Fletcher Mathers (born 1963) is a Scottish actress and director who was the announcer for ScotRail trains from 2005 to 2025, before being replaced by a text-to-speech voice provided by ReadSpeaker. She has also appeared in Television series, theatrical plays and short films.
Life and career Mathers was born on 1963 in Scone, Perthshire and was trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.
In 2005, Mathers recorded announcements for ScotRail trains, including the approach for each stop, with the voice lines being recorded in Nottingham. Over the next 20 years she recorded occasional additions and updates to the recordings. In 2025, ScotRail started rolling out a new AI voice, which was provided by ReadSpeaker, for their service, replacing older messages recorded by Mathers. Mathers only learned she was being replaced after a friend heard the new synthetic voice on board. In an interview with The National, Mathers said it had been "a bit hurtful that they hadn't informed me that they were changing".
Mathers has also worked in television, appearing in the series Taggart in 1990 and Shetland in 2013. In theatre, she was in The 306: Day at Station Hotel, Perth from 2017, Sylvia Dow and Secret Wrapped in Lead in 2023, and Maiden Mother Mage in 2025.
Mathers also directed the play Katie Morag with actress Sally Reid, in 2007. Mathers was the star of the 2010 short film Choices, which was nominated for the 2010 British Academy Scotland New Talent Awards.
Filmography
+TelevisionYearTitleRoleNotes1989The Play on OneBrendaGovan Ghost Story1990TaggartLillias BlacklockSeries 6, Episode 21991City Lights (1984 TV series)Miss GooleSeries 6, Episode 71994Doctor FinlayFiona SturgesSeries 3, Episode 12012Dani's HouseGrandma JudithSeries 5, Episode 122013ShetlandBridal Shop OwnerSeries 3, Episode 3 +Theatrical playsYearTitleRoleNotes2007Katie Morag Director2017The 306: Day at Station Hotel, PerthWritten by Oliver Emanuel2023Sylvia Dow 2023Secret Wrapped in Lead 2025Maiden Mother Mage +Short filmYearTitleRoleNotes2010ChoicesThe Woman2017Do Not DisturbCarla
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