Introduction
Andrew Howard Crane (born 24 February 1964) is an English television and radio presenter, best known for presenting Children's BBC between 1987 and 1990 and for his current work as a presenter on the Greatest Hits Radio network.
Career
Crane started his career in radio before applying for Children's BBC in 1986, making his debut late that year before taking over as sole presenter from Phillip Schofield. In this role he presented the interstitial sections of the schedule through the use of in-vision continuity. Presenting from the continuity announcer's booth, nicknamed 'The Broom Cupboard', Crane presented links until leaving in 1990, to be replaced by Andi Peters. In addition to Children's BBC, Crane also acted as a relief presenter on Top of the Pops in 1988 and 1989 and was thrown into the 'gunk tank' on the first Comic Relief telethon. After leaving the BBC, Crane moved to present the hit technology magazine Bad Influence!, for CITV, between 1992 and 1996. He also presented Motormouth and What's Up Doc? on weekend mornings during the early 1990s. From 1997 to 1999, Crane was one of the in-vision continuity presenters on Challenge TV. He later appeared on the television show Banzai, where he put random items on a washing machine and viewers at home could bet on which would fall off first. Believing the format had the potential to develop further, he travelled to Hollywood and pitched the idea to Bryce Henderson III, who was at the time the head of Light Entertainment for the Fox Television Network. His idea was to use not just washing machines but a much wider variety of indoor and outdoor household white goods and appliances, such as tumble dryers, dishwashers, lawn mowers and pressure hoses. Henderson III was however unable or unwilling to see the potential so Crane returned to the UK and the plan was shelved.
Between 1981 and 1985 Crane represented the North West in Roller hockey as a goalkeeper, however, a persistent ankle injury forced him to retire from the sport, it was at this point that he decided to concentrate fully on his career in tv and radio.
In following years, Crane presented radio programmes, breaking to present Channel M Today, the local news programme for Manchester-based Channel M, for which he received the Best Regional Presenter award at the Royal Television Society North West Awards 2009. Between January 2012 and March 2013, he presented the weekday drive time and Saturday breakfast programmes on BBC Radio Manchester.
He presented the Breakfast Show on the Bauer City 2 network every weekday from 6 am to 10 am. The show aired on AM and on DAB on Radio Aire 2, Hallam 2, Viking 2, Rock 2, Key Radio, Metro 2, TFM 2 and the other stations in the Bauer City 2 network.
He is a presenter for Greatest Hits Radio as of January 2019.
In 2010 he appeared as himself presenting Top of the Pops in the music video for "Love Goes Down" by Plan B.