The most credible voice in the world

July 22, 2009 5:07 PM

Who is the guy who does the narration for the PBS Frontline series? I have always thought he has the most interesting and uniquely credible voice in the world. I know he is doing the Dos Equis commercials now, but has he done anything else? Any other presenters with voices I might like?

I don't mean to offend, but in general I find American presenter voices to be sort of cartoonishly unreal - it's hard to describe. (I would also put Australian voices in the same category by the way.) But this guy's voice sounds like he takes his "measured consideration" pills for breakfast every day like noone else. Love it.

posted by zaebiz to media & arts (10 comments total)

Will Lyman.
posted by jedicus at 5:10 PM on July 22

He also does BMW, and he did the trailers for Jackass Number 2.

Fun fact-- some of the narration on FRONTLINE's "Breaking the Bank" needed last-minute narration, but Will Lyman was on vacation in France. So he just went to a studio in Paris and did it there.
posted by Mayor Curley at 5:17 PM on July 22

So he just went to a studio in Paris and did it there.

Thanks. (Trying not to sound like an obsessed fan) How do you know this?
posted by zaebiz at 5:27 PM on July 22

^ MC is involved in the web production for Frontline, IIRC
posted by @troy at 5:38 PM on July 22

See? SEE?!?!? Five bucks, pure awesome, right here.
I didn't want to do a whole this is what I paid $5 for thread in MeTa, but it's little stuff like this that's just neat.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 6:19 PM on July 22

as @troy said, I work on the website. I was in the editing studio when they were inserting the new takes.
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:45 PM on July 22

zaebiz: I don't mean to offend, but in general I find American presenter voices to be sort of cartoonishly unreal - it's hard to describe.

My British husband mimics this by occasionally declaring "It was a time of war..." in that ubiquitous American-accented movie trailer voice.

To which I almost always reply "Monster! Truck! Rally!" in the same voice.

Broadcast journalism should not sound like a movie trailer. Or a monster truck rally, for that matter.
posted by DarlingBri at 6:58 PM on July 22

I like Liev Schreiber narrating those nature documentaries.
posted by interplanetjanet at 7:21 PM on July 22

I have always thought he has the most interesting and uniquely credible voice in the world.

I know what you mean. I think one of the highlights of the Bartlet administration "documentary" episode of "The West Wing" was that Will Lyman narrated it ("Will Lyman" -- he even has a composite "West Wing" name!). I'm probably not the only person who felt this way, but I remember that when watching the episode, I knew it was fiction -- but still, it looked like it could be a "Frontline" show, and I couldn't help but think, "Wait, this is NBC. Not PBS. This is 'The West Wing.' But that's the 'Frontline' guy! But these people aren't real -- this is a fictional administration... But that's the 'Frontline' guy!" It was surreal yet real at the same time, and wonderful and sad at the same time (sad because it couldn't be real).

As someone who's dabbled (badly) with writing fiction, I can't imagine how it must feel to write good characters in a political drama, witness your characters brought to life by that cast of really excellent actors, *and* hear the one and only Will "The Voice of 'Frontline'" Lyman narrating a fictional but serious-toned political documentary about those very characters, on the same screen. That's singularly awesome.
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 1:51 AM on July 23

I'm a big fan of Peter Thomas, AKA "The Voice of God". He's been doing voice overs for years and years and YEARS. Currently, he's the narrator for TruTV's Forensic Files and PBS's Nova.

He has a house in Tuscany that's set up to record in, either live via dedicated phone lines or through his computer and he sends them out. I worked on a job for a pharmaceutical company's annual sales meeting a few years ago and that's how he sent over his narration for their opening video. He used to do the Norelco Santa commercials back in the 60s and 70s. His son is also a voice over artist, but he's not his dad.

The other voice I love is Tom Baker's. As Jon Culshaw from Dead Ringers once said as he interviewed Baker while imitating him at the same time, "We've got the best voice in the world, haven't we?"
posted by droplet at 5:26 AM on July 23