My Favourite Commentator

Sky Sports' lead rugby union commentator Miles Harrison joins Jack Zorab in the e-kitchen on cloud Zoom to talk about the wondrous talents of commentator Cliff Morgan.  In looking at Cliff's commentary of the legendary New Zealand v Barbarians match of 1973, Miles and Jack discuss: - How Cliff's commentary is intertwined with the folklore of THAT try by Gareth Edwards. - What effect watching the match had on a 7-year-old Miles Harrison. - The magic of those 3 Phil Bennett sidesteps. - John Bevan's almost try - and the last-ditch tackle by Alistair Scown.  - Why Cliff Morgan is the David Gower of broadcasting. - The sheep on a stick, the shale track, the lighting along the sidelines, and other memorable sights from the old Cardiff Arms Park.  

Jack, Olly and special guest Blythe Lawrence dive into the life and rhymes of Mitch Fenner, who set the standard for educating, empathising and entertaining when commentating on gymnastics.   Mitch started his career with the BBC as a ‘whisperer’ for commentators Ron Pickering and Alan Weeks but he soon moved up to sit alongside Barry Davies as a colour commentator. From there he hardly looked back, becoming one of the most respected voices in the sport.   In this podcast, we take a stroll through Mitch’s career stopping off to:   - Discuss Mitch’s first ever broadcast at the Olympic Games at Seoul 1988 where Daniela Silivaș scored a perfect 10 on the uneven bars. - Bring you an exclusive dedication of Mitch by THE Barry Davies. - Look at the oh-so-dramatic women’s team final at Beijing 2008, when China took gold ahead of the USA and Romania. - Discuss the technical perfection of Kōhei Uchimura on the floor at the 2011 World Championships. - Re-live the thrilling men’s team final at London 2012 when Kristian

In the FA Cup Final of 1973 second-division Sunderland beat the formidable reigning champions Leeds United in all-time classic, 1-0. One of the many millions watching that match from home was Miles Harrison, aged 7,  and the impression the match had - as well as the broadcasting of it by both David Coleman on the BBC and Brian Moore on ITV - has never left him. Now as Sky Sports' lead rugby union commentator, Miles joins Jack Zorab and Olly Hogben to review the commentary of Coleman and Moore and how they called one of the most dramatic finals in British footballing history. Join the debate as we go down memory lane to discuss: - Why a David Coleman-introduction stands the test of time.  - What role a Soviet gymnast played in the Cup Final coverage. - Whether anyone loved a goal more than Brian Moore. - Just how good THAT save was by goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery.  - The cult hero status of Sunderland manager Bob Stokoe. - And whether Miles can pick a winner between Coleman and Moore's performances behind the m

The mellifluous BBC producer and broadcaster Rob Nothman joins Jack to talk through the microphone machinations of horse racing commentator Peter Bromley. Peter was the BBC's horse racing voice on the radio between 1961 and 2001 and Rob had the pleasure of working alongside him for 10 of those years. Here he recounts the wonderful workings that went into every Peter Bromley commentary, and of course picks out some of his favourite lines as well. In this pod, you can be guaranteed to find out about: Peter Bromley's challenges with sound engineers The artistry behind his commentary preparations (involving Caran d'Ache felt tip pens no less) The secret story of Bromley's famous Shergar commentary The relationship between Bromley and the BBC's No.1 horse racing commentator on television, Peter O'Sullevan  Rob's top tips on what it takes to become a sports broadcaster

In this podcast, Simon Moore and Matt Lorenzo join Jack to add vivid post-it notes to the cork board of football broadcasting about both their fathers' careers: TV football commentator Brian Moore and BBC football journalist Peter Lorenzo. Both Brian and Peter were at their peak during a pioneering age for broadcasting in the 70's & 80's, with Brian taken into the hearts of the nation during his tenure on ITV for over 30 years and Peter a liquorice-infused voice accompanying sports fans on the radio throughout Saturday afternoons over the same period. In this saunter through the past you can be guaranteed to find out:  Simon's top 3 Brian Moore commentary moments (spoiler: 'it's up for grabs now' doesn't make the cut). What it's like when Bobby Moore pops round for tea Martin Tyler's definition of a nightclub The importance of warmth in sports broadcasting  Brian Moore's bittersweet night in St Etienne in 1998

Football commentator Peter Drury joins Jack and Olly to talk about the forgotten brilliance of Peter Jones, a commentator synonymous with football on the radio in the 70’s and 80’s and the voice of football for Peter when growing up. This pod pulls back the longbow and shoots an arrow at the following: • Why Peter Jones was a master of the mic • Balancing superstition with listening to crackling medium wave radio • Gordon Smith’s ’83 FA Cup Final miss • The inside line on THAT goal by Kostas Manolas • The pure heartache of using the right line at the wrong time • …and what does a Kenyan radio programme think of Peter Drury?

Football commentator James Fielden joins us in the kitchen to talk about Clive Tyldesley, who has been nailing the big moments for ITV since '99. In this pod you can harbour hopes of finding out: James's top three Clive Tyldesley commentary moments - 11.00 How to handle yourself when the GOALKEEPER scores - 22.58 James's tips on being a football commentator - 33.12 The strange link between James Rodriguez, 007 and Clive Tyldesley - 36.04 How to commentate on strongman and lifesaving - 43.30 With credit to talkSPORT and ITV.

The all-conquering biscuit that is Barry Davies is the first commentator to be placed in our commentary biscuit tin of brilliance.  Multi-sport commentator Olly Hogben splendidly talks Jack and Griff  through Barry's broadcasting career, via: How Barry Davies takes his coffee - c. 4 minutes in  What it's like to commentate on Kazakh Kuresi and Zurkhaneh - c. 10 minutes in What happened when Barry Davies first commentated on MOTD - c. 13 minutes in How Barry Davies changed the face of gymnastics commentary - c. 17 minutes in How Barry Davies absolutely nailed Maradona's 'goal of the century' - c. 18 minutes in Olly Hogben's 3 favourite Barry Davies moments - c. 22 minutes in Olly Hogben's 2 favourite personal commentary moments - c. 32 minutes

Multi-sport commentator Olly Hogben puts forward the iconic Barry Davies as his favourite biscuit in the sports commentary biscuit tin of brilliance.  In this episode, you can be guaranteed to find out: How Barry Davies takes his coffee Why Zurkhaneh, a sport deriving from Persian warrior callisthenics, is well worth a watch How Barry Davies changed the feeling of gymnastics commentary forever And what are Olly Hogben's all-time top 3 Barry Davies commentary moments (and why "interesting...VERY interesting" isn't one of them).