Coverage
The match was broadcast live by the BBC with live coverage to twelve other European countries. In the United Kingdom the match commentator was Kenneth Wolstenholme, former player Walley Barnes was also pitchside with a radio cameraman to capture the atmosphere before the game and also interview the players during the build up. He was called upon only once during the match itself to comment on the injury to Chalmers. Many other countries brodacast either a full delayed match cast or edited highlights. The telecast was shown in its entirety in the United States by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on Wide World of Sports two weeks later on May 20. The contest was the first overseas event to appear on the sports anthology series. The Chalmers storyline was played up to the point that "Poor old Chalmers" became a familiar phrase among fans of the television program.
Almost all the television, radio and newspaper commentators predicted a Tottenham victory but in post game reports all agreed that Spurs had looked out of sorts during the opening fifteen minutes and it was only when Chalmers was injured that they began to have the larger share of the game, again leading to cries for the introduction of substitutes in future. For their part Leicester were considered a little unlucky though few reporters were willing to go as far as to say that the result would have been any different had the injury not occurred.
Chalmers himself only left the field with ten minutes remaining when Tottenham were comfortably in front and any chance of a Leicester victory had evaporated. He was unable to return to collect his loser's medal.
The match was broadcast in black and white as a cup final special edition of the Saturday afternoon sports programme Grandstand however cinema viewers experienced a first when the traditional pre movie newsreels of both Pathé and Movietone broadcast their match reports in colour.
Read more about this topic: 1961 FA Cup Final