The letter from Southampton football club told me to arrive at 12.30 for kick off at 3pm.
I was 15, and hoping this was the first rung on the ladder to becoming a professional. My trial match didn’t go well, I gave a penalty away after about 10 minutes. First division Southampton didn’t want me so next stop Reading. We used to train on the Elm Park pitch on Thursday evenings, our coach was Dougie Webb who’s son Neil played for Manchester United and England. Reading didn’t want me either.
So if I wasn’t going to be a professional footballer I needed to do something else. For as long as I can remember I had a fascination about radio. I used to record programmes in my bedroom pretending to be a DJ. In 1974 I attended an exhibition at Olympia in London. The BBC were doing an outside broadcast and when the Radio 2 presenter asked for a volunteer to introduce a record I stepped forward. It was a real sliding doors moment. That was my springboard, a few months later I was working at the BBC as a junior researcher. I was actually the tea boy – I really was!
I eventually got a job in local radio which is where I did my broadcasting apprenticeship. Next stop the famous BBC Sports department in London – again it was a trial. This time time I passed, but there was a strange quirk of fate. On three occasions I just happened to be the first reporter on the scene where three terrorist bombs had been left. I phoned my newsroom colleagues to give them the scoop. They were impressed! My boss in the Sports room was a wonderful editor called Ian Thomas who had a brilliant sense of humour.
After the third bomb he praised me saying “Well done son, we know you are keen to make an impression but people are asking, three bombs and you’re always the first on the scene. Son, are you actually planting the devices?”
I have had a fantastic career and have been lucky to interview so many wonderful people. Nelson Mandela punched me once! I was at a boxing match in South Africa and I had the chance to interview him. In my final question I said, “President Mandela you used to box, were you a big puncher”? He paused and then started jabbing me on the arm! “ Now you tell me whether you think I was a big puncher,” he chuckled.
With former World Heavyweight champion Frank Bruno I travelled to Kosovo during the war to do some shows for the British troops. We flew to each location in a helicopter and were both petrified when we thought we were coming under fire from a surface-to-air missile. I returned to Kosovo with two of footballs best-loved characters Jimmy Greaves and Tommy Docherty. They were such great company.
When I was 10 and still hoping for a career as a footballer my heroes were George Best and Denis Law. I got to know George well on a theatre tour. I drove him around for a few weeks in my battered old Ford Granada. That led to a trip to South Africa and another series of shows. Denis Law came with us and it was such a great privilege to work so closely with two such iconic stars.
It’s not all been sport. I worked with Richard Burton, one of Hollywood’s greatest stars, on the royal wedding in 1981. I had to tell actor Ben Stiller he wasn’t delivering his lines properly when he recorded a film for us at the BBC
If I had to pick my favourite interview it was with President Bill Clinton. It was in Wimbledon’s Royal Box. As I walked up to introduce myself he said, “Hello Garry, pleased to meet you.” I was amazed, it was a real surprise. He had had taken the trouble to find out my name from his Secret Service agents. On reflection I’m glad I didn’t make it as a footballer!
(photo:Stuart Robinson)
Memory added on January 28, 2021
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