In short
A BBC Radio 5 Live “Commentator’s View” special from the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush, discussing how golf commentary differs from football, why radio works for golf, and what it’s like to work “inside the ropes” (including armband rules). They also trade commentary stories, explain prep methods, and play “Clash of the Commentators” (an exhibition quiz).
Guests (backgrounds)
Ian Carter, BBC golf correspondent/commentator; John Murray, Football Daily host and commentator (joined by golf correspondent Ian). They reference other BBC golf voices (e.g., Maureen Medill, Jonathan Ledyard) and football/golf colleagues.
Key claims
Radio is “malleable” for golf because producers can reposition to capture key moments; being inside ropes requires strict positioning to avoid disturbing players/spectators; commentators build player/course notes (Ian uses a course-and-pin sheet with tracked groups).
Notable examples
Ian recalls learning golf radio via Nick Price’s 1994 Open at Turnberry (Fuzzy Zeller, Jonathan Ledyard’s eagle call). John cites Graham McDowell’s 2010 Ryder Cup birdie putt. Ryder Cup “clangers” story: Ian accidentally treads on Paul Casey’s ball in 2006; John later nearly does the same. They mention “pin is cut” and “Calamity Corner” (16).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOExcitement for the Open Championship
1:54 to 3:16
The hosts share their excitement and experiences related to the Open Championship amidst a busy British sporting summer.
“And you, John, are sounding as excited as I feel about being at another Open Championship.”
Golf Commentary on Radio
3:16 to 6:12
Ian Carter discusses the reasons why golf commentary is effective on radio, emphasizing timing and production skills.
“The commentary skills that we use and the words we use and the pace we use and the tone we use is entirely different to what we do with football most of the time.”
The Experience of Commentating
6:12 to 7:30
Hosts reflect on their experiences commentating at the Open and the unique moments that have inspired them.
“Because that's already happened, yet it hasn't been on air.”
Memorable Commentary Moments
7:30 to 10:24
The guests recount personal memorable commentary moments during significant golf events, including Rory McIlroy's victories.
“you and Ian Dennis, in front of packed crowds, sort of throwing himself into legions of adoring fans.”
The Impact of Being Inside the Ropes
10:24 to 11:30
Discussion on the privilege of commentating from inside the ropes at major golf events and the emotional connection to the sport.
“I was making notes about all this and then he fell away and Jesper Parnovic then took over at the top of the leaderboard.”
The Role of Media in Golf Commentary
11:30 to 14:00
Insight into how media roles and broadcasting change at golf tournaments, particularly the Open Championship.
“And he sinks to his knees and he shakes and he convulses.”
The Joy of Golf Commentary
14:00 to 16:48
Explore the unique experiences of golf commentators inside the ropes.
“But I could very happily sit in the 18th grandstand at an Open Championship in years to come.”
Commentary Techniques and Challenges
16:48 to 19:59
Learn about the techniques and challenges faced when commentating live.
“I don't think hurt me or whatever, but anyway, he hold the putt and then moved off.”
Memorable Moments in Golf
19:59 to 22:32
Discover unforgettable commentary moments during major golf events.
“To come up with that word in that moment when everything is going nuts is a brilliant bit of golf commentary.”
The Ball Incident
22:32 to 24:26
A funny and embarrassing story of stepping on a golfer's ball.
“And in our headphones constantly, as well as all those things we're trying to think about that you've described, Ian, we had this white noise.”
Show all 24 chapters
Aftermath of the Incident
24:26 to 28:00
Hear about the consequences and reactions following the ball incident.
“And not only that, you know when you half tread on a ball?”
Celebrating a Historic Moment in Football
28:01 to 28:34
Listeners will hear heartfelt emotions regarding a significant football victory.
“When the final whistle went, it was just raw emotion.”
Listener Questions and Insights
29:03 to 29:46
The hosts discuss listener feedback and a question about sports commentary specialization.
“The Commentator's View on the Football Daily Podcast.”
The Journey to Commentate on Golf
29:47 to 32:34
A commentator shares their transition from football to tennis and then to golf commentary.
“Or do you tend to be across several sports from the start of your career?”
Preparation for Golf Commentaries
32:35 to 35:04
Insights into the preparation process for covering golf tournaments, including player notes.
“our Wimbledon special, we were talking to him about prep.”
Local Insights and Recommendations
35:05 to 35:59
Discussion of local eateries and experiences for visitors at the golf tournament.
“There's a nice one here from Paul on the email, who is local to Portrush, who sent us a whole list of suggestions for places to go while we're here.”
Clash of the Commentators Game
36:00 to 41:32
The hosts engage in a fun quiz game related to football and the Open Championship.
“which this week, in this week's episode, could be called Clash of the Correspondents, because it's you two going head-to-head.”
Malapropisms and Hilarious Mistakes
41:33 to 42:04
A humorous segment discussing malapropisms and listener-submitted phrases.
“This is a really nice email from Tim in Gloucester.”
Exploring Malapropisms and Eggcorns
42:04 to 42:45
Learn about the concepts of malapropisms and eggcorns in language.
“A grey herring, as opposed to a red herring.”
Building a Tennis Commentary Glossary
42:45 to 43:48
Discover unique phrases used in tennis commentary and their meanings.
“So we've got things like 2-0 is a dangerous score, brandished, brandishing the red card.”
Football Commentary Insights
43:48 to 47:58
Delve into specific phrases and commentary techniques in football.
“Realised we are missing a potential entry for the glossary mentioned by Vicky Sparks in commentary with Karen Barnsley.”
Golf Commentary and Terminology
47:58 to 52:41
Understand common terms and phrases in golf commentary.
“By the way, very quickly, because Hare Chapman always gets a mention on this ball.”
Previewing the Open Championship
52:41 to 54:59
Get insights on players to watch and the upcoming Open Championship.
“Ian, we talk a lot about top, top players on the commentator's view.”
Introduction to Lions Rugby
56:00 to 56:22
Listeners will learn about the ranking of various Lions rugby elements.
“with two greats of Lions rugby, Matt Dawson and Jamie Robertson.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Ali Bruce-Ball:This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. September's always busy. Whole Foods Market can help. Their September Stock Up event makes it easy to load your pantry and freezer with flavourful, nourishing food. Even better, there are hundreds of sales. Get dinner going with canned soups and veggies. Lean on frozen pizzas, pastas and seafood everyone loves. Their Build Your Own Family Meals feeds four for just$35. Stock up at Whole Foods Market. Formula One is all about precision, tiny margins, massive ambition, flat-out performance. And that's exactly why it's exciting to see Cadillac entering Formula One, bringing an American luxury brand with performance pedigree onto the biggest stage in motorsport.
0:47But this isn't just about the grid. That same racing mindset, the obsession with engineering, the pursuit of perfection, lives in the Cadillac V-Series line-up, giving you the chance to experience the precision and performance of the grid on the open road. Cadillac V-Series, distinctive luxury performance, engineered to thrill. Discover the V-Series line-up at cadillac.com.
1:12BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts.
1:16Ali Bruce-Ball:The Commentator's View on the Football Daily Podcast. BBC Radio 5 Live. Hello and welcome to the Football Daily. I'm John Murray and this is a special edition of the Commentator's View. We usually talk about our love of football, the amazing places it takes us and the language we use in our commentaries. But today we are swapping goals for pins, pitches for fairways, and the word club takes on a different meaning. Because we are coming to you from the Open Golf Championship at Royal Portrush. And I'm alongside Alistair Bruce Ball. And you, John, are sounding as excited as I feel about being at another Open Championship.
2:02Ali Bruce-Ball:It is one of the great events of any British sporting summer. We are having a classic British sporting summer, aren't we, given what has been going on so far with Wimbledon, England's women going well at the Euros. There's actually almost been too much, hasn't there? Yeah. There's almost more sport than there are hours in the day. Yeah. And the thing I love about this event, and you feel it as soon as you arrive, and, you know, I make no bones about it. I have always loved my golf and loved the Open Championship. but like all of them it is so unique in its feel I think and its look it is so vast an event isn't it and so rugged and raw and rough in a way and chaotic but I mean obviously fabulous organization within the chaos but just the sights and the sounds of it I love this is close to being my favorite sporting event of the year you know and that's up against some very very stiff competition But I think possibly part of that is, for you and I certainly, not necessarily for our special guest today, but for us, this is such a departure, isn't it, from what we do for most of the time.
3:13Ali Bruce-Ball:Yeah, and we'll come on to discuss it, won't we? The commentary skills that we use and the words we use and the pace we use and the tone we use is entirely different to what we do with football most of the time. Our special guest, let's bring him in without further ado. Yes. because I'm flanked by correspondents everywhere I look. I've got our football correspondent on my right and our golf correspondent, of course, because it's our golf special from the Open Championship. Ian Carter is here. And as soon as John started the intro there, Ian, you were itching to get in. What have we done? Well, I just thought that you welcomed us to the Football Daily.
3:49Yeah. Is that right? Yeah, it is. Oh, that's all right. This is slightly confusing, Ian. Yeah, because I'm a long-time listener, but I've never noticed that before. Yeah, in quite a nerdy way. This is on the Football Daily feed on BBC Sounds, even though during the summer these podcasts are focusing on commentary on sports that are other than football. You see, the reason I looked so excited at that moment was I thought, for the first time ever, John had made a mistake. And so I got very excited about that. But I do enjoy this pod, so it's lovely to be on it. Thank you very much.
4:29Ali Bruce-Ball:Here's my big grand opening question for you, Ian. Why does golf work on the radio, do you think? I think because radio is the most malleable medium and you can be in the right place at the right time. And every spectator on this golf course will want to be in the right place at the right time and only a lucky few at any given moment are going to be in that position because stuff is happening all over the place with different groups in different places. And you hear the roars from the other side of the golf course and you think, oh, I wonder what happened there. And genuinely, I think that our producers and our editors, they have become so skilled in covering golf over the many years that BBC Radio has done it that they can make sure that we're in the right place at the right time.
5:21So if you're listening at home, that's what you get. And more to the point, you know, you don't hear in our coverage us say, oh, and this happened a few moments ago. Whereas on the television, you do, because television, I think, is just that little bit more cumbersome. There's more, there are more moving parts. And as you both know, when we're out there, we can say to the producers, OK, there's a big putt coming up here for Rory McIlroy or Scotty Scheffler, whoever it is. and we can count them down to say, right, okay, you need to come to us now, and then I'll get in my ears, go to John Murray on the 14th.
5:56John will then describe that moment. If it's a huge moment, brilliant, and then he'll throw to you, and on we go. And the whole situation can be changing at all times. And then there are other periods when not much happens at all. And I think we then get reminded that golf can be a real grind. and then I think we've got the ability to kind of go into what I would say test match special in a rain break mode and and come up with you know someone who's just fallen and stuffed themselves with an ice cream cone on the nose or whatever it is you know so there's always something going on there's so many people so many things that are happening and you can be in the right
6:38Ali Bruce-Ball:place at the right time and I've actually skipped a page there and I've completely forgotten to ask you John about the live show live show was a And this is where we're in a little bit of a time-space continuum here. Because that's already happened, yet it hasn't been on air. It hasn't actually been released as a podcast. But I would, in advance of that, just thank everybody who came. We had a tremendous afternoon at the Crossed Wires podcast festival. And that will be going live on the Football Daily feed in the first week of August. That is going to be. so that will be released then. Because when we were last on with this, so regular listeners, I think our last one was the Women's Euros special.
7:24Ali Bruce-Ball:So I was with Connor and Vicky and Connor had images of you crowd surfing a la Glastonbury, you and Ian Dennis, in front of packed crowds, sort of throwing himself into legions of adoring fans. We didn't do that. Didn't, right. We didn't do that. That's disappointing. And he's off on his holidays now, actually, which is good. I'm pleased to hear that. I think he needs a break like everyone else. And similarly, I interrupted my holiday, my summer holidays for this week. You've just had two weeks off. I know, and I've got another three weeks coming off here. My goodness. But I'm right in saying, aren't I, John, that actually, were you not working here, certainly in the past, you would have used your summer holiday to come to the Open, to watch the Open as a spectator, wouldn't you?
8:08The funny thing is that next year is going to be a really odd one for me because the World Cup is going to cut right across the Open Championship, or at least it's going to cut across the end of the Open Championship, because the World Cup has got a week longer. That means that the Sunday of the Open Championship will be the day of the FIFA World Cup final. So I will not be at Royal Birktale, which means that will be the first Open I have not been to since 1990. God, that'll be amazing. The World Cup final not on the main network as well. Yeah. pushed off by the golf yeah although probably the Open will finish time difference will help won't it and then it'll be the World Cup final because that did happen in 94 yeah I remember that vividly actually and actually that was the Open that really made me want to be a golf commentator I mean really yeah and I'll tell you exactly which one sorry 94 94 at Turnberry Nick Price yeah Nick Price and I was working for the BBC World Service at the time.
9:12And golf was always my sport growing up. Never a particularly good player, but it was, I think it was because not many people at school played golf, I was probably the best at school. And so I was always very passionate about my golf. And so I was there for the BBC World Service. It never really entered my head to be a commentator at golf. I probably wanted to be a football commentator at that stage or a rugby commentator because there's so little golf, and certainly in those days, so little golf commentary at the time. And I remember vividly I was working with a guy called Harry Peart, a legendary figure in the sports room at the World Service, and he said, OK, my boy, he said, what you're going to do, I was like the young whippersnapper there, he said, you're going to go and follow the winner of the Open.
10:02and I said well how do I know who's going to win the Open who do I go with but anyway I got my armband got inside the ropes and there was no live broadcasting I was just going to have to do a dispatch on what it was like to be with the winner of the Open and I remember following Fuzzy Zeller who was at the top of the leaderboard for the front nine and he was whistling all the way around I was making notes about all this and then he fell away and Jesper Parnovic then took over at the top of the leaderboard. And ultimately, Nick Price won it. And I didn't see a single shot. But I had the radio on in my headphones.
10:40Didn't see a single shot that Nick Price hit because he did it with an eagle, outrageous eagle on the 17th. And Jonathan Ledyard was commentating on that. And his commentary on that eagle putt was, for me, probably the most captivating radio commentary I'd ever heard at that time. The way he built it up, and again, that's another reason why I think commentary on the radio works so well, because you go very, very quiet as you're setting it all up, and there's a real sense of anticipation. And then once it's been hit, you can then start to give it some volume, and then when the ball goes in, the crowd go nuts, you've then got that crescendo that you ride as a commentator.
11:20And when I heard that, I just thought, I must get out and be a commentator on a golf course. if only for one round I really, really want to do that and that was a really inspirational moment for me
11:35Ali Bruce-Ball:Just sitting here now thinking I mean, two of your bits of commentary where I've actually been on the golf course but not with you but part of the broadcast and listening to it so obviously this year McElroy winning the Masters and here he is the man in the grey-blue shirt in the light trousers, the white cap McElroy for the Grand Slam sends it forward He's done it! And he sinks to his knees and he shakes and he convulses. At last, at very, very long last, Rory McIlroy is the master and he is sobbing with delight and relief and he looks to the skies and he roars and then he hugs his caddy, Harry Diamond.
12:25that the emotion comes pouring out.
12:28Ali Bruce-Ball:I mean, I was standing at the back of the commentary box there and how you actually got through that, but absolutely spying to them. But John, also your bit of commentary of Graham McDowell's birdie putt on the 16th in 2010. He has to put through his own shadow this warm October sunshine. And McDowell now rolls the ball towards the hole. It's rolling, it's rolling. It's in! It's in! It's in! Graham McDarroll turns away and shouts to the Welsh skies in delight. He's won the hole and he's two up, but he still has to finish off and win the match to regain the cup for Europe. Well, do you know, John, it never really looked as if that was going to have the legs, and honestly, I don't know where the ball got the energy to reach the edge of the hole and fall to the bottom.
13:22Maureen, carry me in.
13:23Ali Bruce-Ball:I'm exhausted. Well, I think maybe, yeah, I'll try my best. They are just absolutely, you know, you're right, Ian, and it really, really sticks with you and inspires you, yeah. I'm not sure, you know, would it be the same? Because we've done it for such a long time. I can't imagine coming to the Open Championship and not commentating on it now. Do you know what I mean? yeah I think that's an interesting point I think I could I think the Open Championship events like the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup they're the ones that I really love because of their history and what they mean and obviously the Ryder Cup as well but I think the Ryder Cup is such a massive thing that if you didn't have the privilege of being inside the ropes I think it would be very hard to kind of go back from the privileged position that we've occupied for as long as we have.
14:22But I could very happily sit in the 18th grandstand at an Open Championship in years to come.
14:28Ali Bruce-Ball:It's actually worth, I've got a little Ryder Cup story to tell, which you chaps have heard before, I've heard plenty of times before, I'm going to come on to that in a second. It's probably just worth explaining to the listeners, we've dropped in a couple of references there to being inside the ropes and wearing the armband so so just to actually like put our listeners in the picture of of where we are how we commentate on golf particularly at the open championship Ian yeah I mean for me it's it's different um for all the the golf tournaments that I go to a lot of the golf tournaments I I go to I do all my broadcasting in a media center like the one where we're sitting in at the moment but for the Ryder Cup and for the for the open and now for the women's Open as well, we get out onto the golf course and to be able to do your job, you have to be inside the ropes and you're given a precious armband and woe betide anyone who loses their armband and for the final day, you have to get a separate armband which is called a 72nd hole armband so that you can actually come up with the eventual champion up the 18th and see the end of the championship so it's very strictly regulated But by being inside the ropes, you get a view that you would never be able to have amongst the crowd on the outside.
15:42Ali Bruce-Ball:And we get incredibly close, don't we, John? I mean, at times you are so close, you could touch the players on the shoulder or pull a club out of their bag. Absolutely. And, you know, that's one of the pieces of art of doing it, is to make sure that you are not in the wrong place and too close. I think that you're always far enough away, hopefully, for your listeners to hear you, but for the players not to hear you. And that's the scariest thing about it. You obviously don't want to put anyone off. The thing that really worries me is that when they've finished and the next player is playing and they come and stand right next to you, that's when you can touch them on the shoulder and they can hear everything that you're saying.
16:27And that's slightly uncomfortable at times.
16:29Ali Bruce-Ball:one tense moment at the Ryder Club at Glen Eagles. Sam Torrance was a vice captain there and I got myself in a position where I thought I was perfectly fine. I still think I was actually perfectly fine, but I think when everything goes quiet around a green and Sam Torrance was right next to me and I was commentating on a Justin Rose putt and Justin Rose wasn't disturbed. I don't think hurt me or whatever, but anyway, he hold the putt and then moved off. Sam Torrance, I was going to be terrified. He just tapped me on the shoulder and he just went too loud and just walked off and I was like oh my god and I properly sort of but you know I don't think I was in the wrong position now I think that was a vice captain at a tense moment just thinking I do not want anything to sort of you know impact on on what the European team are doing.
17:13Just to say as well Ian you know when we're talking about golf commentary for you it's either feast or famine isn't it because many of the events that you cover during the course of the year whether it's the masters us open pga you're in america on the course but when it comes to the climax and the winning of that major you are commentating on it off the television in the media center so there's so there's that side of what you do and then there's this side whether as you say recent events and open women's open writer cup you're right there yeah and they are two very different ways of doing the same thing yeah they are yeah and i i think it's the same for you though there are occasions when you have to commentate off tube as it's known yeah but when it comes to thankfully apart from during corvid the biggest moment we are there yeah you know we are seeing it with the naked eye yeah and you just have to you have to go with it and you i think you just develop the the techniques because what without wanting to deceive the listener you want that listener to feel like they are right next to the green and yes often it's you're doing it by the TV, actually I had a funny one at the US Open this year when JJ Spawn won because the media centre was very adjacent to the 18th hole, it was about 150 170 yards from the 18th green and you're watching the feed on the TV which actually When I do it, I commentate off an iPad, which has a feed on it.
18:55But that means that it is slightly delayed from actual reality. And so as JJ Spawn was sizing up this putt that the whole of Scotland was hoping he would make a mess of because if he's re-putted, Bob McIntyre would be into a playoff. And as he's lining up the putt on my iPad, and you're describing that, I can hear the most almighty roar from the 18th green. And I'm thinking, I've got a pretty good idea what's going to happen here. And actually, I found that really difficult because you want to sound completely spontaneous. And you would be completely spontaneous if you didn't know the outcome.
19:33But I generally had a very good idea.
19:37Ali Bruce-Ball:Another bit of golf commentary I never tire of listening to, Ryder Cup related, is Brookline Ron Jones. When Justin Leonard holds the puck. Justin Leonard, who I've seen on the range this week, but in 99, hold the putt and the Americans come running onto the green. And Ron, you know, we often talk about vocabulary, don't we, in commentary, and he talks about the Americans tumbling onto the green. I thought, what a... To come up with that word in that moment when everything is going nuts is a brilliant bit of golf commentary. But what can Justin Leonard do now? He's just in the shadow of the huge tree, which is just to the right and the front of the green.
20:14he'll be putting as jamie was saying up one slope then a little flat bit up another slope 35 almost 40 feet maybe into bright sunshine this caddy holds the flag and he sets this off gives it a good wrap up over the one tier up over the other oh it's in it is in oh can you believe it And Justin Leonard has gone absolutely mad. Oh, and all the American team come tumbling onto the green.
20:45Ali Bruce-Ball:Also on the Ryder Cup front, got to tell the story. Now, as you've said right at the start, Ian, I don't want to besmirch the very good reputation of the BBC golf team that we have built up over a long, long, long time. We are in an incredibly privileged position, aren't we? Doing our job, walking inside the ropes with the golfers and being that close to the action. and we take that very seriously. And I think just before you tell your story, the priorities that you have when you're in there are obviously don't disturb the players and that involves judging where the wind direction is, trying to find the right position, using a clipboard to shield your microphone so that your voice doesn't travel on the wind, try and speak into the wind, try and be in a position where you can see the hole, see the player, see where the ball has landed.
21:34if you're walking down you're often always ahead of the action as well. So you've got all of that and also you don't want to stand there and obscure the view of spectators who've paid good money as well. And what you certainly don't want to do is?
21:50Ali Bruce-Ball:So the very worst thing you can do, and I won't spoil the punchline just yet, but this I would count as, we've talked about this on the Commentator's View, we were going to do our Clangers episode and this is definitely without doubt the worst moment of my professional broadcasting career, right? So settle down, everyone. Settle down. John and Ian know the story well, and I won't rush through it, but I also won't take too much time. 2006 Ryder Cup, first morning, I am out with Paul Casey and Robert Carlson in a four-balls match in the morning. And you chaps will remember this well. We were in Ireland, the weather wasn't great, and technically it was a really difficult operation to run.
22:30Ali Bruce-Ball:So on the back nine, we were having sort of communication problems in terms of hearing the studio. And in our headphones constantly, as well as all those things we're trying to think about that you've described, Ian, we had this white noise. I seem to remember this sort of all the time. So you just... That was horrible. Yeah, yeah. And, you know, and you're trying to... And also, you know, in the four balls, there's four different balls to keep an eye on, four different scores, overall match score. Anyway, we go walking. It's down the par 5 16th, and the players hit their tee shots, and we go walking down the right-hand side of the fairway in the rough.
23:07Ali Bruce-Ball:And it was lush, wasn't it? Lush, wet, long, thick grass. Huge banks of spectators either side. I was walking with Maureen Medill, brilliant golf commentator, done it for years and years for BBC, and I'm so glad she was with me as well because she really helped me get through this. And quite often at golf tournaments, what will happen is when a ball lands, if it's landed in the rough in particular, a steward will come out, a marshal will come out and either put a little flag by it or stand by it just to show the player where the ball is and let everyone know where the ball is so that everyone can avoid the ball.
23:37Ali Bruce-Ball:And commentators, summarizers, often like to come over, have a look, assess the lie, and then they can report back on how it looks and they disappear. Anyway, I've got the white noise in my ears. I'm looking at my clipboard. Someone is talking to my ears. I just stop concentrating for a second. I'm walking down the right-hand side of the 16th. and just before I'm about to make a step, I can hear someone on my right, a spectator go, whoa, whoa, whoa, stop, like that. Too late, and I put my foot down and I feel something round and hard underneath my foot and I'm thinking, oh my God. I mean, you know, if you trod on, if I was playing a game of golf with you, Ian, on a Sunday afternoon and it was a sort of social, I would be embarrassed about treading on a kick in your ball.
24:18Ali Bruce-Ball:but doing it in the biggest golf tournament in the world. Whose ball was it? Paul Casey. So I trod on Paul Casey's ball. And not only that, you know when you half tread on a ball? So I didn't just depress it. I got the spin. I sort of, it shot out from underneath the sole of my right foot. And it basically went from rough to fairway. So, I mean, ludicrously moved. So obviously what's got to happen then is, you know, that's a bad thing to happen, but they have rules in place to deal with it, don't they? So, you know, a rules official will come along, ask where the ball, you know, the last point we think it was, we'll have a drop, da-da-da-da-da.
24:54And he's asking you that question, he's like, I can't hear you, I've got a noise of me.
Read the full transcript
24:58Ali Bruce-Ball:Well, no, because the thing I was meant to do, obviously meant to do, was stick around and explain what had happened. But I absolutely panicked. I just thought, that is it. You know, not only am I going to get thrown off the golf course, but the BBC team are going to lose their commentary rights. We're never going to do another event. And honestly, I was terrified. Heart sunk to the pit of my stomach. And I just took off. I just left. I just left. So Maureen is standing there thinking, where's he going? What's he doing? So I take off and I disappear. And I just want the ground to swallow me up.
25:27Ali Bruce-Ball:And as I look back down the fairway, I can see Casey arrive. Lots of pointing and talking and gesticulating, whatever. And Maureen is there to say, yeah, this is what's happened. Got his drop. At any stage, did they all turn and point to beg you? anyway so at that point I think that was first morning of the Ryder Cup the match was quite tight Casey then sticks his second onto the green from the rough on this par 5 and I'm then commentating on the eagle putt and this match is all square and I'm thinking god I do not want this to go in because if this goes in and they win the hole it's going to be all about the luck he got from the drop anyway sure enough he rolls it in the place goes nuts and I'm commentating on this Casey eagle putt but deep down thinking oh this is a disaster and sort of picture in the headlines of you know a picture of my shoe and this is the boot what won it and all that sort of nonsense yeah and anyway we we get i think the americans got a hold back it finished all square and i came off the golf course and there were a couple of the the word had spread that this had happened and a couple of the the written press were there and wanted to ask me about it and i very sensibly just declined and moved away and then i saw you about half an hour later and you knew nothing of this and john came up to me at the back of the 18th green and he went he said blimey you'll never believe what happened to me out there today so what happened was I'm doing exactly what you did exactly the same scenario and I was walking in the rough and I was vaguely aware a bit like you of the crowd going and I'm thinking what are they and I take a step forward and I step right over a ball in the rough you came off the back of the 18th green you said to me you'll never believe what's happened to me.
27:07Ali Bruce-Ball:I've come as close as ever to treading on a ball in competition. I went, wow. I couldn't top that. That is one of the things that because of the, and especially at a Ryder Cup, it's a bit better here, but you're meant to stay within the arm's length of the ropes. They don't want you wandering all over the place, which then means that you are on that path, walking through the rough the whole time, which is a hard walk, but also if a ball is embedded in there, then you're not going to see it. I'll give you a pass. Yeah, Maureen dealt with it brilliantly. I didn't. And Europe won that Ryder Cup by a record margin, and my right foot had nothing to do with it.
27:49Ali Bruce-Ball:And here we are today still. And we're still coming in. You get a Christmas present from Ian Woosnam every year. Yeah, exactly. No more years of hurt. No more needs to be dreaming. When the final whistle went, it was just raw emotion. We had fulfilled dreams we'd had since we were kids. I just love to fly in. We talk and we talk and we talk and we finally done it. Getting to lift that trophy was the most special moment ever. This will go down in history as one of the best days in English football. UA for Women's Euro 2025. Here we go then. This is what it's all been building towards. On 5 Live and BBC Sounds.
28:34Ali Bruce-Ball:September's always busy. Whole Foods Market can help. Their September Stock Up event makes it easy to load your pantry and freezer with flavorful, nourishing food. Even better, there are hundreds of sales. Get dinner going with canned soups and veggies. Lean on frozen pizzas, pastas, and seafood everyone loves. Their Build Your Own Family Meals feeds four for just$35. Stock Up at Whole Foods Market.
29:03Ali Bruce-Ball:The Commentator's View on the Football Daily Podcast. BBC Radio 5 Live. As ever, emails, we love them. Send them to tcv at bbc.co.uk. Voice notes as well, we love them. Also on WhatsApp to 08000 289 369. and we have had an email from Kilmarnock Fan Fraser who says, absolutely love the podcast. It is one of my go-to downloads for drives to work or daily walks. Great insight into the commentator's world. One question, if you have time, we do, is how do commentators end up specialising in a specific sport or sports? Do you start off on football but branch out, for example, to golf? Or do you tend to be across several sports from the start of your career?
29:53and how does it differ in terms of prep for one versus another? It's quite a strange one for me actually because I did football in local radio but I didn't do it very well to be honest. I'm sure that's not true. Player identification is something that I'm just hopeless at. At the time I was Radio Leicester, Leicester City in the second division. But anyway I did enjoy it and I did a little bit of cricket and then when I moved to 5 Live in the mid 90s I don't really know what they were going to do with me to be honest I was reading the sports desks but I knew that I wanted to be out Those sports desks were very well produced They were indeed and then there was some that John Murray produced Yeah John you were my We worked lots and lots together in the middle of the night And it was, yeah, well, very early in the morning.
30:53Yeah. So anyway, Marcus Buckland left to go to Sky, and he was the tennis reporter at the time. And they said to me, do you like tennis? And I didn't particularly dislike it. So I said, oh, yes, I love tennis. I thought, that sounds like a really good beat. And so off I went to, and I remember, I was recalling this actually last week when I was at Wimbledon and we were talking about the old number two court and that was the first court I ever commentated on. What a shambles that was. I mean, it was just dreadful. Because you know what it's like. You have to learn that technique of being able to speak while you're processing what's going on.
31:39And I hadn't watched that much tennis at that time and then you always hit that. That's gone to the four. and by the time you've processed that it's all over and so that took a lot of learning and i got to i went to the u.s open uh tennis that august and greg roczewski reached the final and we ended up doing a whole load of commentaries that hadn't been scheduled and i had to do them and that's i learned it on on the hoof late at night and i'm sure i'd hate to listen back to them but i really really enjoyed the tennis commentary and I really got into tennis did that for five years and then Tony Adamson retired and they offered me the job to go to golf and actually I found golf much harder to commentate on than tennis by the time I made that move because it's a completely different dynamic so that's that's basically how it how it's sort of worked for me I have done rugby as well
32:35Ali Bruce-Ball:obviously in between times we had Russell Fuller on the pod a couple of episodes ago obviously with our Wimbledon special, we were talking to him about prep. Prep for a commentary and prep for a tournament and the correspondence role. I mean, you cannot be expected to do notes on 156 players that are going to play in this tournament. But at any point, Ian, you could be asked any question about pretty much anyone. So in terms of prep for an Open Championship, what does that look like for you? Well, for me, it starts with the Masters. I do notes on every single player in the field at the Masters, which is a smaller field.
33:09It's 100. But that sort of knowledge base and going through that process will then sustain me for the rest of the year because I've now got an idea of little things about those players that if they then crop up at later championships that you can lean on that. So I've got that in my database on my laptop. And then for the Open, actually, I've just been doing my, I've got about 20 copies of this if you need them, boys. We've just been doing our own. Yeah, and mine is, you know, I've got the course here. I've got, you know, the name of the hole, the yardage, the par, and then I've left a column for the pins.
33:52Yeah. So you get the pin positions on each day. Then I've got three columns for the three players that will be in the group that I'm following. And I'll be able to, I'll use a pencil because if it rains, a pen is no use. And I'll write them in like I'd be filling out a scorecard if I was playing and then I've got various you know little stats and things like on the seventh I've put down next to it David Duval took 14 on this hole in 2019 yeah and and just you know whatever relevant facts I've got the prize money in there who won the previous opens at Portrush it's very easy because there have only been two but you know Max Faulkner and Shane Lowry and then And you've got a Portrush native in Fred Daly who won at Hoy Lake 1947.
34:42It's good to just have that date. My brain isn't great in those little things. Darren Clark obviously winning in 2011. So, yeah. And what I do is I've made 20 copies of this. And then I'll just swap them in, swap them out. And at the bottom I've left room to put the player biographical info. That's how I do it. How do you do it? Very similar. Very similar, actually. There's a nice one here from Paul on the email, who is local to Portrush, who sent us a whole list of suggestions for places to go while we're here. So he says, the takeaway chippy, about 10 minutes walk from the course, you can be on the beach in 60 seconds with your fish supper.
35:21That's the dolphin. He said there's a sit-down restaurant on the beach in Port Suet called Harry's Shack, and apparently the Harbour Bar does the best Guinness on the North Coast, and it's filled to the rafters with golf memorabilia.
35:32Ali Bruce-Ball:Tried it last night. We did. Very good. Very Tyrrell Hatton heavy. It was, yeah. Yeah, strangely. Oh, you were in the same snug as we were in April. And Paul says, looking forward to listening to the coverage. Me and my bro, which could be his brother, could be his friend, will be up on the Saturday AirPods in as we walk the course. Here's hoping the weather's kind, because it's hard to beat the North Coast on a sunny day. So, it is time for Clash of the Commentators, which this week, in this week's episode, could be called Clash of the Correspondents, because it's you two going head-to-head. Nothing on it, really.
36:10Ali Bruce-Ball:Only honour and pride. It's an exhibition match. And it's got a final leaderboard from last season. John, you probably don't want to hear that. Ian, you'll be well aware of John's form last season in Clash of the Commentators. Played 14-1-3. Yeah, which included a run of 10 defeats in a row. Yeah, but the exhibition matches don't count. Yeah, they don't. But it's a chance, John, for you to get your eye back in. Is it? It is. It is. So at this point one of you is gonna have to take your headphones off and sort of walk away Shall I do that? Yeah for a minute. Okay, so I'm gonna go down there Yeah, so the other end of the media disappear and then we'll wave you to wave you back back We'll turn John's mic off and Ian is our guest is gonna go first I'm just gonna let John Wander away.
36:56Ali Bruce-Ball:Yeah, and I'm gonna I'm gonna speak in that that golf commentary hushed whisper right here. We go in Who would I make favourite for this one? I don't know, actually. I think this one could be close. Here we go. So John has disappeared. Can't hear us. We're in Northern Ireland, as we've been saying, for the 153rd Open Championship. I want you to name any of the 12 teams competing in the Northern Ireland Football League Premiership next season. Don't panic. And or any of the last 12 winners of the Open Championship, of the Men's Open Championship. Okay, so I can do both you can do whatever you want.
37:35Ali Bruce-Ball:You've got 30 seconds So you can either head for open winners or you can head for football teams or you can do a bit of both Right, so the last turn on the last 12 last 12, but I'm gonna give you a clock star. We are gonna start now Linfield's under show flay Cameron Smith raw McIlroy
38:02I'm not commentating them all. Phil Mickelson. Oh, come on. Frozen. Oh, John's got this. Open Champions.
38:17Ali Bruce-Ball:Shane Mowry. Correct. I made that six correct answers. That's terrible. Linfield and five Open Champions. But listen, I play this game all the time. That happens all the time. All the time. It's that countdown music. It just paralyzes you. Do you know what, though? So given John's form, that is not in the bag for John just yet. Where's he gone? Where's he gone? He's over there. There he is. He's miles away. The media centre here, and actually the media centres all look the same. So whichever Open Championship you're at, it's just a massive white tent, like a big marquee. I mean, John's even glad-handing people on the way down.
38:53Ali Bruce-Ball:We're doing a pod here, John. You've got to get back. He's explaining to the chap who's just said hello to him that we need him back to play Clash of the Correspondents. I'm not going to tell him how many he's got to beat. Here he comes. He's going to settle back down. Who are you saying hello to? Well, hang on. You're going to need to get your headphones and your mic back on. Who are you saying hello to there? Yeah, just a colleague who I haven't seen since Bratislava, actually. He was in Bratislava with us. Okay. Under 21. Okay. Here we go then, John. We're in Northern Ireland for the 151 Open Championship.
39:22Ali Bruce-Ball:That is correct. I want you to name any of the 12 teams competing in Northern Ireland's Football League Premiership next season. and or any of the last 12 winners of the Men's Open Championship. OK. So last 12 winners of the Claret Jug and football teams playing in next season's Premiership in Northern Ireland. Your time starts now. Well, Linfield, Newton Ards, Shane Lowry, Shane Lowry, Xander Shoffley, Colin Morikawa,
40:00Phil Mickelson Henrik Stenson
40:07Jordan Spieth Rory McIlroy
40:19Ali Bruce-Ball:It's close it is close you're going to be delighted to hear you've actually won a game And that was a limp over the line there. You both got Linfield. You both went Linfield straight away. You've won it by eight to six. And you've got pretty similar open winners, actually. You didn't say Stenson, did you? I didn't say Stenson. I didn't say Spieth. Spieth. Those are your two. Newton Ards, I don't see in the list here, John. No, no. But I'm trying to think who won. So, I should have started. Harmon at Troon. Brian Harmon, that's the one. Sorry, not Troon at Hoyleck. Yeah, Brian Harmon, that was the one that I was really stumbling over.
40:59Ali Bruce-Ball:You said Cam Smith, John said Morikawa, you both said Lowry, no one said Molinari at Carnoustie in 2018. Spieth, John, Stenson, John, Zach Johnson got missed in 2015. McIlroy, you both said, Mickelson, you both said, and Ernie Els in 2012, where Adam Scott had it in the bag. There we go, so exhibition win. Another win in an exhibition again. Exactly. Great. Absolutely. Congratulations. I think you should cherish that. I will. I will. I will cherish it. I will genuinely cherish it. Right. What's next, John? Can we do the malapropisms? Yeah, you like these, don't you? Well, I like these. This is a really nice email from Tim in Gloucester.
41:38So thanks, Tim. We have been featuring some malapropisms in the commentator's view over the course of this summer's episodes. So that is when you use a word by mistake instead of a similar sounding one, often with an amusing effect. And Tim in Gloucester says, our mate from work is hilarious, really struggles to get his phrases correct. To the point, he has a whiteboard in front of his desk, which has them all written on it. Here are a few. A grey herring, as opposed to a red herring. Backing and throwing. Again, works. What's that?
42:14Ali Bruce-Ball:That's not towing and throwing, is it? Yeah, that's it. That's it. Backing and throwing as opposed to towing and throwing. I'm not gonna throw him under the boat as opposed to the bus. Yeah. And Tim says, P.S. I've forgotten the word malapropism, so I had to Google it. But whilst doing so, I came across the term egg-corn. Yeah. This is the alteration of a word or phrase through the mishearing or reinterpretation of one or more of its elements, creating a new phrase which is plausible when used in the same context and this being perfect for the aforementioned term bit of a damp squid yeah thanks for the amazing show well thank you tim for the excellent email yeah yeah no keep sending those in we absolutely absolutely love those it takes us on to the glossary as well i don't know whether the glossary so the challenge i set russell fuller during our wimbledon episode was to sort of try and build a mini glossary of tennis commentary so basically in our great glossary of football commentary are phrases that you will only hear used in football that belong to football.
43:20Ali Bruce-Ball:So we've got things like 2-0 is a dangerous score, brandished, brandishing the red card. I mean, it can be absolutely anything. I'm going through an alphabetical list there. So I guess we could have a look at that for the Open this week. Last time out, going into the glossary, John, we had seen them given. I've seen them given went into the glossary yeah I like that yeah and also it's one of those it's one of those you know a tackle is made wow it's one of those and they also rejected false one for a Roman goalkeeper playing in the false one which I'm pleased to hear that was rejected so also WhatsApp voice notes to 08000 289 369 emails to tcv at bbc.co.uk and Tottenham fan Ben from Burgess Hill says great pod always accompanies my Saturday morning chores listening to the England-Nederlands game just now at the Euros.
44:13Realised we are missing a potential entry for the glossary mentioned by Vicky Sparks in commentary with Karen Barnsley. Well, that's a back pass there that's risky. It shouldn't have been, but Hannah Hampton took her eye off it. There was no orange shirt within 20 yards of her and she's got away with it. She controls. It wasn't going to go into the goal. It was going wide and along the edge of the corner of the six-yard box. I actually don't think that was Hannah Hampton's fault. Yeah, I think that was actually just a poor back pass and a support angle. that's what happens when you make a back pass.
44:41You don't look at the support angle of the goalkeeper. I'll bow to your goalkeeper's union knowledge, Karen Barsley. This time you have to. Speaking to England just outside. So Ben says, the goalkeeper's union usually gets mentioned when defending a keeper who has clattered a strike or made a mistake. It often creeps in when the co-commentator is a goalkeeper themselves. P.S. I'm sure someone will mention hockey, but this is surely just a bit of classic football vernacular. I am surprised we've not put that in yet.
45:10Ali Bruce-Ball:Yeah, I'm surprised that's not been discussed in the pod, but it's a classic, isn't it? That is a nailed on. Yeah. Definitely include, isn't it? Yeah, 100%. That is in. So what would we say for golf, Ian? The one that springs to mind for me is saying the pin is cut on the back right of the green. I mean, the hole is cut. Yeah. I mean, the pin is a flag. How do you cut a flag into a pin? And it's something I used to say a lot, and I've been working really hard not to say, the flag is located in the back. I don't like the American whole location. No, that's awful. I don't like that. Or green complex.
46:01Ali Bruce-Ball:Yeah. Honestly, on the giant swirly roly-poly greens that we're going to be watching at Paul West, the green complex. I sometimes like the green complex if it is a complex green that has got several contours on it, and I can then go on and explain why it is a green complex. But just using it as a general term, no, no, no. But the pin is cut, that would be one that I would throw in. I'm told, I remember being told this at the Masters this year, that our producers, our golf producers, have a bit of a chuckle at us commentators. The very nature of sports commentary, any sport, is that it is ultimately repetitive.
46:37Ali Bruce-Ball:And there are words and phrases that we are going to use time and time again. And apparently they were having a little competition during the Masters about who was going to say down on their haunches the most. You know when a player gets down to survey the line of a putt and they go down, you know, bend the knees and get down. And it's the only way. Well, it's not the only way, but it's the easiest way. I have been consciously trying not to say that as well. I think I won at the Masters. I think I did a lot of down on their honches. The other one is splashed out. There's a lot of splashed outs going on from bunkers, although not so many here.
47:11There's not as many bunkers here. Puff of white sand. Yeah, puff of white sand. That's a good one. I know actually Nathan, the producer has very amusingly included postage stamp, which is one of the, which is one of the phrases that we've been using on this podcast, because right from the start of the glossary, because when the goal, When a pole goes in, the postage stamp. And, of course, postage stamp at Royal Troon.
47:35Ali Bruce-Ball:The whole names here, these will definitely get an airing, won't they, during our coverage this week. But it's 16 and 17. Let me see if you can get, because I texted Mark Chapman a little earlier. He'll be with us over the course of, what, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Yeah. And see if you can guess where I suggested he should spend most of the week. Which hole? I'm going to say 17 rather than 16. I'm going to say 16. So 16 is? Calamity Corner. Had to be Calamity Corner. No, I thought Purgatory. No, Calamity Corner. Calamity Corner. By the way, very quickly, because Hare Chapman always gets a mention on this ball.
48:13Ali Bruce-Ball:Yes, he does, and he's got another mention, hasn't he? He's vowed never to appear on it, and I don't think he ever listens to it. Well, apart from every week. Apart from every week. Played golf with him a couple of weeks ago in Andrew Murray's Pro-Am Golf Day. And I'll tell you what, he played, so we were playing as a team, Me, Hare Chapman, Andrew Murray and Mark Pugach. And when... What a line-up. Yeah, what a line-up. What a line-up. And Chappers parred four of the last five holes. When it became clear that we were in with a chance of getting in amongst the players, honestly, he narrowed his eyes.
48:44Ali Bruce-Ball:And his putting on those last four or five holes, he was absolutely deadly. I bet he was Cocker Hoop as well. I mean, it doesn't get much more Hare Chapman than that. No, it doesn't. It doesn't. He was ruthless. just on the subject of calamity corner i'm just going to put a plug in here yes for our social media uh stuff promoting the uh open coverage because i was here for the media day and i had to take a tee shot uh on that 16th hole and it was into a absolutely screaming wind and uh the pin was cut uh towards the back left of the green i'll say no more but um oh it's worth it oh it's Much more worth watching than the one they put up today of me duck-hooking a T-shirt on the first.
49:33So, yeah. Although what I want to happen to Mark Chapman at Calamity Corner... Hare Chapman. Hare Chapman. Yeah. His trousers fall down.
49:42Ali Bruce-Ball:Yes. Should also, Ian, because we're on a pod on the BBC Sounds app, must plug the pod as well. Oh, chipping forecast. Yeah, absolutely. So, yeah, we've already got our open preview up with Andrew Cotter and Eddie Pepperell. And Andrew and I are going to be doing what we call them, chipolatas, just a little chipping forecast on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. And then Sunday night we'll do a big one. Eddie's just coming back from injury. So he's hopefully going to be playing all four days on the Challenge Tour in Germany this week. So we're wishing well with that. So there's that to listen to.
50:20Obviously, our coverage. please listen everyone if you've been inspired by what you've heard us talking about here listen to it happen for real and actually just on that on that the what I always try to strive for is that you know golf doesn't invade the airwaves very often and people will be tuning in thinking oh hell listen John this will be great and and find us wibbling on about golf so I'm always very conscious that you just want to make it as accessible as you possibly can to the biggest number of people without patronizing golf fans and that's one of the tough challenges of it all but i think we we get through it by having the amount of fun banter and laughter um through the through the day we don't take it terribly seriously and for the first time this year on Thursday our coverage will be presented by Colin Murray so so that is it that is a first so Colin obviously did it last time we were here he presented because he cued me up apparently with one of the great flourishing Colin Murray introductions what he didn't know was that I take my headphones off and was actually having a quick chat with Ailey Barber who was walking across the first fairway and as I put the headphones back on I heard Ian are you there and I went yeah yeah I'm here I think he presented the program in the morning and then Mark Chapman took over for Five Live Sport anyway but Colin is definitely presenting it all day on Thursday and then Mark is here Friday Saturday Sunday so it begins at 6 30 Thursday morning we'll have live commentary and coverage on 5 Live from 10 o 'clock.
52:07There'll be highlights on BBC Two and the iPlayer each night. And then also on the football commentary front, our coverage of the women's Euros continues over the next few days. Wednesday, 8 o 'clock with the quarterfinals, Norway, Italy. Thursday, 8 o 'clock, Sweden, England, which I think is going to overlap with the end of Rory McIlroy's opening round. But we have the means to make sure you can have a full choice. Sports Extra, Sports Extra 2, Sports Extra 3. Friday, Spain, Switzerland. Saturday, France, Germany. So those are the commentaries there. Ian, we talk a lot about top, top players on the commentator's view.
52:49So who's going to be the top, top player this week? I was really impressed by Rory McIlroy yesterday in terms of his demeanour, how he sounded, how he was approaching it all. it reminded me very much of exactly those qualities ahead of the Masters. So he would be my, I think, the most likely winner. And then I'd love to see Tommy Fleetwood do it after coming so close last time. But there's any number of people who could win.
53:19Ali Bruce-Ball:Just thinking as well, just off the back of the men's final at Wimbledon and the brilliant rivalry we've got again at the top of tennis at the moment with Yannick Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz had a very brief chat to Scotty Scheffler this morning. I say brief because I was allowed two questions and got a full minute of audio out of him. But I know we've discussed this before, but they're one and two, aren't they? And it doesn't always work out in golf like that. It rarely works out. It very rarely works out. And it hasn't happened really with McIlroy and Scheffler going at it. No, that's down the stretch.
53:50Ali Bruce-Ball:But he finished top ten Scottish Open last week. So he's won three times on tour this season, but hasn't been at his very best for parts of it. He's played in 15 tournaments and finished in the top 10 12 times. He is remarkably consistent. So a bit of Sheffler McElroy would be great. Late entry for the glossary. Are you going to be dialed in, Ian, this week? Oh, definitely. The irons will be dialed in. I love a dialed in. You love a dialed in. And it'll be all about the distance control. Yeah, very good. And that's another thing, isn't it? those sort of American phrases in golf. You can't avoid them, can you?
54:30And one I'm really guilty of is, you know, I'll be, oh, he's six under through ten holes. Through. I mean, Andrew Cothard, oh, he'd be apoplectic in such terminology. Anyway, there we are. Good. Been great having you on, Ian. Thank you for having me. We might do it again, Ryder Cup week. Might and twit. We'd love to do that. Perhaps. I wonder. Do you think?
54:55Ali Bruce-Ball:A Ryder Cup special. Ryder Cup special. Yeah. Yeah, looking forward to that. Get Andrew McGee as an American voice. Well. But that is it for this episode of the Football Daily. Also out today, you can catch the latest edition of Maisie Adams' Euros Fan Diary. And as for the commentator's view, we will be back with another best of episode on the 1st of August. and a reminder you can find each and every episode of the commentator's view by scrolling down your football daily feed went for john and he did a decent thing sympathy that's the last thing I need I just froze it's a sudden death all over again I do it all the time sudden death all over again yeah she got quite a lot of them I thought I thought I missed a lot but well open champions yeah that's pretty good that was pretty good Hello, Chris Jones here from Rugby Union Weekly.
55:50Ali Bruce-Ball:We're all over the Lions Tour of Australia. Pre-match podcast, post-match podcast, on the whistle podcast from all the Lions matches down under. We also have a special Lions Top 10 series with two greats of Lions rugby, Matt Dawson and Jamie Robertson. We've been ranking everything from... Icons. To... Controversies. We've got moments. Tours. Tries. Tries. You're in the controversies, Matt. Right at the top. Jamie, you're in the controversies too. Indirectly. Indirectly, not your fault. It is all there. Two men who have been there, done it and won it on a Lions tour. Get it now. Lions Top 10s on Rugby Uni Weekly on BBC Sounds.
56:29Hello, Greg Jenner here. I'm the host of You're Dead to Me, the BBC comedy show that takes history seriously. Every episode, I pair up a top historian with a fantastic comedian. And we have a lovely, funny, fascinating chat about a different subject from world history. And in this new series, we're beginning with an epic voyage through the story of Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey. And that's with Kyle Smith-Bino joining us. And then we'll be learning about Francis Galton and the racist, discredited pseudoscience of eugenics with Desiree Birch. We'll meet many medieval saints in their bone boxes with Rachel Parris.
57:03So if that sounds like your sort of thing, listen to You're Dead to Me wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you. Bye.
57:12Thank you.
From the publisher
John Murray & Ali Bruce-Ball are joined by golf correspondent Iain Carter to talk about what it’s like commentating at The Open. What does ‘wearing the armband’ mean? Ali reveals the worst moment of his broadcasting career. Iain tells us his tip to be crowned Champion Golfer. All that plus more malapropisms, glossary suggestions, and Clash of the Commentators becomes Clash of the Correspondents!
WhatsApp voicenotes to 08000 289 369, Emails to TCV@bbc.co.uk,
03:20 Why does golf work on the radio? 05:30 How was the TCV live show in Sheffield? 07:45 Why did Iain want to be a golf commentator? 13:30 What is ‘wearing the armband’? 15:20 Ali gets told off by a golfer, 20:50 Ali’s ‘worst moment of broadcasting career’, 28:15 How did Iain get into golf commentary? 31:20 How does Iain prepare for The Open? 34:20 Clash of the Correspondents! 39:55 Malapropisms & the Great Glossary, 51:05 Who is Iain backing to win the tournament?
BBC Sounds / 5 Live commentaries: Wed 2000 QF1 Norway v Italy, Thu 2000 QF2 Sweden v England, Fri 2000 QF3 Spain v Switzerland, Sat 2000 QF4 France v Germany.
