0:00:03 > 0:00:07Sport on BBC Two is 50, not out.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Half a century packed with thrills, spills and unforgettable action.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19So many things that have been on BBC Two are a must-see.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24Botham's Ashes is a moment of genuine glory.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29Lyle coming out the bunker at the last. For a Scotsman, it was just riveting viewing.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33A new world record for Usain Bolt!
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Yes!
0:00:40 > 0:00:44Jocky Wilson - champion of the world.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47I didn't like the effect Des Lynam had on my mum.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50He was the guy, you know, every man wanted to be
0:00:50 > 0:00:52and every woman wanted to be with.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Ski Sunday being on as a kid,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59and the theme tune. It was just a nice thing to look at.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04This is really unbelievable.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08How can you get 18.5 million people to watch a game of snooker?
0:01:08 > 0:01:12No-one actually wanted it to finish, you wanted to see how long it could go on for.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18BBC Two made Formula One in this country.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21This is Gareth Edwards, a dramatic start!
0:01:21 > 0:01:25You had to watch it to believe that what you'd experienced had actually happened.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29And Tanni Grey comes home for Great Britain.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31My mum went ballistic with me.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34"I can't believe you spat in front of a BBC camera."
0:01:34 > 0:01:35Come on, Martin!
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Someone had that vision, way back when,
0:01:39 > 0:01:42that football might work on telly. Thankfully!
0:01:45 > 0:01:46Jenny Jones!
0:01:47 > 0:01:51"Avarton"? There's no E on my typewriter. It should be "Everton".
0:01:54 > 0:01:59BBC Two has given viewers five decades of great sporting action
0:01:59 > 0:02:02in some of the nation's favourite programmes.
0:02:02 > 0:02:08HE HUMS "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac
0:02:08 > 0:02:09Something like that...
0:02:09 > 0:02:12HE HUMS "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac
0:02:23 > 0:02:27You don't associate that song with Fleetwood Mac, you associate it with Formula One.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29How does it go again?
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Ohh, Steve Davis and John Parrott will love this.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34How does it go again?
0:02:34 > 0:02:38SHE HUMS "Drag Racer" by The Doug Wood Band
0:02:38 > 0:02:41HE HUMS "Drag Racer" by The Doug Wood Band
0:02:48 > 0:02:52Now you've got it in my head, it's not "Do-do do-do", it's not that one.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55HE HUMS "The Sporting Occasion" by Arnold Steck
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Probably not in my tone, but when it's on TV it's good.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14And of course one of my favourites would be the golf.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17I mean, I love the golf.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20That was like a Doctor Who programme.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29HE HUMS THE TUNE
0:03:31 > 0:03:35No, that's nothing like the golf one. HE LAUGHS
0:03:35 > 0:03:39The only thing that was missing from it was a Dalek.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46I remember watching the cricket on BBC Two and the cricket theme is phenomenal.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49HE HUMS "Soul Limbo" by Booker T And The MG's
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Match Of The Day is a brilliant theme tune,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57but it's not as good as the cricket.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03In 1965, BBC Two pioneered one-day cricket coverage on a Sunday,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06with the help of the Rothman's Cavaliers.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Created to popularise the format, they were
0:04:09 > 0:04:12the Harlem Globetrotters of their day, made up of international
0:04:12 > 0:04:16superstars such as Gary Sobers, Colin Cowdrey and Jim Laker.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18I think things are going very nicely.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21It looks like it's going to go pretty well for the distance, isn't it?
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Sporting legends, we've had our fair share of those
0:04:27 > 0:04:32over the years on BBC Two but none bigger than cricket's Ian Botham
0:04:32 > 0:04:39and that 1981 series which has gone down in history as Botham's Ashes.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45BBC One and Two shared coverage of this unforgettable sporting event.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48I watched every ball that was bowled in '81 of that test match.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50I think I skived off school, actually.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58England were already one test behind in the series...
0:04:58 > 0:05:00'And he's out, caught behind.'
0:05:01 > 0:05:04..and looking down the barrel of another defeat.
0:05:04 > 0:05:05'And he's out.'
0:05:05 > 0:05:08We all probably thought that the game was up.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Well, Ladbrokes clearly did, with their odds of 500 to 1.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18But Ian Botham was on a mission to prove the critics wrong.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25'Safely over the top of Hughes' head.'
0:05:25 > 0:05:27He started to bat more and more freely
0:05:27 > 0:05:29and it became an extraordinary sight.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32'Oh, now it's four needed.'
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Once I got to 50, I thought,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41"We can make them bat. Just don't lose by an innings."
0:05:43 > 0:05:46There were a few thick edges, there were a few thin edges
0:05:46 > 0:05:48but they went in the right areas and I got away with it.
0:05:50 > 0:05:51'And there is the hundred partnership.'
0:05:51 > 0:05:57Here's one guy, when England was supposed to be down and out, going,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59"I refuse to accept this."
0:05:59 > 0:06:02And it was obviously not long after he'd been sacked as captain as well,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04so it was a really brilliant moment.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12'Safely away for four. That's a splendid hundred.'
0:06:16 > 0:06:20Australia needed a sum which was not gigantic but at least there was
0:06:20 > 0:06:23a total posted because of this remarkable innings from Botham.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Then Bob Willis did the damage with the ball,
0:06:26 > 0:06:28which is sort of overlooked a little bit,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30but he got a lot of wickets, Bob. It was amazing.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36Extraordinary demeanour, eyes like pissholes in the snow.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39He'd stand there, looking furious, this mop of curly hair.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44You can just see that in him.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46'Oh, what a good catch.'
0:06:47 > 0:06:50He just bowled as if he was in a trance.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55'Oh, good catch, super catch that.'
0:06:55 > 0:06:57And to this day you watch him bowl
0:06:57 > 0:06:59and you can see his eyes are somewhere else.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02There were no high fives, slapping each other on the back, he was gone.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08That day, he was possessed.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12'He's got a touch on it, he's gone.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16'Oh, what a good catch.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18'And Lillee has miscued it to mid-on.'
0:07:21 > 0:07:22We'd won.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27'Bowled him, it's all over.
0:07:28 > 0:07:34'And it is one of the most fantastic victories ever known in test cricket history.'
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Inspired by Botham, England would go on to beat
0:07:38 > 0:07:41the Australians in the series.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43It came at the perfect time, not just for us as a team
0:07:43 > 0:07:45and myself as a player and Bob as a player,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48but it came at the right time for the country.
0:07:48 > 0:07:49They needed something.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53They say timing is everything. It certainly was in April 1964.
0:07:53 > 0:07:59Alec Douglas-Home was Prime Minister, The Beatles topped the charts with Can't Buy Me Love,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02and Britain had just two television channels, BBC and ITV.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07But they were about to be joined by a new kid on the block.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Michael Peacock was just 34 years old
0:08:13 > 0:08:17when he was made the first controller of BBC Two.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21Well, I'll tell you what our goal was - to get some viewers.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24We had to persuade everyone in the land to buy a new set
0:08:24 > 0:08:26and put a new aerial on the roof.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28It's easier said than done, I have to say.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31When BBC Two started up,
0:08:31 > 0:08:35I wondered whether it would take off, do we really need BBC Two?
0:08:35 > 0:08:39They needed something big, something popular, to sell televisions.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41So they tried football.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Welcome to Match Of The Day,
0:08:44 > 0:08:49the first of a weekly series coming to you every Saturday on BBC Two.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54I suggested to Michael Peacock we should do Saturday night football,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58much earlier than football had ever been allowed before,
0:08:58 > 0:09:02at 7 o'clock at night, and call it Match Of The Day.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07The FA thought it would detract from the crowds and have a bad effect.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12BBC Two managed to persuade the FA to let it do it on the grounds
0:09:12 > 0:09:15that nobody watched BBC Two, which was more or less true.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19As you can hear,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22we are in Beatleville for this Liverpool versus Arsenal match.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28'Dying seconds of the game now, it's Wallace.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34'It's there! Wallace has scored!'
0:09:34 > 0:09:38The BBC decided that it ought to go on BBC One, and quite right too,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42so over it went and immediately became a huge success.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Four decades later, and that success would continue,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49leading BBC Two to create a new version of the show.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Good evening, a very warm welcome to you
0:09:52 > 0:09:54to a very new show, Match Of The Day 2.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56It was daunting. Obviously there was a risk.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00You didn't want to undermine the Match Of The Day brand.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04There was a thing about BBC Two at the time, it could be a testing ground.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08There was a slight feeling you could do things a little bit differently.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13That exhortation to run your knackers off, which UEFA coaching course did you pick that up on?
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Ah, it worked because we got back to 2-2.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20A number of people have said to me it was just like rounding the weekend off.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22That's it for tonight.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25If you're happy with your team this weekend, it probably won't last.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28We're all going to end up miserable in the end, aren't we?
0:10:28 > 0:10:31But thanks very much for watching and have a great season, a super week.
0:10:31 > 0:10:32Join us next Sunday. Bye for now.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35It's the 50th anniversary of Match Of The Day.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39It's evolved naturally, but someone had that vision, way back when,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42that football might work on telly, thankfully.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46BBC Two helped introduce football to the masses,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49and it's not the only time this channel would boost
0:10:49 > 0:10:51the popularity of sport through innovation.
0:10:54 > 0:11:00In 1965, the channel was instrumental in the creation of a new rugby league competition -
0:11:00 > 0:11:04it was called the BBC Two Floodlit Trophy.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10It felt like we had landed on the moon in rugby league terms,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12to be able to watch a night match
0:11:12 > 0:11:14from the comfort of your own armchair.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18It all began with just eight rugby league clubs,
0:11:18 > 0:11:20but over the next two years,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22a further 17 would upgrade their stadiums
0:11:22 > 0:11:25in order to take part in the competition.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28It was a new dawn, it was live sport midweek.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33BBC Two was trying to do something pioneering with sport.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38Rugby league was such a northern sport. The fantastic thing was
0:11:38 > 0:11:42that the BBC took it out to that wider audience, to a southern audience.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47The series was commissioned by Sir David Attenborough.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51The differences that Darwin had noticed amongst these
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Galapagos animals were, of course, all tiny.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Before becoming best known for his natural history programmes,
0:11:57 > 0:12:03Attenborough followed Michael Peacock to become the second controller of BBC Two.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06He would go on to oversee one of the channel's biggest breakthroughs.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12BBC Two has often led the way in innovation.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14In the beginning, it gave viewers sporting action
0:12:14 > 0:12:18using higher resolution TV images than its rival channels,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22and in 1967, it became the first to regularly broadcast in colour.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29The very first broadcast would come from the courts of Wimbledon.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31'Quiet, please.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35'It's out and that's the championship.'
0:12:37 > 0:12:40And it was wonderful, everybody wanted colour,
0:12:40 > 0:12:45so that was a real turn-on as far as BBC Two was concerned.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50Ever since, BBC Sport have brought viewers the very best coverage
0:12:50 > 0:12:54of the most famous tennis tournament in the world.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56It's terribly compulsive, Wimbledon.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58It gets the nation by the throat, doesn't it?
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Today At Wimbledon is BBC Two's highlights and analysis programme.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Back in the 1980s, the show had a different name
0:13:08 > 0:13:11and gave birth to a much-loved on-screen partnership.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14The BBC came up with this idea of pairing Gerald Williams and I
0:13:14 > 0:13:16to present Match Of The Day at Wimbledon.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19An unimaginative title bearing in mind it was copying the football.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Welcome to Match Of The Day.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22But we liked to call it the Des And Gerry Show.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Come on, Williams, you're not keeping up, son, it's a low volley this time.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29It's the high forehand volleys that get me.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32We used to do little gags, like when Pat Cash climbed up
0:13:32 > 0:13:35the balcony with his head band, we had head bands on in the studio
0:13:35 > 0:13:36and silly things like that.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39We used to make each other scream with laughter in the show.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43I wish Pat hadn't insisted on this, you know.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46What's Boris going to say? I really don't know.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Gerry and I worked quite well and we had a bit of comedy in the show.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Gerry was so untelevision-like
0:13:51 > 0:13:56in the sense that he didn't know what was going on around him very much, but he knew his tennis.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59We went on air one night, I said "good evening"
0:13:59 > 0:14:02and we started chatting away, blah, blah, blah,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and he said, "Was that all right?"
0:14:05 > 0:14:09I said, "Yeah." He thought we were still rehearsing it.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13You're having a day off tomorrow, aren't you? I need one. You certainly do.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15The head of sport at the time wasn't totally amused by it,
0:14:15 > 0:14:19but the chairman of Wimbledon was and told him and told the BBC that he loved the show.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21So, hello, we're home and dry.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23I've got a problem. What problem?
0:14:23 > 0:14:27I can't go home on the 93 bus dressed like this.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31Get the 57 with me then. OK. Good night. Good night.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35Today At Wimbledon, that's where I started my BBC career
0:14:35 > 0:14:40back in 1993, and the programme is still going strong today.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Well, over the years, there have been so many highlights.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46For me, none more so than Andy's historic win last year.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50But then who could forget the longest match?
0:14:50 > 0:14:52That went on for three exhausting days.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57For all the dramatic sport that BBC Two has shown
0:14:57 > 0:15:00over half a century, I'd be surprised if there's anything
0:15:00 > 0:15:03quite as extraordinary anyway than the Isner-Mahut game.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06'Serve. Ready. Play.'
0:15:07 > 0:15:11I think it was weird for all of the people that were in the tournament.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14I mean, I can't imagine what it was like for them.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24I got sent down to court side to interview whoever the winner was going to be
0:15:24 > 0:15:28at six-all in that final set and I said, "OK, I'll see you in half an hour then."
0:15:32 > 0:15:35You'd go out to practise and come back,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39and it would still be on, and then you'd go for lunch, you come back
0:15:39 > 0:15:42and it would still be on and you'd be like, "What's the score now?"
0:15:42 > 0:15:47It went seven-all, eight-all, nine-all, ten-all, 20-all, 30-all, 50-all.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51You'd go see the physio and it's still on.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55Then I would drive home and it was still on.
0:15:56 > 0:15:57Game.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03CROWD: We want more! We want more!
0:16:03 > 0:16:08Ladies and gentlemen, due to darkness, play is suspended.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14'That match, still going on, the longest match in history.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18'Ten hours of play, a set lasting seven hours. You read all about them in the papers today.'
0:16:20 > 0:16:23It got to the stage where no-one actually wanted it to finish,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27you wanted to see how long it could go on for.
0:16:27 > 0:16:3065, 66, 67, 68, 69.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41'Game, set, match, Isner.
0:16:43 > 0:16:49'6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 6-7, 70-68.'
0:16:49 > 0:16:5470-68! It was almost like you had landed from a parallel universe. Don't be silly.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58One of the most amazing things I've ever seen in a sporting environment.
0:16:59 > 0:17:04This record-breaking match follows a long tradition of history makers appearing on BBC Two.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Back in 1967, a youthful Tony Jacklin made history
0:17:10 > 0:17:14by achieving the first televised hole in one.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16'I think he might play for the middle of the green.'
0:17:16 > 0:17:19It was amazing, the quality of the pictures.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22When you see them now, it was all grainy,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25and yet we thought it was magical and Jacklin, I see him hit the shot.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27'Tony Jacklin, 4 under par.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31'Oh. It's in the hole!
0:17:31 > 0:17:33'That is the first time
0:17:33 > 0:17:38'it's ever happened on live television, my word.'
0:17:40 > 0:17:45And he's talking to his caddie and he's going, "Is it in? Is it in?"
0:17:45 > 0:17:49And there was great joy. It was wonderful.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Canadian Cliff Thorburn also made history
0:17:52 > 0:17:56at the Snooker World Championships of 1983.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Not only did I see Cliff Thorburn's 147 live,
0:17:59 > 0:18:04I was live in the audience at the Crucible.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06I'll never forget it as long as I live
0:18:06 > 0:18:08because he's been my best friend in snooker.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10We turned professional together.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Every bone in your body is willing him to do it.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18'And they have actually stopped playing on the other table.'
0:18:18 > 0:18:22Who was the player behind the other screen? Didn't they start watching from the other side?
0:18:22 > 0:18:28Bill Werbeniuk came from the match next door to watch. It was like time stood still.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32'I don't think there's going to be another moment in Cliff's life
0:18:32 > 0:18:35'when he's going to be so tense as this.'
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Everyone was willing him on, to get this captured
0:18:42 > 0:18:43and see it actually happen.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46The commentary is fantastic, "Good luck, mate."
0:18:46 > 0:18:49The whole thing is so evocative of the time.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51'Oh, good luck, mate.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58'Oh, wonderful.'
0:18:58 > 0:19:02I can see him now when he dropped down to the side of the table and went...
0:19:02 > 0:19:07That meant so much to him, to make the first ever maximum break.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11'That is really, truly wonderful.'
0:19:13 > 0:19:15And every time you go to the Crucible,
0:19:15 > 0:19:18you always think of the very first 147.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Ronnie O'Sullivan does them with his eyes shut, with left hand and right,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26but at that particular time, it was astonishing.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28'Absolutely perfect.'
0:19:28 > 0:19:3214 years later, the Rocket Ronnie would live up to his nickname,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36clearing the table in a record breaking 5 minutes and 20 seconds.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45'What a break, what a fantastic maximum break that is.'
0:19:45 > 0:19:47But when it comes to raw speed,
0:19:47 > 0:19:51our next history maker is the best in the business.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Usain Bolt is the world's most recognisable athlete,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00but how do you approach commentating on the fastest man on the planet?
0:20:00 > 0:20:04Former 1,500 metres world record holder Steve Cram
0:20:04 > 0:20:06was in the hot seat for BBC Sport
0:20:06 > 0:20:09during 9.58 seconds which shook the world.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22'Bolt versus Gaye.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28'One's a world champion, one's an Olympic champion.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35'Bolt is loaded, the world 100 metre final.'
0:20:38 > 0:20:41When you're commentating on a 100m race, normally you are watching
0:20:41 > 0:20:46for the break at the start, you're looking for false starts.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50The trouble is with Usain Bolt, since 2007,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53when he really announced himself on the stage as a 100m runner
0:20:53 > 0:20:55in particular, you get drawn in to him a little bit.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01'There he stands, 6 foot 5, but his stature is such that he is
0:21:01 > 0:21:05'a colossus over the world of athletics.'
0:21:05 > 0:21:08I've never ever written a line of commentary.
0:21:08 > 0:21:09I just don't think you can.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12You know the situation and you know the characters
0:21:12 > 0:21:15and there are words buzzing around in your head.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18A lot to look out for, a lot to watch for, particularly in the 100m
0:21:18 > 0:21:20because it all happens so quickly.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25'They get away first time. Tyson Gaye right alongside Usain Bolt.'
0:21:25 > 0:21:28It's a fast-paced race so you speak quickly.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31You'd be surprised how many words you can fit into 10 seconds.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35'But here he goes, streaking away already, it's Bolt all the way.'
0:21:35 > 0:21:38You're not trying to be clever, the main thing is who's won the race.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42'Looking round at Gaye, watch the clock, it's gold for Bolt.'
0:21:42 > 0:21:44You obviously reach a crescendo with it.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46And your next thought is the clock.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51'He's done it again, a new world record for Usain Bolt!'
0:21:53 > 0:21:55You recognise the achievement first,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58but if the commentary lends something to it, brilliant,
0:21:58 > 0:21:59then you I've done a decent job.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04'It's his own history with every stride that he takes. Absolutely stunning!'
0:22:04 > 0:22:08BBC Two is also used to writing history,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11in the 1960s becoming the first channel to broadcast in colour.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15They were looking to exploit this new technology.
0:22:15 > 0:22:20What better sport to use than snooker? Cue Pot Black.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28I can remember when we got a colour telly and that was a big deal,
0:22:28 > 0:22:29but of course for snooker,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32this is telly heaven,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35you're right in there, it's close up,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38you can tell which ball is which.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42It was a game that was made for television.
0:22:42 > 0:22:43And yet no-one had actually seen it
0:22:43 > 0:22:47until BBC Two started putting it on air.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50There was added excitement for me because the commentator,
0:22:50 > 0:22:55Clive Everton, lived half a mile from me, so it was always,
0:22:55 > 0:22:57"He lives just there!"
0:22:57 > 0:23:01So I was always intoxicated by Pot Black.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07I'm in trouble again. 'Reardon says he's in trouble once again.'
0:23:07 > 0:23:12The first episode was broadcast in 1969, but by the end of the year,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15there were just 200,000 colour sets in the whole country.
0:23:17 > 0:23:18Little did I know
0:23:18 > 0:23:22that Pot Black wasn't ever shown in black and white.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27It was a colour production and one of the things that BBC Two used
0:23:27 > 0:23:30to highlight this new colour television.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33But of course, not many people could afford colour television.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36You know, we sat at home watching the grey balls go around the table,
0:23:36 > 0:23:40trying to remember where the green was and where the brown was,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43and did the brown go into middle of the reds and is it still there?
0:23:47 > 0:23:50Let's meet the players, and first, a newcomer.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53At 21, the youngest player ever to play on Pot Black, Steve Davis.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00The first time I watched myself playing on Pot Black,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02I looked like I had just seen a ghost.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04I was as white as a sheet.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12I will never forget that very first frame on television on Pot Black
0:24:12 > 0:24:16in 1975 and I managed to beat the great John Pullman,
0:24:16 > 0:24:18who was ten times a world champion.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22So that's where it all started for me.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25I can honestly say to you, I wouldn't be sitting here today
0:24:25 > 0:24:29without that little leg up from good old BBC Two at the right time.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31'Super, wasn't it?'
0:24:31 > 0:24:34In 1978, BBC Two took a leap of faith
0:24:34 > 0:24:37by giving winter sport its very own programme.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42Ski Sunday was born and quickly became a firm family favourite,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46providing television with one of its most iconic theme tunes.
0:24:46 > 0:24:51Unbelievably, his ring tone is the Ski Sunday theme tune.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54SKI SUNDAY TUNE
0:24:56 > 0:24:58THEY HUM "Ski Sunday Theme"
0:25:05 > 0:25:06I felt I was skiing.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08HE HUMS THE THEME
0:25:11 > 0:25:17Play that tune to anybody, anyone in Britain, and they'll say Ski Sunday.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19It's more famous than we are.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Way more famous.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Ski Sunday being on as a kid and the theme tune.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28It's just a nice thing to look at.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32It was kind of quite exotic. I grew up in Cardiff, we didn't get a lot of snow.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36I watched it every Sunday growing up. I've continued to watch it
0:25:36 > 0:25:41and it's your weekly dose of winter sport and I really, really love it.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45None of us held any aspirations to ever be a skier.
0:25:45 > 0:25:46It was a different world.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50And yet I used to love how my dad used to sit there and criticise them
0:25:50 > 0:25:53for how they took one of the bends. He would go,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56"He's come in too tight." And you're going, "Yeah, yeah, thanks, Dad."
0:25:56 > 0:26:00Without David Vine, Ski Sunday wouldn't have had the mass appeal
0:26:00 > 0:26:02that it did through the late '80s.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Downhill skiing Saturday and Sunday of next week,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08and, well, I hope you're not too cold at home, it's lovely here.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12He was a great character. Never really skied, which was kind of odd.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17'Graham Bell of Great Britain. Graham's been training well, clipped that gate a little.'
0:26:17 > 0:26:20But he would be up there in the finish area
0:26:20 > 0:26:24and sounding like he knew absolutely everything about skiing.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28'The course looked quite a bit different to us today. How did it run compared to yesterday?
0:26:28 > 0:26:30Well, the top was a little bit windy.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33I have some great memories of sitting down and watching that
0:26:33 > 0:26:35and thinking, "I wish I could do that."
0:26:35 > 0:26:38So when I started work on Ski Sunday many years later,
0:26:38 > 0:26:39it was a genuine thrill.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43For me this has to be one of the most impressive sights in sport.
0:26:43 > 0:26:4650,000 people have come by car, by train,
0:26:46 > 0:26:51the rich by helicopter, to witness the greatest ski race in the world.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00Today, downhiller Graham Bell and snowboarder Ed Leigh
0:27:00 > 0:27:03co-host one of the most spectacular shows on TV.
0:27:06 > 0:27:07'Have it!'
0:27:08 > 0:27:12I still think Graham Bell's downhill runs with the camera in his hand
0:27:12 > 0:27:15are extraordinary pieces of television.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17'Let's go have a look at the start.'
0:27:17 > 0:27:18It's incredible.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22'Important to get hard on the left ski
0:27:22 > 0:27:25'as you set up.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28'It's a big jump, flying through the air.'
0:27:29 > 0:27:31On course inspection, I'll go down and think,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33"OK, I'm going to say this here
0:27:33 > 0:27:37"because it's particularly bumpy on this section and I want to get that information across."
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Cos otherwise you'd just get me shrieking the whole way down.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44'And across the finish line.'
0:27:52 > 0:27:56Over the years, BBC Two has become the spiritual home of winter sport,
0:27:56 > 0:28:00bringing viewers 200 hours of network television coverage
0:28:00 > 0:28:01from the Sochi Olympics.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10'Come on, Jones, let's see it.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13'Check out the grab on that, solid!'
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Now in the summer Olympics,
0:28:15 > 0:28:17they have walking and they call that an event
0:28:17 > 0:28:20and some of the stuff that goes on in the winter Olympics,
0:28:20 > 0:28:24if they get it wrong, you can die. It's properly dangerous.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26'Jenny Jones!'
0:28:27 > 0:28:31The ski jumping fascinates me. It must be terrifying.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35'And Britain have won the bronze medal.'
0:28:35 > 0:28:38You've got these moments of pure drama that happen in an instant
0:28:38 > 0:28:41and people's lives changing in front of you.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46'So David Murdoch again with the chance for glory.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50'They need to come past that red at the top of the house here.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52'It needs to turn, it needs to turn.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55'The guys are on it. It's got to keep coming.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57'This is a great shot from Dave Murdoch.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00'It's got a chance. Dave Murdoch may well have done it... He has!
0:29:00 > 0:29:04'The fists are in the air and the British crowd jumping up and down in the stands.'
0:29:04 > 0:29:07But it's not all about serious competition,
0:29:07 > 0:29:12with comedian Alan Davies bringing laughs to the Winter Olympics for BBC Two.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17So everybody is talking about curling,
0:29:17 > 0:29:20but the question is can you speak curling?
0:29:20 > 0:29:23SCREAMING
0:29:29 > 0:29:30No.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33We try and have a light-hearted look at it
0:29:33 > 0:29:35and get people on with a sense of humour and have some fun.
0:29:35 > 0:29:40Earlier in the Sochi week, in the women's bobsleigh, Brazil had a spectacular crash.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47Luckily, no-one was hurt but it was a close shave for the Brazilians.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51I mean, it's paid off. We've had a lot of good feedback
0:29:51 > 0:29:55and the sport coverage is great so why not have a laugh with it as well?
0:29:59 > 0:30:03JEREMY CLARKSON: It's the Winter Olympics speeded up a bit.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08Top Gear did this Winter Olympics challenge.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10Somebody went down the Cresta Run in a car.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14The reputation of internal combustion resting on your shoulders.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24'That's a turn, 16 corners.'
0:30:24 > 0:30:27The memories come crowding when you talk about Top Gear.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29'Three, two, one.'
0:30:29 > 0:30:31The mini-ski jump thing.
0:30:31 > 0:30:32'Initiate.'
0:30:44 > 0:30:47Well, we've got a great day of sport lined up for you this afternoon.
0:30:47 > 0:30:52They wanted to do a sketch about Grandstand.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54So they needed a Grandstand presenter
0:30:54 > 0:30:57and Des was far too expensive, I'm sure.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01We're never going to be seen from here. Let's move out.
0:31:02 > 0:31:07So I met these two ladies I had never heard of, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders,
0:31:07 > 0:31:11who were very, very serious about the whole project
0:31:11 > 0:31:14and we had a couple of hours of rehearsing
0:31:14 > 0:31:17and I thought, "You know, there's not a laugh in this. Their careers
0:31:17 > 0:31:20"aren't going to go too far because this is rubbish."
0:31:20 > 0:31:21There was suddenly these gales of laughter.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23Always a popular event.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26LAUGHTER
0:31:26 > 0:31:28..so the domestic international...
0:31:28 > 0:31:32So I'm no great judge of comedy talent.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34SHE SPEAKS GIBBERISH
0:31:36 > 0:31:38I'm going to as well, shall I?
0:31:40 > 0:31:42SHE SPEAKS GIBBERISH
0:31:42 > 0:31:45I met Jennifer Saunders a couple of years ago, we were at Wimbledon,
0:31:45 > 0:31:49and she came up and said, "We still remember that. It was one of the first things we ever did."
0:31:49 > 0:31:54Is that "Avarton"? There's no E on my typewriter. It should be "Everton".
0:31:54 > 0:31:58She said, "We would still put it up there as one of the things
0:31:58 > 0:31:59"that helped put us on the map."
0:31:59 > 0:32:03Just go back to your seat, we're on the air live. Yes, we are on the air, Steve.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Grandstand was a Saturday afternoon institution,
0:32:06 > 0:32:09but the growing popularity of sport over the whole weekend saw
0:32:09 > 0:32:13BBC Two create a Sunday version of the show.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15I was the first presenter of the show.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18I said, "Grandstand on Saturday is very formal, you know, with the ties
0:32:18 > 0:32:22"and the desks and all that sort of stuff. Why don't we make it the informal show on a Sunday?"
0:32:22 > 0:32:25No desk, open neck shirt, bright and breezy.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28I didn't like the effect that Des Lynam had on my mum.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31He was the guy every man wanted to be
0:32:31 > 0:32:33and every woman wanted to be with.
0:32:33 > 0:32:38Sunday Grandstand was a little bit more sort of "make it up as you go along".
0:32:38 > 0:32:41Let's all pitch up at 10 o'clock and read the Sunday papers and decide
0:32:41 > 0:32:45what we are going to do, which was a nice way of approaching the sport.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47It would be built around several live events.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51'Welcome once again to the World Rowing Championships
0:32:51 > 0:32:56'and we're all set for a lively and varied day of sport on Sunday Grandstand.'
0:32:56 > 0:33:00And so many sports grew up from that small exposure.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02It could soak up sports that lasted a long time,
0:33:02 > 0:33:04like cricket, golf, etc, etc.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07It was the perfect channel for those kind of long events.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10You know, Grand Prix motor racing and things, it was great.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14Commentating legend Murray Walker has guided BBC Two viewers
0:33:14 > 0:33:20through a golden era of Grand Prix racing, packed with highs and lows.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32BBC Two made Formula One in this country.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36'Nigel Mansell finishes and he's world champion.'
0:33:36 > 0:33:41People started to realise what a fast moving, high stepping,
0:33:41 > 0:33:46colourful, spectacular, exciting, noisy, dangerous sport it is,
0:33:46 > 0:33:48and it got the British public by the throat.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51'Ayrton Senna is up to fourth position.'
0:33:51 > 0:33:54I was in the commentary box at Silverstone one year
0:33:54 > 0:33:57and it's a bit of a holy of holies.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00Only the BBC people were allowed in there.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02And Jackie Stewart stuck his head around the door and said,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05"You wouldn't mind doing a bit of baby-sitting, would you?"
0:34:05 > 0:34:06And I said, "No, not at all."
0:34:06 > 0:34:09He opened the curtain and shoved in William and Harry,
0:34:09 > 0:34:12who were about eight, nine years old.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16And about halfway through the race, I became aware of a movement by my left knee...
0:34:18 > 0:34:22..and I looked down and there was a little boy standing there.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27The end of the race, when everything had settled down,
0:34:27 > 0:34:29I said, "What the hell was that child doing in here?"
0:34:29 > 0:34:35"Prince William," he said, "Murray." I said, "Oh, how nice, how nice!"
0:34:39 > 0:34:42The low of my commentating career was undoubtedly...
0:34:43 > 0:34:49..the death in vision, live, on television, of Ayrton Senna.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53We knew fairly early on that this was a fatal accident.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56Senna was killed at a corner called the Tamburello.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59'Whether it was a sudden loss of downforce for some reason
0:34:59 > 0:35:04'but Senna is still in the car.'
0:35:04 > 0:35:06It was certainly the most difficult job I ever had to do.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12'And all is quiet at the Imola Circuit.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15'The crowd has been stunned into silence.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18'Senna an enormously popular man here.'
0:35:18 > 0:35:21The loss of Ayrton Senna is really tough to comprehend.
0:35:25 > 0:35:26For probably the wrong reasons,
0:35:26 > 0:35:30it was another of those Sunday afternoons with Grandstand
0:35:30 > 0:35:32that you'll never forget.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41The high was in 1996.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45Damon Hill, who I had been commentating on for years,
0:35:45 > 0:35:49and who was the son of a double Formula One world champion, Graham Hill.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52Graham had been killed in an aeroplane crash
0:35:52 > 0:35:58and the Hill family had been suffering very hard times indeed financially.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01And Damon had worked his way up from nothing into the Williams team.
0:36:01 > 0:36:07'Never before in the history of Grand Prix racing has
0:36:07 > 0:36:10'the son of a world champion become world champion himself.'
0:36:10 > 0:36:17When he crossed the line at Suzuka, in 1996, to win the race
0:36:17 > 0:36:22and the world championship, all my emotions welled up and I said...
0:36:24 > 0:36:27'I've got to stop because I've got a lump in my throat.
0:36:29 > 0:36:33'I really am, for once, almost at a loss for words.'
0:36:35 > 0:36:38Television is a fantastically powerful medium
0:36:38 > 0:36:43and I have absolutely no doubt that BBC Two started a move
0:36:43 > 0:36:47which resulted in Formula One becoming as popular as it is,
0:36:47 > 0:36:49not just in Britain but worldwide.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56Clare Balding would experience an equally emotional sporting
0:36:56 > 0:37:00highlight at the 2003 Epsom Oaks.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06My father had never won the Oaks in 45 years of training.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09'Stand by. Racing. Good start, too.'
0:37:09 > 0:37:132003, my brother, in his first year of training,
0:37:13 > 0:37:18trained a filly called Casual Look and I watched it next to Willie Carson
0:37:18 > 0:37:21and I'm wearing the most awful trench coat mac,
0:37:21 > 0:37:25cos it was raining and I get so animated and excited.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27Go on, Martin!
0:37:27 > 0:37:30There are some times you really feel things inside.
0:37:30 > 0:37:31Go on, Martin!
0:37:31 > 0:37:33Screaming, "Martin, come on, Martin,"
0:37:33 > 0:37:36because Martin Dwyer was the jockey who rode her, and I start
0:37:36 > 0:37:39whacking Willie on the back as if I'm actually riding the horse.
0:37:39 > 0:37:46Come on, Martin! Come on, Martin!
0:37:48 > 0:37:53'Casual Look has won by a nose, to Yesterday and third Summitville.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57'Casual Look has won the Oaks for Andrew Balding.'
0:37:57 > 0:38:00More often than not I throw myself into an event so I do feel it
0:38:00 > 0:38:06and obviously when it's my own brother, I'm going to get choked.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10Bloody hell, he's only gone and won the bloody Oaks.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13Do you think you'll get an interview with the trainer of the winner?
0:38:13 > 0:38:15I don't know whether I'll be able to actually speak.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18But then I had to do the interview with my brother.
0:38:18 > 0:38:23Andrew. Come here. This is only his second runner in a classic.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26And I got quite choked.
0:38:26 > 0:38:27Well done.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30'And I look at him...'
0:38:30 > 0:38:33Sorry, am I meant to say something? I can't speak. I'm a bit speechless.
0:38:33 > 0:38:34'..and I've got tears in my eyes,'
0:38:34 > 0:38:38and he walked away because he didn't want to cry, because he's a man, you know.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41And then my father came over and I said to him, "Can you speak?"
0:38:41 > 0:38:44Dad? Can you speak?
0:38:46 > 0:38:47Well, wonderful.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52Could he?
0:38:52 > 0:38:55No. Neither can I. No, wonderful.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57'And we just lost it completely.'
0:38:57 > 0:38:59It's all a bit hopeless at the moment.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03I remember it really clearly and it mattered so much, you know.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05It's such a rare thing to train a classic winner.
0:39:05 > 0:39:11Have you recovered now? Only just. I don't think I can stand but I can talk again, that's all right.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15When it comes to delivering skill, drama and a great night in,
0:39:15 > 0:39:18it's hard to beat the game of darts.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21It first appeared on BBC Two in 1978,
0:39:21 > 0:39:24and over the years has given viewers gripping action
0:39:24 > 0:39:27and some of the most colourful characters in sport.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32BBC Two is home to BDO Darts.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38He's the champion of the world, Stephen Bunting!
0:39:40 > 0:39:44The current generation of stars owe a debt of gratitude to the pioneers of the sport.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Legends who took darts out of the pubs
0:39:49 > 0:39:52and into the nation's living rooms.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54'Double 10 to take the title.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57'Double 10, yes!
0:39:57 > 0:40:02'Jocky Wilson, champion of the world.'
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Darts was huge in our house.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11There's Eric Bristow, with all the mouth, all the rabbit, rabbit, rabbit.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15Jocky Wilson - what bigger character could there be?
0:40:15 > 0:40:17The Alex Higgins of darts, if you like.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20How John Lowe got 180s with the size of his darts.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24If he made them a bit longer, he could have been a javelin champ.
0:40:24 > 0:40:25'Game shot!
0:40:25 > 0:40:32'The 1987 Embassy World Professional Champion, John Lowe.'
0:40:32 > 0:40:36At that time, we pulled in millions of people,
0:40:36 > 0:40:38watching the telly, millions.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44Bobby George helped pioneer the entertainment factor in darts,
0:40:44 > 0:40:48and in the process took stagecraft to a whole new level.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51I looked at all the darts players and they were all the same.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55I'd seen the ice skaters, so I wanted to brighten it up
0:40:55 > 0:40:59and I thought, if I had a sequinned shirt made, people would remember me.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02'Well, I'd advise you to sit on the edge of your seat
0:41:02 > 0:41:06'cos I'm sitting on the edge of mine as the gladiators come out.'
0:41:06 > 0:41:12So you've gone from a T-shirt beforehand, all boring, to fancy shirts and fun.
0:41:15 > 0:41:21And then I wore the cloak, all glitter, to make it more razzmatazz.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24You've got all these candles and I'm playing darts like Liberace.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31I walked out and everybody stood up and cheered
0:41:31 > 0:41:34and it completely changed the game for some reason.
0:41:34 > 0:41:40Bobby George was the big showman. He really turned it into an art form.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43He would have been on stage had he not ended up playing darts.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50I would like to say, "May the darts be with you."
0:41:50 > 0:41:51On the BBC, of course!
0:41:54 > 0:41:58The voice of golf, Peter Alliss, has also entertained us over the years
0:41:58 > 0:42:02with his charismatic and unique style. Unusually for that era,
0:42:02 > 0:42:05Peter was drafted in whilst still a player
0:42:05 > 0:42:09to add a new dimension to the art of golf commentary.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15'Growing up, we didn't win at golf.'
0:42:15 > 0:42:19The only reason to watch the golf was cos Peter Alliss was really funny.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21'Now, Wogan, he'll be doing very well
0:42:21 > 0:42:23'if he gets down in 3 or 4 from here.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25'Gives it a mighty old clunk and it's hopping and running
0:42:25 > 0:42:26and going and looking rather good
0:42:26 > 0:42:30'and slowing down and it wouldn't? It can't! Ha-ha!
0:42:32 > 0:42:35'The greatest putt I have ever seen in my life.'
0:42:37 > 0:42:40In a television career spanning more than half a century,
0:42:40 > 0:42:43Peter Alliss has commentated at all of the major championships,
0:42:43 > 0:42:46with BBC Two bringing viewers compelling action
0:42:46 > 0:42:48from the first big tournament of the year.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54Sunday night, second week in April, the Masters, BBC Two.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58It was just compulsive viewing for any golf fan.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01It's just a brilliant golf tournament and it's unique because
0:43:01 > 0:43:04it's played at the same venue each year and it's such a gorgeous venue.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07That's a must-stay-in and watch every ball that's hit.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11I think I'd maybe swap my FA Cup medal to win the Masters.
0:43:12 > 0:43:17In 1988, the Masters remained the Holy Grail of British golf,
0:43:17 > 0:43:21with no winner from these shores in its 54-year history.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25In the first couple of minutes we would say,
0:43:25 > 0:43:28"Before we see the battle for the green jacket and who is going to win the Masters,
0:43:28 > 0:43:31"let's just explain what's happened to the British challengers."
0:43:31 > 0:43:33Because by that time, they were all heading to the airport.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36And then out of the pack came Sandy Lyle.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39'Meanwhile, back on the tee, Lyle with a one iron.'
0:43:40 > 0:43:45When he got to the 18th and he drove into the bunker...
0:43:45 > 0:43:46'Oh, he's put it in the sand.'
0:43:46 > 0:43:49..we just couldn't believe he had driven it into the bunker
0:43:49 > 0:43:51and we thought, "He's blown it. This isn't going to happen now."
0:43:51 > 0:43:54'He might just as well have taken his driver
0:43:54 > 0:43:57'and smashed it as hard as he could, but he's in the sand.'
0:43:57 > 0:44:01Even the British commentators, hard shot, it's a 7, 8 iron
0:44:01 > 0:44:04out of the bunker and it's like you could see the emotion on his face.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08'He looked to whip it out clean.'
0:44:08 > 0:44:12And he picks off this magnificent 7 iron, up it soars,
0:44:12 > 0:44:15and what you never realise is the topography at Augusta. It's a very
0:44:15 > 0:44:19steep hill, actually, and you can't really see what you are playing to.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24Lyle coming out of the bunker at the last, for a Scotsman, it was just riveting viewing.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27And Peter spotted immediately that he had hit it to the one
0:44:27 > 0:44:33place on the 18th green where the ball was going to feed back towards the hole side.
0:44:33 > 0:44:34'This could go...
0:44:38 > 0:44:40'What about that?'
0:44:41 > 0:44:45So he was left with, I don't know, a 12, 14 foot putt.
0:44:47 > 0:44:48'He's done it.'
0:44:50 > 0:44:52And suddenly he went like that.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54'What a way to finish.'
0:44:55 > 0:44:58My dad and I jigging around the room, just like Sandy,
0:44:58 > 0:45:01and I remember climbing up on the sofa and jumping around
0:45:01 > 0:45:04and we were just hugging one another
0:45:04 > 0:45:06because it was such a wondrous moment to be part of
0:45:06 > 0:45:09and I still get a bit teary now when I think about it
0:45:09 > 0:45:11because it just meant so much to us.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14'Absolutely superb.'
0:45:14 > 0:45:18He'd won the Masters, he was ours and it was magical.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27We had that wonderful era, of course, of all the British players
0:45:27 > 0:45:32winning it. You know Woosnam, Faldo won it a number of times.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37It was a complete domination.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40And the Americans must have wondered what on Earth was going on.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47There was an era when Paralympic sport was
0:45:47 > 0:45:50under-represented on British television.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53But times have changed and BBC Two has played a central role
0:45:53 > 0:45:57in bringing these athletes to a mass audience.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04I was a really competitive child.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07Sport was just part of my life from as young as I can remember.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11My very first memory is watching Wales play New Zealand in '73,
0:46:11 > 0:46:14so there wasn't a time when sport wasn't there.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20Before Paralympic sport was covered on the BBC,
0:46:20 > 0:46:22there was very, very limited coverage
0:46:22 > 0:46:25and a lot of it was a little bit patronising.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28It was about how we were brave and marvellous and wonderful
0:46:28 > 0:46:32and there wasn't that much talk of sort of sporting endeavour.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36I think BBC Two probably made a very bold move in terms of putting
0:46:36 > 0:46:38Paralympic sport on TV
0:46:38 > 0:46:41and I think the fact it was on BBC meant people took it seriously.
0:46:41 > 0:46:451992 was a real watershed for the Paralympics.
0:46:45 > 0:46:49There was a lot more coverage given to it in Barcelona.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52Tanni appears on the scene, four gold medals,
0:46:52 > 0:46:57she's suddenly in our consciousness as an incredible athlete.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01You could tell she had an iron will, this woman.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03'Tanni Grey then, world champion over 400 metres,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06'bronze medallist in Seoul four years ago, in lane 4,
0:47:06 > 0:47:08'has gone off very, very quickly indeed.'
0:47:08 > 0:47:12Obviously, with our interest from a local lass from Cardiff,
0:47:12 > 0:47:15even though they might be the other side of the world competing,
0:47:15 > 0:47:18you'd get up to watch it or you'd stay up late to watch it.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21She contributed so much to that sport.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25'And Tanni Grey comes home for Great Britain, gold for Great Britain.'
0:47:25 > 0:47:29My 400 metres was shown and the BBC also showed me
0:47:29 > 0:47:31spitting out a mouthful of water on the track
0:47:31 > 0:47:33and my mum went ballistic with me.
0:47:33 > 0:47:35And I kind of rang her and she went,
0:47:35 > 0:47:38"I can't believe you spat in front of a BBC camera!"
0:47:38 > 0:47:39I remember saying, "But I won,"
0:47:39 > 0:47:43and she said, "Don't spit in front of a BBC camera ever again." "OK, yeah, sorry, Mum."
0:47:43 > 0:47:46I think for the first time we were recognised as athletes, and
0:47:46 > 0:47:50that was shown in the crowd support. The stadium was packed every night.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54Coming back from Barcelona, people would stop me in the street and say, "Are you Tanni Grey?"
0:47:54 > 0:47:57'Tanni Grey has gone storming off.'
0:47:57 > 0:48:02I think BBC Two was crucial in terms of highlighting sports that could have been seen as minority sports,
0:48:02 > 0:48:05because where else would you have found them?
0:48:05 > 0:48:10'Tanni Grey-Thompson is a gold medallist once again. Absolutely brilliant.'
0:48:10 > 0:48:14We stay in Wales for our next golden moment on Two.
0:48:15 > 0:48:20The sport of rugby has always been an integral part of BBC sport.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24From league to union, BBC Two has been a match leader.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27And for Rugby Special, one moment of analysis,
0:48:27 > 0:48:31one moment of genius and one of the greatest tries ever
0:48:31 > 0:48:34from the Barbarians against the mighty All Blacks.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39Gareth Edwards' career was packed full of acts of wizardry,
0:48:39 > 0:48:46and in 1973 he would find himself at the heart of a never to be forgotten moment of sporting magic.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51Rugby Special, it was a wonderful programme. You had to watch it
0:48:51 > 0:48:55to believe that what you had experienced had actually happened.
0:48:55 > 0:49:01The sheer delight we had then to hear the great Cliff Morgan's wonderful commentary on it.
0:49:01 > 0:49:07'Almost on the halfway line, Kirkpatrick. To Williams, Phil Bennett covering.'
0:49:07 > 0:49:11I thought, thank God Phil was going to kick it into touch.
0:49:11 > 0:49:17Cos that's what it needed at the time. Phil did the complete opposite and I remember thinking,
0:49:17 > 0:49:19"What on Earth is he doing now?"
0:49:19 > 0:49:22'Brilliant! Oh, that's brilliant. John Williams,
0:49:22 > 0:49:23Bryan Williams, Pullin.'
0:49:23 > 0:49:27I'm trying to get out of the way so I wouldn't interfere with the move.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31'Great dummy. David, Tom David.'
0:49:31 > 0:49:33I could see the opening.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37'Brilliant by Quinnell, this is Gareth Edwards!
0:49:37 > 0:49:39'A dramatic start, what a score!'
0:49:43 > 0:49:45And of course, as they say, it's all history now
0:49:45 > 0:49:46and I scored in the corner.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51'Edwards. What can touch a man like that?'
0:49:53 > 0:49:58This amazing moment makes me really proud of being Welsh, actually.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03I can't believe people still talk about it
0:50:03 > 0:50:06when you realise it was played over 40 years ago.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10To relive such iconic sporting moments,
0:50:10 > 0:50:14Rugby Special was essential viewing for fans of the union code,
0:50:14 > 0:50:18with the show's presenters typically appearing in their Sunday best.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20'Special programme, special dress code
0:50:20 > 0:50:23'because this week Rugby Special is 30 years old.'
0:50:24 > 0:50:29But John Inverdale's typical look for the show bucked the trend and divided opinion.
0:50:29 > 0:50:33How can you ever forget John? He used to wear the rugby shirt
0:50:33 > 0:50:36just to sort of prove a point that he knew something about rugby.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40Hello. The agony and ecstasy of the most crucial weekend of the season so far.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42All I would say is we were ten years ahead of our time.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45Look at what people are wearing these days to present programmes.
0:50:45 > 0:50:50I would defend to my dying breath that what we did was the right thing to do.
0:50:50 > 0:50:51Looking at the shirts he wears these days,
0:50:51 > 0:50:55maybe he would have been better off still wearing those rugby shirts.
0:50:56 > 0:50:57Sorry, John.
0:51:00 > 0:51:04With five decades of superb sport to pick from,
0:51:04 > 0:51:06we've saved the best till last.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09A memorable night back in 1985.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12It kept a record-breaking 18.5 million of you glued
0:51:12 > 0:51:14to your screens past midnight.
0:51:14 > 0:51:18An epic encounter known as The Black Ball Final.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25Everybody was in shock.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29Nobody could believe it finished the way it did.
0:51:29 > 0:51:33We had no idea of the pandemonium that had happened around the country
0:51:33 > 0:51:35with people getting hooked on it.
0:51:36 > 0:51:41It really was a big deal! It sounds crazy but it was a big thing.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45The tension was unbelievable in that final. It was just gripping.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49People realised that they were at a moment of sport
0:51:49 > 0:51:53that they would look back and say, "Where were you when...?"
0:51:54 > 0:52:001985 World Championship final, Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02Dennis Taylor did cause a lot of anguish
0:52:02 > 0:52:05for any kids at school who wore glasses.
0:52:05 > 0:52:09Because everybody wanted to wear them upside down and do the Dennis Taylor impression.
0:52:10 > 0:52:15No-one beat Davis. No-one beat him, he was not beatable.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17I was meant to be invincible
0:52:17 > 0:52:20and I turned up for that final against Dennis Taylor
0:52:20 > 0:52:24in magnificent form and completely whitewashed him in the first session.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27I think I won the next frame of the next session and things were going
0:52:27 > 0:52:29swimmingly and I was going to be world champion again.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34I had the best seat in the house in the Crucible
0:52:34 > 0:52:36because I didn't get out of it very much.
0:52:38 > 0:52:43'Well, Steve Davis is really riding on the crest of a wave at the moment.'
0:52:43 > 0:52:478-0 up...flying.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50You know, thinking about finishing it a session early.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52'I wonder what Dennis is thinking.'
0:52:52 > 0:52:56When my mum passed away, that was a big blow
0:52:56 > 0:52:58and I still hadn't really got over it,
0:52:58 > 0:53:02but what I used to do when Steve was clearing up each frame,
0:53:02 > 0:53:04I used to chat away to my mum.
0:53:05 > 0:53:10I had a little bit of help from what I'd like to think is up above as well.
0:53:13 > 0:53:15GARY LINEKER: Davis led by a long way in that final - a long way.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19And that's what made it even more amazing.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26All of a sudden my wheel fell off, the elastic band broke,
0:53:26 > 0:53:30I collapsed, Dennis got stronger, by the end of the night, 9-7.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36'Six frames in a row, a marvellous performance by Dennis Taylor.'
0:53:37 > 0:53:41That was like the end of my world. I was 9-7 in front and I felt like I'd lost.
0:53:41 > 0:53:47'Dennis Taylor has played beautifully this evening to narrow the gap to only two frames.'
0:53:47 > 0:53:50That spirit that he showed in the second session is what got us,
0:53:50 > 0:53:52in the end, to the black ball final.
0:53:52 > 0:53:57BBC were now cancelling all their programmes
0:53:57 > 0:53:59and stayed with every single shot.
0:53:59 > 0:54:05'And into the final 35th frame. Storybook stuff, isn't it, Ted?
0:54:05 > 0:54:07'The players shake hands.
0:54:10 > 0:54:17'One of these lucky chaps will pick up the title, the trophy and ?60,000.'
0:54:17 > 0:54:20The final day of the final over two days was a blur.
0:54:21 > 0:54:26900 people in the Crucible, the tension got higher and higher,
0:54:26 > 0:54:29until both players could hardly hold a cue.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33The final frame took an hour and ten minutes.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36We couldn't pot a ball, but it was tension.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39'Very tense moments here now at the Crucible Theatre.'
0:54:45 > 0:54:48We're stuck in our own little bubble, me and Dennis. We had no
0:54:48 > 0:54:51idea how many people were watching. We were just involved on the table.
0:54:51 > 0:54:56How can you get 18.5 million people to watch a game of snooker?
0:54:56 > 0:54:59Getting a small ball in a slightly bigger hole with a pointed stick.
0:54:59 > 0:55:01'Both players under great strain.'
0:55:01 > 0:55:03It was proper cliffhanger stuff.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07To go down to the very last black ball in the competition like that,
0:55:07 > 0:55:09it was agonising.
0:55:09 > 0:55:13'The final frame. The final black.'
0:55:13 > 0:55:17And I tried to double the black and the crowd all started cheering
0:55:17 > 0:55:18and I thought it's in.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20CROWD: YES!
0:55:20 > 0:55:21CROWD: Ooooh!
0:55:23 > 0:55:25'I have never known an atmosphere like this.'
0:55:31 > 0:55:34Steve made a bit of a mess of his next shot.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38And I had the first proper chance to pot the black.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47'That was the biggest shot of his life.'
0:55:47 > 0:55:50I'm more or less devastated, I think, when I push the glasses
0:55:50 > 0:55:54up above my head. I think I slumped back in my chair a little bit
0:55:54 > 0:55:57and thought, "There's no way Steve's going to miss the black."
0:55:57 > 0:56:03I was standing behind the curtain, peeking through like that,
0:56:03 > 0:56:05like a kid watching a horror movie.
0:56:06 > 0:56:10I couldn't watch it and I closed the curtain
0:56:10 > 0:56:15and I never saw the ball but I heard the crowd go, "Ahh!"
0:56:15 > 0:56:17'No!
0:56:22 > 0:56:24'This is really unbelievable.'
0:56:24 > 0:56:28I came to the table thinking, "How have I got this chance?
0:56:28 > 0:56:31"Why did Steve not knock the black in?"
0:56:31 > 0:56:33But he didn't and it's amazing what pressure can do.
0:56:37 > 0:56:38'He's done it!'
0:56:38 > 0:56:40You can still see Dennis Taylor celebrating now.
0:56:40 > 0:56:45With the cue over his head! It was incredible.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48'Dennis Taylor, for the first time,
0:56:48 > 0:56:54'becomes Embassy World Snooker Champion, 1985.'
0:56:54 > 0:56:58A good friend of mine who was there for the whole tournament with me
0:56:58 > 0:57:02and I wagged my finger at him saying, "I told you I'd win in the end."
0:57:04 > 0:57:09'A fabulous picture of a very happy and popular man.'
0:57:09 > 0:57:12Whilst it was the worst moment of my snooker career -
0:57:12 > 0:57:16certainly at the time my world had fallen apart -
0:57:16 > 0:57:22but it turned out, on reflection, to be the best moment of my career as well.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24To actually be involved in something
0:57:24 > 0:57:28where so many people got entertainment from is an honour.
0:57:28 > 0:57:32To beat Steve Davis, who has been the best player in the world,
0:57:32 > 0:57:35well, there's not a lot more you can say, really.
0:57:36 > 0:57:38Well, I'm the best this year.
0:57:41 > 0:57:45It was just great to have been involved in a final that
0:57:45 > 0:57:48people still talk about almost 30 years later.
0:57:51 > 0:57:54Sports coverage on British television
0:57:54 > 0:57:56has been through some dramatic changes
0:57:56 > 0:57:58since the arrival of BBC Two.
0:57:58 > 0:58:01We've gone from black and white pictures
0:58:01 > 0:58:03to images that leap out of the screen in 3D.
0:58:03 > 0:58:07But over the past five decades, this channel has continuously
0:58:07 > 0:58:10brought audiences the very best in sporting action.
0:58:10 > 0:58:15So, happy birthday, BBC Two, and thanks for the memories.
0:58:15 > 0:58:17Here's to another 50 glorious years.
0:59:07 > 0:59:10Ted, I... I'm not interested in coming to see Lady Gaga, sir.
0:59:11 > 0:59:12They're back.