Unprecedented consecutive Ashes Series present unique circumstances for us who love Test Cricket.
TV, radio and print will cover it from every angle.
Some of that we’ll love – a lot we will loathe.
What are your favourite Ashes presenters, past and present? Dream Teams, if you must!
John Arlott – just so far ahead of the rest. He was Bradman, it’s not the fault of the rest of the commentating world that they are not at that level. He was the poet. Not sure how many commentators have a song written about them.
Always loved the erudite tones and schoolboy wit of the English commentators. Arlott was supreme as NB says. He was also wine writer for the Guardian, and his twin loves combined in his mellow, reflective commentary style. Jonathan Agnew is my current fave with his enthusiastic style. Roebuck had the supreme insights as a comments man on both life and cricket.
But above all my favourite Ashes memory is the jaunty theme music for the BBC half hour highlights package of the 60’s and 70’s. I would fall asleep somewhere around tea time in the late evening of an Ashes tour in ’68 and ’72. Wake up before school and discipline myself not to turn the radio on. At 7am the TV would go on and that theme music would fill the house, as we saw our first sight of Richie in ‘beige’ on Black and White TV with a half hour package of wickets and thumping scoring shots. The tension of waiting to see what happened in the last session was like waiting for an Agatha Christie novel to ‘tell all’ in the final chapter. Anyone remember what that bouncy tune was? I can vaguely recall its jangle in my head.
Peter
The BBC sourced the intro theme song to its TV cricket highlight show from the noted cricketing stronghold of Memphis, Tennessee.
‘Soul Limbo’ was a late 60s track by Booker T & the MGs (Steve Cropper et al), also notable for ‘Green Onions’, ‘Time Is Tight’ and instrumental adaptions of songs like ‘Grooving’ and Morricone’s soundtracks to the spaghetti westerns featuring Clint.
Check the link (or indeed, Google the assorted YouTube hits):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Limbo
Re the presenters: yes, Arlott, by a Rain Lover margin. Nowadays, if you’ve got Foxtel, listen out for Michael Holding on Sky.
onradio, aggers is outstanding. I always enjoyed Tim Lane – eswpecially compared to Neville Oliver and now Jim Maxwell.
On TV David Lloyd is a big favourite. David Gower good. BBC coverage great.
Yes it’s Aggers for me too, I’m afraid.
Such abundance of charm and empathy and wit, embarrassingly absent in whomever personifies the lone Australian radio presenter on the UK radio program.
To be fair, it should come as no surprise, as my workmate constantly reminds me, that the language of English is perhaps best practised by the English. Gideon Haigh notwithstanding.
Skull is good in bursts – when the cricket gets serious so does he.
Brian Johnston was someone I recall as a wit when I was a kid.
I’m afraid I found McGilvray tedious – and somehow beyond criticism.
Blowers is Rushdie
CMJ was Coetzee
Boycott is Irvine Welsh
I wish we had a Hemmingway.
Tim Lane’s move to 3AW was a huge loss to radio cricket broadcasting in this country.
I shudder when recalling the Ashes series during which James Brayshaw was the smug, ever-smiling face.
I have to say watching tonight Ian Botham and Michael Holding have been very decent easy to listen to as well.
Agree.
Where’s Atherton? Like him too.
Bumble outstanding again.
Boyccs hilariously negative last night.
In a previous life I spent some time driving a cab. Listening to Ashes cricket was a must doing the night shft. My favourite in those days was Freddie Truman – a great cricketer and great man who had some great stories. People used to ask me driver why do you drive cabs? My standard answer was I get paid to listen to the cricket !!
John Arlott my favorite moment is of John describing how nothing ever happens as the Train pulls in and stops at Manchester as the Train departs so does
Boycott C Marsh B Lillee No Score Gold !
Also fan of Skull and Damien Fleming on radio and Ian Chappell TV but Arlott is my clear Number 1 Great Topic