Peter Jones (broadcaster)
Encyclopedia
Peter Jones was a Welsh
-born broadcaster, best known as a sports commentator on BBC radio
in the United Kingdom
, although many of his commentaries were also broadcast internationally on the BBC World Service
. He frequently worked alongside Maurice Edelston
, Bryon Butler
, Alan Parry
and, latterly, Alan Green and Mike Ingham
.
, where he read Modern Languages. He began his teaching career at Kimbolton School
. He subsequently taught at Bradfield College
. His career as a commentator began in 1966 after a chance meeting with Maurice Edelston
, who lived in nearby Reading
. In the early years of his career he commentated on group matches in the 1966 World Cup, held in England
, but in 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982 and 1986 he was the main commentator on the World Cup, covering the final. Along with his regular weekly football commentaries, Jones covered almost every major football event from the late 1960s until his death, including the FA Cup Final
of 1968, the replay (but not the first match) in 1970 and all finals from 1971 to 1989. He described victories for English clubs in the European Cup
finals of 1968, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1984, and in 1985 he gave an eloquent description of the Heysel Stadium disaster
.
As a presenter rather than a commentator, he fronted the BBC's coverage of Wimbledon during the 1970s and 1980s, and frequently presented the BBC's Saturday afternoon sports coverage (Sports Service until 1970, Sport on Two from then until 1990) from the late 1960s to the late 1980s. He was the BBC's regular commentator on swimming for many years, covering the sport at many Olympic and Commonwealth Games
, often with Anita Lonsbrough. He occasionally commentated on cricket
, and often covered the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. As a serious broadcaster with a mellifluous voice and a deep sense of gravitas, he was regularly called upon to describe the opening and closing ceremonies at events such as the Olympic Games
and World Cup, and also covered non-sporting events such as the wedding of Prince Charles
to Lady Diana Spencer
in 1981, and that of Prince Andrew
to Sarah Ferguson
in 1986. He also lent his talents to coverage of the State Opening of Parliament
.
Almost unrivalled for his ability to paint word pictures and capture the excitement of a great occasion, Jones was still regarded as a great broadcaster in the late 1980s, despite the rise of younger, brasher commentators who did not share his Standard English
accent. He was deeply affected and saddened by the Hillsborough disaster
in 1989, which he witnessed from the commentary box, and gave an emotional description of the memorial service for the victims of the disaster, reciting the words of "You'll Never Walk Alone
". He continued to broadcast regularly, but it has been claimed that he never fully recovered emotionally and personally from the experience of witnessing the Hillsborough disaster, and on 31 March 1990 he collapsed on the BBC launch during his commentary on the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. He was hospitalised at the end of the race, but died the following day. He was universally mourned as a great broadcaster and, perhaps, the last of a line, for soon after his death sports broadcasting in the UK underwent a revolution with the arrival of Sky TV
and of BBC Radio 5
(later Five Live
), taking a more informal and, arguably, more populist and less eloquent style.
Jones was married with two sons, one of whom, Stuart Jones, became football correspondent for The Times
.
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...
-born broadcaster, best known as a sports commentator on BBC radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, although many of his commentaries were also broadcast internationally on the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
. He frequently worked alongside Maurice Edelston
Maurice Edelston
Maurice Edelston was a British footballer, who later became a sports commentator. Born in Hull, England, he was son of the Hull City footballer Joe Edelston, who was his manager at Reading for a while. At the age of 18, he played in the football tournament in the 1936 Berlin Olympics for Great...
, Bryon Butler
Bryon Butler
Ewart Bryon Butler was an English writer and broadcaster, best known as the BBC's football correspondent from 1968 to 1991....
, Alan Parry
Alan Parry
Alan Parry is a British sports commentator, born and raised in Garston, Liverpool, concentrating on football and athletics. He has commentated for all three main broadcasters of football in the UK - the BBC, ITV and Sky TV, as well as for both BBC and commercial radio.Starting his career at BBC...
and, latterly, Alan Green and Mike Ingham
Mike Ingham
Mike Ingham, MBE is a British football commentator and broadcaster.-Early life:He grew up in Duffield and Quarndon , and attended The Herbert Strutt School in Belper, then a grammar school...
.
Career
He was educated at Swansea Grammar School and Queens' College, CambridgeQueens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
, where he read Modern Languages. He began his teaching career at Kimbolton School
Kimbolton School
Kimbolton School is a British HMC co-educational Public day and boarding school located in the village of Kimbolton, in rural Cambridgeshire but close to the borders of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, educating approximately 950 boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 18, with an almost even...
. He subsequently taught at Bradfield College
Bradfield College
Bradfield College is a coeducational independent school located in the small village of Bradfield in the English county of Berkshire.The college was founded in 1850 by Thomas Stevens, Rector and Lord of the Manor of Bradfield...
. His career as a commentator began in 1966 after a chance meeting with Maurice Edelston
Maurice Edelston
Maurice Edelston was a British footballer, who later became a sports commentator. Born in Hull, England, he was son of the Hull City footballer Joe Edelston, who was his manager at Reading for a while. At the age of 18, he played in the football tournament in the 1936 Berlin Olympics for Great...
, who lived in nearby Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. In the early years of his career he commentated on group matches in the 1966 World Cup, held 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...
, but in 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982 and 1986 he was the main commentator on the World Cup, covering the final. Along with his regular weekly football commentaries, Jones covered almost every major football event from the late 1960s until his death, including the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
of 1968, the replay (but not the first match) in 1970 and all finals from 1971 to 1989. He described victories for English clubs in the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
finals of 1968, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1984, and in 1985 he gave an eloquent description of the Heysel Stadium disaster
Heysel Stadium disaster
The Heysel Stadium disaster occurred on 29 May 1985 when escaping fans were pressed against a wall in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, as a result of rioting before the start of the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool of England and Juventus of Italy...
.
As a presenter rather than a commentator, he fronted the BBC's coverage of Wimbledon during the 1970s and 1980s, and frequently presented the BBC's Saturday afternoon sports coverage (Sports Service until 1970, Sport on Two from then until 1990) from the late 1960s to the late 1980s. He was the BBC's regular commentator on swimming for many years, covering the sport at many Olympic and Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
, often with Anita Lonsbrough. He occasionally commentated on cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, and often covered the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. As a serious broadcaster with a mellifluous voice and a deep sense of gravitas, he was regularly called upon to describe the opening and closing ceremonies at events such as the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
and World Cup, and also covered non-sporting events such as the wedding of Prince Charles
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
to Lady Diana Spencer
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
in 1981, and that of Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
to Sarah Ferguson
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York is a British charity patron, spokesperson, writer, film producer, television personality and former member of the British Royal Family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, whom she married from 1986 to 1996...
in 1986. He also lent his talents to coverage of the State Opening of Parliament
State Opening of Parliament
In the United Kingdom, the State Opening of Parliament is an annual event that marks the commencement of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is held in the House of Lords Chamber, usually in November or December or, in a general election year, when the new Parliament first assembles...
.
Almost unrivalled for his ability to paint word pictures and capture the excitement of a great occasion, Jones was still regarded as a great broadcaster in the late 1980s, despite the rise of younger, brasher commentators who did not share his Standard English
Standard English
Standard English refers to whatever form of the English language is accepted as a national norm in an Anglophone country...
accent. He was deeply affected and saddened by the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
in 1989, which he witnessed from the commentary box, and gave an emotional description of the memorial service for the victims of the disaster, reciting the words of "You'll Never Walk Alone
You'll Never Walk Alone (song)
"You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel.In the musical, in the second act, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the female protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and encourage Julie when her husband, Billy Bigelow, the...
". He continued to broadcast regularly, but it has been claimed that he never fully recovered emotionally and personally from the experience of witnessing the Hillsborough disaster, and on 31 March 1990 he collapsed on the BBC launch during his commentary on the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. He was hospitalised at the end of the race, but died the following day. He was universally mourned as a great broadcaster and, perhaps, the last of a line, for soon after his death sports broadcasting in the UK underwent a revolution with the arrival of Sky TV
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
and of BBC Radio 5
BBC Radio 5 (former)
BBC Radio 5 was a BBC radio network that carried sport, children's and educational programmes.It was transmitted via analogue radio on 693 and 909 kHz, and lasted for three years and eight months. The success of BBC Radio 4's coverage of the Gulf War, on a service known as Scud FM,...
(later Five 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...
), taking a more informal and, arguably, more populist and less eloquent style.
Jones was married with two sons, one of whom, Stuart Jones, became football correspondent for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.