Final Score
Encyclopedia
Final Score is a BBC TV programme produced by BBC Sport
. The programme is broadcast on late Saturday afternoons in England
, Wales
and Northern Ireland
, usually on BBC ONE
. BBC Northern Ireland
opts away during the last ten minutes to cover local results, BBC Scotland
runs a different programme altogether - Sportscene Results. Final Score is also broadcast on days such as Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, New Years and Boxing Day, the programme is usually only available on those day on the BBC Red Button and on the BBC Sport website. The programme, which is currently presented by Gabby Logan
, provides viewers with the results from the main football league matches played on that day.
Final Score is also broadcast on Saturday afternoons on the BBC Red Button and online before the BBC One
broadcast. This programme features a live studio discussing the day's play as it is being played while also showing audio coverage clips of a large number of matches that are being played.
After the domestic broadcast concludes, an additional half-hour is broadcast live on BBC World News, the BBC's internationally-broadcast news channel.
The round-up covers games from the Premier League to the Blue Square Premier, in Scotland from the Scottish Premier League
(SPL) to the Scottish Division Three
, and more frequently in recent times, the Welsh Premier League and the Irish League
.
The programme includes interviews with managers, players and studio pundits. It concludes with the day's scores being read by Tim Gudgin
. There is also a review of the league table
s for most divisions.
as far back as 1958, when the results were broadcast on a device dubbed the Teleprinter
, with each character of the results displayed one-by-one. Football fans, particularly those of lower division teams would wait anxiously for news on their team's result as live score updates during matches in those days were rare. The one-by-one letter typing by the teleprinter always heightened the anticipation.
The results came from the Press Association
(PA), who appointed a correspondent to attend each match and report back the half-time and full-time scores to its offices in London. The PA would then use the technology of the day to provide a feed to BBC Television Centre
. The Press Association still provide the vidiprinter results service to this day.
Technology has gradually improved, but even the modern-day graphics (the Vidiprinter) used by the programme still emulate the original typing system. There are now Goalflashes throughout the afternoon for every match played in the English and Scottish leagues, plus the Conference and since 2007 the Welsh Premier League, making the nervous wait for results at 4.45pm a thing of the past.
The host of the main Grandstand programme used to present the scores and often try to reflect how each result affected the league (ie. Portsmouth go top of the league) which meant meticulous preparation was necessary.
After the majority of the results came in, the scores would then be collated and announced as the Classified Football Results in alphabetical order starting with the highest leagues first (up to 1992 the First Division
, subsequently the Premiership
). Remarkably, only two people have regularly read the football results on the programme: the Australian Len Martin
(from the first programme until his death in 1995) and Tim Gudgin
. Gudgin read the results for the last time on November 19,2011, then retired at the age of 81. He cited the BBC's decision to move the programme from London to Manchester as one of the reasons for his departure and the difficulty of travelling from his home in Hampshire, particularly in winter.This would be followed by the pools news and score draws and then the league tables although the pools news element has been dropped in recent years due to the decline in the popularity of the football pools.
which pioneered the Saturday afternoon football scores service in 1998.
In the autumn of 2011 the programme moved to new BBC studios in Salford from studio TC5 at TV Centre in London, which had been its home for many years. The last programme from TC5 was broadcast on November 19, 2011.
, who is covered by Mark Chapman
or Jake Humphrey
when she is unable to host. It was previously presented by Ray Stubbs
until he left the BBC in 2009. Pundits who appear on the programme include Garth Crooks
, Steve Claridge
, Martin Keown
, Matt Holland
, John Hartson
, Gary Pallister
, Les Ferdinand
and Mark Bright
. The show has reporters stationed at every FA Premier League
game as well as several games from the Football League (All games from The Football League Championship
) and the Scottish Premier League
. Roving reporters include such BBC Sport regulars as Ivan Gaskell
. It also features interviews with managers after the game conducted by the commentators for Match of the Day
.
In November 2007 a midweek version of the show was introduced. Rather than being a programme in its own right, it is a simulcast of BBC Radio 5 Live
with graphics and the vidiprinter. The midweek version is shown when there are a lot of games taking place. This version is a red button exclusive, and does not appear on BBC1 or BBC2 near the end of the matches.
The current theme tune is The King and All Of His Men by Wolf Gang
and has been since the start of the 2011-12 football season.
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
. The programme is broadcast on late Saturday afternoons in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, usually on BBC ONE
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
. BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland is the main public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.The organisation is one of the three national regions of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides television, radio, online and interactive television content...
opts away during the last ten minutes to cover local results, BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
runs a different programme altogether - Sportscene Results. Final Score is also broadcast on days such as Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, New Years and Boxing Day, the programme is usually only available on those day on the BBC Red Button and on the BBC Sport website. The programme, which is currently presented by Gabby Logan
Gabby Logan
Gabby Logan is a television presenter and radio presenter, as well as a former Wales international gymnast. She currently hosts programmes for BBC Sport, mainly focusing on football.- Early life :...
, provides viewers with the results from the main football league matches played on that day.
Final Score is also broadcast on Saturday afternoons on the BBC Red Button and online before the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
broadcast. This programme features a live studio discussing the day's play as it is being played while also showing audio coverage clips of a large number of matches that are being played.
After the domestic broadcast concludes, an additional half-hour is broadcast live on BBC World News, the BBC's internationally-broadcast news channel.
The round-up covers games from the Premier League to the Blue Square Premier, in Scotland from the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
(SPL) to the Scottish Division Three
Scottish Football League Third Division
The Scottish Football League Third Division is the lowest division of the Scottish Football League and the fourth overall in the Scottish football league system....
, and more frequently in recent times, the Welsh Premier League and the Irish League
IFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
.
The programme includes interviews with managers, players and studio pundits. It concludes with the day's scores being read by Tim Gudgin
Tim Gudgin
Tim Gudgin is a retired British radio presenter and voiceover artist. He was best known for announcing the football results on the BBC sports programmes Grandstand and Final Score between 1995 and 2011...
. There is also a review of the league table
League table
A league table, standings, ranking chart, or ladder is a chart or list which compares sports teams, institutions, nations or companies by ranking them in order of ability or achievement. A league table may list several related statistics, but they are generally sorted by the primary one that...
s for most divisions.
Early days
Final Score had been part of BBC's long-running show GrandstandGrandstand (BBC)
Grandstand was a British television sport programme. Broadcast between 1958 and 2007, it was one of the BBC's longest running sports shows, alongside BBC Sports Personality of the Year.Its first presenter was Peter Dimmock...
as far back as 1958, when the results were broadcast on a device dubbed the Teleprinter
Teleprinter
A teleprinter is a electromechanical typewriter that can be used to communicate typed messages from point to point and point to multipoint over a variety of communication channels that range from a simple electrical connection, such as a pair of wires, to the use of radio and microwave as the...
, with each character of the results displayed one-by-one. Football fans, particularly those of lower division teams would wait anxiously for news on their team's result as live score updates during matches in those days were rare. The one-by-one letter typing by the teleprinter always heightened the anticipation.
The results came from the Press Association
Press Association
The Press Association is the national news agency of the United Kingdom and Ireland, supplying multimedia news content to almost all national and regional newspapers, television and radio news, as well as many websites with text, pictures, video and data content globally...
(PA), who appointed a correspondent to attend each match and report back the half-time and full-time scores to its offices in London. The PA would then use the technology of the day to provide a feed to BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre at White City in West London is the headquarters of BBC Television. Officially opened on 29 June 1960, it remains one of the largest to this day; having featured over the years as backdrop to many BBC programmes, it is one of the most readily recognisable such facilities...
. The Press Association still provide the vidiprinter results service to this day.
Changes
Grandstand ended over the weekend of January 27-January 28, 2007, but Final Score still continues as a programme in its own right (as it has been, formally, since August 2001). The programme is also shown on the BBC Sport website, simultaneously broadcast with the BBC Red Button show and the last 30 minutes are being shown on the BBC's International News channel, BBC World News.Technology has gradually improved, but even the modern-day graphics (the Vidiprinter) used by the programme still emulate the original typing system. There are now Goalflashes throughout the afternoon for every match played in the English and Scottish leagues, plus the Conference and since 2007 the Welsh Premier League, making the nervous wait for results at 4.45pm a thing of the past.
The host of the main Grandstand programme used to present the scores and often try to reflect how each result affected the league (ie. Portsmouth go top of the league) which meant meticulous preparation was necessary.
After the majority of the results came in, the scores would then be collated and announced as the Classified Football Results in alphabetical order starting with the highest leagues first (up to 1992 the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, subsequently the Premiership
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
). Remarkably, only two people have regularly read the football results on the programme: the Australian Len Martin
Len Martin
The voice of Len Martin was famous in the UK for reading out the football results, associated football pools statistics and horse-racing results on the BBC's Saturday afternoon sports programme, Grandstand....
(from the first programme until his death in 1995) and Tim Gudgin
Tim Gudgin
Tim Gudgin is a retired British radio presenter and voiceover artist. He was best known for announcing the football results on the BBC sports programmes Grandstand and Final Score between 1995 and 2011...
. Gudgin read the results for the last time on November 19,2011, then retired at the age of 81. He cited the BBC's decision to move the programme from London to Manchester as one of the reasons for his departure and the difficulty of travelling from his home in Hampshire, particularly in winter.This would be followed by the pools news and score draws and then the league tables although the pools news element has been dropped in recent years due to the decline in the popularity of the football pools.
Modernisations
During its last few years there was no longer a main presenter for Grandstand so from the start of the 2001/02 season Final Score was broadcast as an individual programme. Since the start of the 2004/05 season the programme has been broadcast from 1430 on the BBC's interactive service BBC Red Button. The show starts its broadcasts to digital television viewers with pundits analysing the games in progress and all goal flashes and incidents are broadcast on screen with the vidiprinter. Viewers can also email in their thoughts about the scores and other topics. It is a rival show to Sky Sports' successful Soccer SaturdaySoccer Saturday
Gillette Soccer Saturday is a weekly television programme broadcast on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland during the football season. The programme updates viewers on the progress of association football games in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Saturday afternoons. The current host is...
which pioneered the Saturday afternoon football scores service in 1998.
In the autumn of 2011 the programme moved to new BBC studios in Salford from studio TC5 at TV Centre in London, which had been its home for many years. The last programme from TC5 was broadcast on November 19, 2011.
Present
The current presenter of Final Score is Gabby LoganGabby Logan
Gabby Logan is a television presenter and radio presenter, as well as a former Wales international gymnast. She currently hosts programmes for BBC Sport, mainly focusing on football.- Early life :...
, who is covered by Mark Chapman
Mark Chapman
Mark Chapman may refer to:* Mark David Chapman, murderer of John Lennon* Mark Lindsay Chapman, British-born TV and film actor* Mark Chapman , sports journalist and presenter* Mark Chapman , Hong Kong-born cricketer...
or Jake Humphrey
Jake Humphrey
Jacob John "Jake" Humphrey is an English television presenter, currently best known for his work with BBC Sport, being the youngest ever presenter to host Football Focus, Match of the Day and Final Score. He currently presents the BBC's Formula One coverage and BBC Sports Personality of the Year...
when she is unable to host. It was previously presented by Ray Stubbs
Ray Stubbs
Raymond "Ray" Stubbs is a broadcaster and former footballer. He works for ESPN, presenting live Premier League and Scottish Premier League matches, having joined the satellite sports channel from the BBC in 2009.-Football career:...
until he left the BBC in 2009. Pundits who appear on the programme include Garth Crooks
Garth Crooks
Garth Anthony Crooks OBE is a retired English football player of Jamaican ancestry. He played principally for Stoke City and Tottenham, with whom he was a prolific goal scorer and an FA Cup winner at Wembley in 1981...
, Steve Claridge
Steve Claridge
Stephen Edward Claridge is an English football player, pundit and coach. He is currently a pundit for BBC Sport football shows including Football Focus and the The Football League Show, whilst also playing as a striker for semi-professional team Gosport Borough.Claridge's career is known for its...
, Martin Keown
Martin Keown
Martin Raymond Keown is a former English footballer. Widely regarded as one of the best man-markers of his generation, Keown played for six different football clubs during his career but it was with Arsenal that he will be best remembered. Keown made over three hundred appearances for Arsenal...
, Matt Holland
Matt Holland
Matthew Rhys "Matt" Holland is a former English-born Irish footballer, who represented Republic of Ireland at international level...
, John Hartson
John Hartson
John Hartson is a former Welsh international footballer who played as a striker, best known for his spells with West Ham and Celtic. Hartson also featured prominently for Wales, earning 51 caps until his international retirement in 2006...
, Gary Pallister
Gary Pallister
Gary Andrew Pallister is an English former footballer, most noted for his nine-year spell at Manchester United from 1989 until 1998...
, Les Ferdinand
Les Ferdinand
Leslie "Les" Ferdinand MBE is a former English footballer. His playing career included spells at Queens Park Rangers, Besiktas J.K., Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers F.C., during which period he earned a number of appearances for England...
and Mark Bright
Mark Bright
Mark Abraham Bright is a former English footballer who is now a sports pundit and BBC London's sport presenter, as well as a coach at Crystal Palace....
. The show has reporters stationed at every FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
game as well as several games from the Football League (All games from The Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
) and the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
. Roving reporters include such BBC Sport regulars as Ivan Gaskell
Ivan Gaskell
Ivan Gaskell is a sports reporter for the BBC. He joined BBC Sport in 1997, after working on East Midlands Today for 10 years. He worked on World Cup coverage in 2002 and 2006 , and is a regular reporter on Football Focus, Match of the Day and Final Score...
. It also features interviews with managers after the game conducted by the commentators for Match of the Day
Match of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
.
In November 2007 a midweek version of the show was introduced. Rather than being a programme in its own right, it is a simulcast of BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
with graphics and the vidiprinter. The midweek version is shown when there are a lot of games taking place. This version is a red button exclusive, and does not appear on BBC1 or BBC2 near the end of the matches.
The current theme tune is The King and All Of His Men by Wolf Gang
Wolf Gang (band)
Wolf Gang is a British alternative and symphonic rock band with Max McElligott as lead vocalist. Having played with different musicians McElligott settled on the current live set up in late 2009 which includes Lasse Petersen previously of The Rakes and Gavin Slater previously of...
and has been since the start of the 2011-12 football season.
External links
- Final Score at bbc.co.ukBbc.co.ukBBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...