BBC Sport in Black and White

Palgrave Studies in the History of the Media BBC Sport in Black and White Richard Haynes Palgrave Studies in the History of the Media Series Editors Bill Bell Cardiff University United Kingdom Chandrika Kaul University of St. Andrews United Kingdom Kenneth Osgood Colorado School of Mines Boca Raton , USA Alexander S. Wilkinson University College Dublin Dublin , Ireland Aim of the Series Palgrave Studies in the History of the Media publishes original, high- quality research into the cultures of communication from the middle ages to the present day. The series explores the variety of subjects and disciplinary approaches that characterize this vibrant fi eld of enquiry. The series will help shape current interpretations not only of the media, in all its forms, but also of the powerful relationship between the media and politics, society, and the economy. More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/14578 Richard Haynes BBC Sport in Black and White Richard Haynes Faculty of Arts & Humanities University of Stirling Stirling , UK Palgrave Studies in the History of the Media ISBN 978-1-137-45499-7 ISBN 978-1-137-45501-7 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-45501-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016955938 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016 The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identifi ed as the author(s) of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Cover image © Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy Stock Photo Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Macmillan Publishers Ltd. London The registered company address is The Campus, 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW, United Kingdom For Brian Haynes, who introduced me to the wonders of sport. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS BBC copyright material reproduced courtesy of the British Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved . Writing a book about the formative history of BBC Television Sport has been an immensely enjoyable, if prolonged, experience. It has required many long journeys from Scotland to the reading room of the BBC’s Written Archive Centre at Caversham. For preparing access to the BBC’s written archives on television sport, I would particularly like to thank Jeff Walden, Matthew Chipping and their colleagues who have always been of greatest help. Any errors and omissions regarding the BBC material used in this book are the sole responsibility of the author and publisher. For access to papers on the early years of televised Test cricket, I would like to thank Neil Robinson at the MCC Library at Lords. For sending his meticulously documented research on the televising of golf, I would like to thank Peter Lewis from the R&A. I have been fortunate to meet and interview some of the most impor- tant individuals in the creation of the BBC’s post-war coverage of sport. Peter Dimmock, the former General Manager of Outside Broadcasts, offered his time and access to his personal archive of press clippings to my research, for which I am highly indebted. I interviewed Peter on three occasions between 2008 and 2009. Sadly, he died aged 94 in November 2015 as the fi nal manuscript for the book was completed. Bryan Cowgill, former Head of Sport at the BBC and originator of Grandstand , also gen- erously gave his time and memories of the BBC’s emerging professional- ism in the coverage of sport. Sadly, he died shortly after I interviewed him vii viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in 2008. Sir Paul Fox, the creator and editor of Sportsview , offered his memories and insights on those he worked with, especially commentators. Former television producer and director of football coverage, Alec Weeks, also provided fantastic memories of working with numerous BBC commentators, especially during the coverage of the 1966 World Cup. Sadly, Alec died a few years after we met. I have been privileged over the years to interview a number of BBC commentators, but for this book I would particularly like to thank Bill McLaren (and his daughter Linda) for their hospitality in 2008. Again, sadly, Bill died within a year of our meeting. For his memories on producing cricket in the 1960s, I would like to thank Nick Hunter. The research on media and sport has evolved into a strong, interdisci- plinary fi eld and I have received support and encouragement from numerous colleagues from both media and sport studies during my research on the history of sports broadcasting over the years. In particular, I would like to thank Neil Blain, Raymond Boyle, Garry Whannel, David Rowe, Alan Tomlinson, John Sugden, Rob Steen, John Horne, Joyce Kay, Wray Vamplew, Bret Hutchins, Grant Jarvie, Mike Huggins and Martin Polley. I would also like to thank numerous colleagues at the University of Stirling, who have long suffered my stories of sports commentators. I have published a range of previous work on the history of sports broadcasting, and I would like to thank Murray Phillips at the Journal of Sport History for permission to use previously published work on televised cricket in this book. I would also like to offer a big thank you to my commissioning editor at Palgrave Macmillan, Emily Russell, for her resolute support for this project. Research for this book has been supported from numerous sources, and I would like to thank the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the British Academy, the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, and the University of Stirling research leave scheme for affording me the time and resources to complete this research. Finally, I would like to thank my family—Susan, Alice and Adam—for all their love, support and patience while writing this book and for caring for me at a personally challenging time during the book’s fi nal production. The dining table is now yours. CONTENTS 1 Introduction: Why BBC Television Sport? 1 2 Pre-war Television Sport 15 3 Lobby, Dimmock and the Monopoly in Post-war Televised Sport 41 4 Innovation, Eurovision and the World Cup 69 5 Televising Test Cricket 91 6 Paul Fox and Sportsview : Television’s Sports Page 111 7 Cowgill, Coleman and Grandstand 137 8 Prestige of the Nations: International ‘Rugger’ 161 9 Negotiating the Grand National 183 10 Boxing on the Beeb 197 ix x CONTENTS 11 Golf: From Minority Interest to Commercial Megalith 217 12 Today’s Sport on Your Screen Tonight: Sports Special and Match of the Day 237 13 From Eurovision to Global BBC Sport: The Rome and Tokyo Olympic Games 259 14 Wimbledon, Colour and The Open Era 279 15 They Think It’s All Over… 1966 and the New Era of TV Sport 297 16 Conclusion 315 Bibliography 327 Index 337 CHAPTER 1 Introduction: Why BBC Television Sport? In August 2014, the British Broadcasting Corporation celebrated the fi ftieth anniversary of its longest running sports programme Match of the Day . As one would expect the festivities included a profusion of platitudes from leading British football players, celebrity fans, former presenters and football commentators. Its then presenter and former England footballer, Gary Lineker, summed up what the programme meant to him. ‘For me,’ he remarked, ‘ Match of the Day is more than just a TV show – it is a national institution. After 50 years, it is an established part of Saturday night viewing and the theme tune is synonymous with the game of football itself.’ Lineker’s sentiment neatly summarised what many across the UK would agree has become the cornerstone of the BBC’s sports coverage. For a television programme to celebrate half a century of its enduring heritage is rare in the contemporary world of television. Only the astron- omy programme The Sky At Night , fi rst broadcast in 1957, has greater longevity as a BBC television programme. Scottish Television’s Scotsport ran for 51 years until it was pulled in May 2008, and the BBC’s other fl ag- ship sports programme of the twentieth century, Grandstand , lasted 49 years before being pulled in 2007. Match of the Day did go through various iterations throughout its history, and in some seasons was barely on the screen as the BBC lost rights to either edited highlights or live football, or on one occasion in 1983 endured an enforced blackout because of an industrial dispute with the broadcast unions. Moreover, it was not always available to the whole of © The Author(s) 2016 1 R. Haynes, BBC Sport in Black and White, Palgrave Studies in the History of the Media, DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-45501-7_1 2 R.

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