John Motson - Biography

Biography

The son of a Methodist minister, Motson was educated at Culford School, near Bury St Edmunds. Culford is a public school where football was generally frowned upon at the time and rugby union, hockey and cricket are the major sports.

Motson's career began in the newspaper business as a reporter on the Barnet Press and the Sheffield Morning Telegraph, where he first covered football. It began to take off when the BBC hired him in 1968 as a sports presenter on Radio 2. Three years later, he replaced Kenneth Wolstenholme at Match of the Day. After initially having a small role on MOTD, Motson covered the famous FA cup third round replay between Hereford United and Newcastle United on 5 February 1972, which the BBC anticipated as a five minute segment following their two main games. Non-league Hereford won the match 2-1; it became the main featured game on the show and launched Motson's career.

Since 1979 Motson has commentated on all the major championships: World Cups, FA Cups, and European Championships. Most recently, he was commentator for the 2008 European Championships Final. He was commentating on the FA Cup Semi-final of 1989 between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest when the Hillsborough Disaster occurred. Motson found himself commentating on a tragedy rather than a football match, and he would later appear as part of the Hillsborough inquiry, since he had been a witness.

Apart from a brief spell in the 1990s, when his friend and rival Barry Davies was selected for two FA Cup final commentaries and the 1994 World Cup final, Motson has been the dominant football commentary figure at the BBC since the late 1970s. His first FA Cup Final as commentator was 1977 in the match between Manchester United and Liverpool.

Motson's popularity has extended to the Internet, where BBC Sport Online created a Mini Motty "desktop toy" to keep fans up to date on action in the Premiership, FA Cup, and other leagues throughout England and Scotland. In 1996, Motson published a book entitled Motty's Diary: A Year In The Life Of A Commentator. Two years later, BBC One gave him his own TV programme, entitled The Full Motty.

John Motson is famed for his sheepskin coat, which, on satirical quiz show They Think It's All Over, he revealed that he bought from a man in Hornchurch along with 7 identical coats, hoping that they would span his career. Unfortunately, they haven't lasted and his most recent sheepskin coat was created by a member of the Sunday league team John played for as a youth (Roving Reporters F.C. of the Barnet Sunday League) Tony Cox from Tailors Row bespoke tailors.

Motson and a summariser, including ex-professionals Mark Lawrenson and former Rangers star Ally McCoist, lent their voices to Canadian video game developer EA Sports as English-language commentators for its popular FIFA series. They were replaced for FIFA 06 by Clive Tyldesley and Andy Gray but returned with McCoist for FIFA Manager 08.

When Premier League television highlights moved to ITV in 2001, and MOTD was no longer a weekly fixture in the schedules, Motson returned to radio on BBC Radio Five Live's coverage of the Premiership, but continued to make frequent appearances on live TV coverage and contributions to BBC Sport's website – which he has been doing since the site was launched in July 2000.

In 2001, speech therapist Jane Comins conducted a voice profile analysis to study the patterns of eight top television and radio commentators. The criteria included pitch, volume, rhythm and tone, and Comins found that Motson scored the best results. This was backed by 32% of football fans who voted him Britain's favourite commentator.

Motson resumed his weekly place on Match of the Day when the rights returned to the BBC in 2004, although he has also continued to perform occasional radio commentaries.

In 2006, Motson appeared in the Aardman Animations movie Flushed Away, playing the part of the football commentator.

He is a Barnet F.C. supporter. He sponsored Barnet winger Albert Adomah, until he signed for Bristol City FC in July 2010.

His commentary partner was often Mark Lawrenson.

He has stated that the 1987 FA Cup Final between Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur was "the finest FA Cup final I've ever had the pleasure of commentating on".

Motson lives in Hertfordshire with his wife, Anne, and their son Frederick (Derby County F.C. fan).

In 2007, he appeared on the BBC Radio 4 biographical programme Great Lives and he nominated Brian Clough as his 'great life'.

In 2008, following the BBC's loss of rights to cover live football and refusal of the BBC to release him from his contract to join Setanta Sports (to whom the rights had been sold, along with ITV) he announced his retirement from live television commentary. The Euro 2008 final was his last live TV broadcast. He will continue to cover games for Match of the Day highlights, but has stated that I don't see myself going to South Africa for the World Cup in 2010. He will auction his sheepskin coats on eBay for charity.

Motson did travel to South Africa as part of the BBC team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, occasionally appearing on the Match of the Day highlights show, as well providing reports on the BBC website .

Motson has been increasingly used as a commentator on BBC Radio 5 Live since BBC TV's loss of live football coverage, often commentating live on a wider range of games - international, Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League - than previously on television.

In the 2010-2011 season Motson, together with his son Fred, jointly won the Gough Square Chambers fantasy football league.