Brian Johnston

Brian Alexander Johnston (June 24, 1912 - January 5, 1994) (known as "Johnners") was a cricket commentator for the BBC from 1946 until his death. He was educated at Eton and New College, Oxford and joined the BBC in January 1946, after service with the Grenadier Guards in the Second World War in which he won the Military Cross.

Johnston began his cricket commentating career at Lord’s for BBC Television in June 1946 at the England v India Test match. He became a regular member of the TV commentary team and, in addition, became BBC cricket correspondent in 1963. From 1965 onwards Johnston split his commentary duties between television (three Tests) and radio (two Tests) each summer. In 1970 Johnston was unceremoniously dropped from the TV commentary team but continued to appear as a member of the Test Match Special (TMS) radio team. He retired from the BBC in 1972 on his sixtieth birthday, and became a freelance commentator and it was in that capacity that he continued to appear on TMS for the next twenty-two years.

Johnston was responsible for a number of the TMS traditions, including the creation of the nicknames of fellow commentators (for example, Jonathan Agnew is still known as "Aggers", Henry Blofeld as "Blowers" and Bill Frindall as "the Bearded Wonder"). He once complained on air that he had missed his cake at tea during one match - the TMS team are still sent cakes by listeners.

In one famous incident during a Test match at the Oval, Jonathan Agnew suggested that Ian Botham was out "hit wicket" because had failed to "get his leg over." Johnston carried on commentating (and giggling) for 30 seconds before dissolving into helpless laughter (listen to mp3). Another one includes "Neil Harvey standing at leg slip, legs wide apart, waiting for a tickle".

Johnston was also responsible for the famous (perhaps apocryphal) quotation: "The bowler's Holding; the batsman's Willey" (Michael Holding of the West Indies bowling to Peter Willey of England in the Test match at the Oval in 1976).

As a BBC staff commentator Johnston variously presented and participated in a wide range of BBC radio and television programmes. These included radio programmes such as “In Town Tonight”, “Down Your Way” , "Trivia Test Match". He also commentated on events like the funeral of King George VI, the coronation of Elizabeth II and the wedding of HRH The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.

Brian Johnston was a great fan of the British Music Hall and revelled in its often mildly risqué “schoolboy” humour. The “An Evening with Johnners” one man show that he performed at the end of his life included many excruciating jokes, as well as his broadcasting and cricket reminisces.

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Johnston's informal and humorous style was very popular. When he died, the Daily Telegraph described him as "the greatest natural broadcaster of them all" and John Major, the British Prime Minister and cricket fan, said that "summers will never be the same". Brian Johnston’s memorial service was held at a packed Westminster Abbey on May 16th 1994. The following year the Brian Johnston Memorial Trust was established to promote cricket in schools and youth clubs, to help young cricketers in need of financial support, and to further disabled cricket.

External links

• BBC Test Match Special Legends
• Official Brian Johnston web site
• Blind Cricket, of which Brian was a supporter