First TV Sports commentary

Picture shows L.V. Brooker (Alexandra Boxing Club) vs K Bullock (St Mary's Boxing Club, Wales) in the Concert Hall at Alexandra Palace, December 1938.

The first television sports event to feature a live commentary was a boxing match between England and Ireland, broadcast on 4 February 1937. The commentator was Harry Mallin, himself a former middleweight champion and Olympic gold medallist. Outside broadcasts were in their infancy, and it was easier to bring the action into the studio, so the Concert Hall at Alexandra Palace was turned over to the Alexandra Amateur Boxing Club for the occasion. The bout brought the excitement of live sport into the living rooms of viewers, and gave them a ringside seat.

There were two matches in the 25 minute programme. The first was a welterweight bout between W.S. Pack and T. Byrne. This was followed by lightweights F.J. Simpson versus Corporal T. Bonham. The results are not recorded. Other sports were broadcast from Alexandra Palace in the following weeks, including table tennis and golf.

Today’s commentators have built on the pioneering work of Mallin and others, developing a style that is both knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Some become synonymous with their chosen sport, such as Harry Carpenter, who died in 2008, and is remembered as "The Voice of Boxing".