thanks for your responses, everyone.
There are a few third party processors here, but they all charge large commissions.
IMO the ID verification at MtGox is a pain in the ass, but the low commission makes up for it.
www.bitinnovate.com is one i've used twice recently, the commission is 7.9% and they delivery within the hour.
The thing is if you are speculating, then you lose the commission, you lose about 40c on the exchange rate, so your Bitcoins have to increase in value by 7.9% + $0.4 before you make any money!
The ID verification thing was what put me off... kinda eerks me. I went to bite the bullet just now but they've upped the security again so you're supposed to provide proof of residency as well as photo ID.
:-(
Maybe bitinnovate is the go...