London Underground Announcer Sacked For Spoof Messages

"Nov. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Emma Clarke, a voiceover artist whose ``mind the gap'' announcements are familiar to London Underground riders, was fired after a newspaper quoted her criticizing the railway.
Clarke, a 36-year-old freelance voiceover specialist and writer, has recorded hundreds of announcements on the railway, known as the Tube, since 1999.
The Mail on Sunday newspaper reported yesterday that she never uses the London Underground, finds it ``dreadful'' and prefers taxis and buses.
Transport for London, the city agency that operates London Underground, responded today by saying it was ending its association with Clarke and is looking for a new voice for its announcements.
``She had done a good job until she started criticizing our service,'' said Dan Hodges, a city transport spokesman. ``London Underground is sorry to have to announce that further contracts for Miss Clarke are experiencing severe delays.''
Clarke, who also writes comedy skits for radio and television, said she was misquoted in the newspaper article and has tried to contact London Underground to clear up the misunderstanding.
``I never intended to upset Transport for London, Londoners or commuters,'' Clarke said in a telephone interview from her home in Cheshire, northwest England. ``My point was that I would find listening to the sound of my voice over and over to be dreadful.''"
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