Back to square one

By -
80 years of football commentary on the BBC will be celebrated this weekend when Five Live Sports Extra will be covering the game in the style of 1927's sports coverage.


Listeners would hear the main commentator report on the action, while a second voice would call out numbers. These numbers corresponded to a grid, printed in the Radio Times, to show where the ball was. It is widely thought to be the origin of the phrase "back to square one" (a pass back to the goalkeeper in square one).

The match, between Arsenal and Manchester United, will be broadcast on Five Live "normally"; Five Live Sports Extra will carry the game in retro style with John Murray commentating and Five Live legend James Alexander Gordon shouting out the grid references.

Popular posts from this blog

The Italian Job

By -
Image
I've seen it once at the cinema, but I couldn't resist watching "The Italian Job" (2003, USA) one more time, if only to compare it with the original I have on DVD. How they can claim that this film is a "re-make" of the original, I'm not really sure. Yes, there's Mini Coopers and a plot based around messing up the traffic systems, but the 1969 version was never about stealing the gold. It was about Charlie: about his own cunning, wit and charm. Croker's character provided everything, from the memorable one-liners to the tragic fall . OK, perhaps the new version brings the action kicking and screaming up-to-date: but where's the charm? "Remember - in this country, they drive on the wrong side of the road" - Charlie Croker (1969) "You should never mess with Mother Nature, mothers-in-law, and mother-freaking Ukrainians" - Skinny Pete (2003)
Read more

Paris ePrix race report

By -
Sébastien Buemi extended his championship lead and gave Renault a home victory in a Paris ePrix that saw several stints under yellow flags and ended in unusual circumstances. Buemi had a good start off the line, although came under early pressure when Vergne tried first the inside, then the outside line to try and make an early pass. But once the initial threat was over, Vergne had little extra to challenge with. Buemi was able to start moving away quickly, opening up a 2-second gap within the opening few laps. Vergne's Techeetah is undeniably a fast car -- it's powered by Renault, after all -- so although it initially appeared he was holding up the rest of the field, he kept the gap to Buemi down by setting a number of consecutive fastest laps. Behind the leaders, Jose Maria Lopez was able to keep pace and held on to third. Esteban Gutierrez was holding up the field, with a gap of 4.6 seconds behind the Mahindra 4-5 of Heidfeld and Roseqvist. Daniel Abt picked up four plac...
Read more