F1With BBC OnThe Other Line


Jim Reside


"The technology in those days was nothing like as good as it is today and the pictures used to flash and bang from the other side of the world, and the commentary circuit that Murray was talking on, even in European races in France or Italy, frequently used to disappear and Murray had to commentate on the telephone. In those days, commentary circuits were bits of wire like our telephones at home and required somebody in a technical room somewhere in Europe to plug in this big jack plug that connected it to Paris. Then somebody in Paris had to take the other end and plug it in to pass it through to London. So, it just needed one person to pull out the wrong plug somewhere in Europe and you lostMurray! "This used to happen with annoying frequency and we always had a telephone


standby and Murray quite often had to commentate over the phone. If you listen to some of those from the eighties, it sounds as though he is commentating from the moon.”


"More of my friends, the stars! This time, it is the brilliant


Formula One journalist, Nigel Roebuck, seated left, Frank Williams and his driver, the ebullient Irishman Derek Daly. This was, of course, before Frank had his terrible accident leaving the Paul Ricard circuit which put him into a


wheelchair for the rest of his life and was a special tragedy because he was one of the fittest people I ever knew and a superb athlete. Derek Daly later raced successfully in America where he subsequently, like me, became a TV commentator. Being Irish, he's never short of the appropriate phrase!”


The Eyes And Ears MurrayismMurrayismMurrayism


Murray: “And there are flames coming from the back of Prost's car as he enters the swimming pool.” James: “Well, that should put them out then.”


Mike Doodson


"When Murray started commentating for the BBC, he needed a spotter. There were no electronic screens in those days and he needed someone to do a lap chart for him, and that was me.SoI sat alongside him through all the great years. I got slightly deafened! "For quite a long time, the BBC didn't send Murray to very distant places, so I was


the eyes and ears of the BBC in those distant places. James Hunt always deeply resented having to go to Shepherd's Bush at 3 o'clock in the morning for the Japanese GrandPrix instead of actually being there.”


90 MurrayWalker Scrapbook


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