "mind the gap" recording once heard across the Tube is returning to one station - so the widow of the actor behind it can hear his voice.
Oswald Laurence's announcement used to be heard all over London but was phased out until only Embankment used it. Finally it disappeared there too.
His wife recently asked for a copy, saying she used to go to the station after his death to hear his voice.
After the request Transport for London decided to restore it to Embankment.
London Underground director Nigel Holness said: "Transport for London were approached by the widow of Oswald Laurence to see whether she could get a copy of the iconic 'mind the gap' announcement her husband made over 40 years ago.
"We were very touched by her story, so staff tracked down the recording and not only were they able to get a copy of the announcement on CD▸ for her to keep but are also working to restore the announcement at Embankment station."
'Very proud'
Transport for London began using the "mind the gap" message from 1969.
The first voice used on the network was that of sound engineer Peter Lodge but several other voices were later used on different lines on the network over the years, Tube expert Mark Mason said.
Mr Mason, who wrote Walk the Lines - the Underground, Overground, said: "The famous original voice was that of Peter Lodge. Lodge was a recording engineer in a studio in Bayswater.
"An actor had done the recording but his agent was demanding royalties, which London Underground said it couldn't afford. So Peter Lodge had a go and that was used for years."
Actor Tim Bentinck was the voice on the Piccadilly Line for 15 years from 1990.
He said he was paid ^200 to record a variety of messages from 'mind the gap' to announcing station names and 'please stand clear of the doors'.
"My wife and children felt very proud whenever they heard it," he said.
"Judy works at Holborn and when she heard me say 'mind the gap' she felt I was saying that to her. And my boys, Will and Jasper, used to say that they felt their father was watching out for them".
Mr Bentinck, who lives in Islington and uses the Piccadilly Line, said he always secretly hoped he would get a chance to "freak people" by saying "I warned you" if someone happened not to take note of the warnings.
"Its a very exclusive club, we 'mind the gappers'," he said.
