Nick Mullins (born 31 January 1966) is a British journalist and sports commentator, primarily working on BT Sport's Premiership Rugby coverage[1] and BBC One's Wimbledon coverage.[2]
Nick Mullins | |
|---|---|
| Born | 31 January 1966 |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, sports commentator |
| Spouse | Eleanor Oldroyd (divorced) Melissa Platt (married 2016) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life edit
Mullins began his career as a journalist with the Loughborough Trader and Loughborough Echo.[3]
Commentary career edit
Mullins joined the BBC in 1985 and moved to BBC Radio Sport in 1991.[3]
He was part of the Rugby Special team and covered Six Nations Championship, Premiership, Heineken Cup[4] and Anglo-Welsh Cup rugby matches for the BBC.[3] He also commentated at Wimbledon for Radio 5 Live.[5] He has commentated at the Olympic Games since 1996.[6][7]
In 2010 Mullins left the BBC to commentate on ESPN's rugby coverage.[4] Mullins was also ITV Sport's chief commentator at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and 2015 Rugby World Cup, where he commentated on the final with Ben Kay and Lawrence Dallaglio.[8][9] In 2013, Mullins moved to BT Sport following their acquisition of the Premiership Rugby rights and their subsequent takeover of ESPN. He has also provided commentary from the French Open Tennis for ITV Sport, and the University Boat Race.[3]
Controversy edit
Mullins was criticized by players and fans alike for a comment he made during the opening match of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Commentating for ITV, he referred to Fijian fans "back in Fiji around one TV hoping the generator doesn't fail them."[11] Fijian winger Nemani Nadolo voiced his displeasure at the remarks following the match on Twitter.[12]
Writing edit
As well as commentating, Mullins has contributed to blogs from some of the events he has commentated at, including the Olympic Games[13][6] and French Open.[14] He is also a columnist for ESPN Scrum.com.[15]
Personal life edit
Mullins is a supporter of Leicester City.[5] He was previously married to Radio 5 Live presenter Eleanor Oldroyd,[5][16] and they have two children.[5][17] In 2016, Mullins married Melissa Platt. Platt was a reporter for Sky Sports and the Head of Communications for the now defunct Wasps Rugby Club she is currently the Head of Media for the Rugby Players' Association (RPA).[citation needed]
References edit
- ^ "Behind the mic: Nick Mullins". BT Sport.
- ^ Thomas-Humphreys, Harry (4 July 2023). "Meet the BBC presenters, commentators and pundits for Wimbledon 2023". Metro. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Columnist: Nick Nullins". Scrum.com. ESPN.
- ^ a b "ESPN signs Nick Mullins for rugby comment". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. 27 May 2010.
- ^ a b c d "The rest of radio team". BBC Sport. 14 June 2001.
- ^ a b "About Nick Mullins". BBC Sport. 1 March 2008.
- ^ "TV Review: London 2012 Olympic Games, BBC". Express.co.uk. Northern and Shell Media Publications. 3 August 2012.
- ^ "Binoculars and boil-in-the-bag rice: Vickery and Mullins on the glamorous world of TV commentary". ITV.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013.
- ^ Ben Coles (15 September 2011). "ITV's coverage leaving viewers feeling rightly disgruntled". The Rugby Blog.
- ^ "Wimbledon presenters on BBC TV and radio: Meet the pundits and commentators". Radio Times. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/itv-commentator-slated-on-twitter-for-disrespectful-comment-about-fiji/31539760.html
- ^ https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/rugby-world-cup-broadcaster-backing-muppet-commentator/MZXTBCR2UBOXXZB5UUAQO52XTM/
- ^ "Vergeer's poetry in motion". BBC Sport. 15 September 2008. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008.
- ^ "Nick Mullins blog: Rain can't dampen French Open fever". ITV.com. 22 May 2012. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013.
- ^ "Depression takes a cruel toll". Scrum.com. ESPN. 7 May 2012.
- ^ "On The Airwaves: Good life comes with a microphone for this couple". The Daily Telegraph. 5 February 2005.
- ^ "Sports broadcaster Eleanor Oldroyd". Herefordshire Life. Archant Life. 18 October 2010.