Herbert Brian Baines (23 May 1931 – 30 June 2006) was an English television newsreader, continuity announcer and character actor. Born in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, he attended Grange Grammar School before trying to make his living as an actor. After struggling to find success, he returned to school at Bretton Hall College to become a teacher. On the weekends, however, he worked freelance jobs for the BBC in Manchester, becoming full-time in 1970 when the position was made permanent. Baines died in a Bradford hospice in 2006, at the age of 75.