Farewell to Anglia TV and Radio Orwell legend Katie Glass

Katie joined the station for its launch from Electric House on Tower Ramparts in Ipswich and was the first female presenter at the station alongside fellow DJs like Andy Archer, Keith Rogers, Harry Rowell and Greg Bance.

Andy remembers that she had an unconventional introduction to the world of broadcasting.

Katie Glass at a Radio Orwell roadshow in Ipswich. (Image: Newsquest)

He said: "She was actually employed as our receptionist, but when our programme controller John Wellington heard her wonderful husky voice he decided he had to put her on air.

"She was offered a Sunday show and that was a great success and she soon became the regular stand in when one of us was off on holiday or for any other reason."

Her decision to move to Anglia was no surprise to him: "She was very good on radio, but really she was made to be a television presenter and she was very good at that."

She worked at the station for two years before the lure of television called her and she moved up the A140 to become one of Anglia's presentation and continuity announcement team.

Katie arrived there shortly before another member of the team, Helen McDermott - and the two became close friends for the next four and a half decades.

Katie Glass Helen McDermott with Michael Speake and Patrick Anthony trying to keep BC in order in the 1980s. (Image: Newsquest)

Helen remembers: "We hit it off together from the start - we were a small team there at Anglia and Katie was such fun."

They were both part of the team that had to look after BC, the Anglia Television's Birthday Club cat who did for moggies what Rod Hull's friend did for Australian flightless birds!

The Anglia continuity team was merged with Meridian, covering the south of England, in 1999 but Katie decided to stay in Norwich and leave the company - and a new chapter of her life began.

She started teaching at the University of East Anglia in Norwich after gaining a doctorate in history at the University of Exeter.

Dr Catherine Tremain, Norwich marriage celebrant in 2018 - a long way from wrangling BC! (Image: Newsquest)

Katie Glass TV presenter became Dr Catherine Tremain, historian - and then she added another string to her bow by becoming a marriage celebrant.

Helen remembers: "She was always doing something new, something different. But she still liked being in the media too."

Katie conducted the ceremony when Helen married her partner Paul.

She did some work as a film extra - and appeared on the first series of The Ranganation TV show as a history expert with Romesh Ranganathan.

Andy Archer said he had got back in touch with Katie a few years ago: "I suddenly got a message from Dr Catherine Tremain and I had no idea who this was. Then the penny dropped and we were chatting again straight away."

Over recent years she had suffered ill-health and had been treated for cancer. She died last Friday. She leaves two sons, Henry and Robert.

Andy said he and Helen had visited Katie together in hospital about a week before her death: "She was in very good form," he said.

"She was effing and blinding just as she always had and we had a lot of laughs and it was a really good meet up.

"I think Helen and I both came away from that feeling quite uplifted - although we knew Katie was very ill."