Peter Lloyd (commentator)

Peter Lloyd (16 November 1920[1] – before 23 September 1976[2]) was a British television sports commentator, who specialised in football commentaries. He is notable for having given, alongside former England captain Billy Wright, the first ever live television commentary on an English Football League match, when the second half of Blackpool versus Bolton Wanderers was shown by ITV on 10 September 1960.[3][4] He is also the only lead commentator to have covered FA Cup Finals for both BBC and ITV.

Lloyd began his commentary career with BBC Television, working on various football matches from 1948[5] until 1955.[6] He commentated on the FA Cup Final in both 1949[7] and 1950,[8] and England's matches against Scotland[9] and Italy[10] in April and November 1949. As was the practice then, the commentary was split between Lloyd and Jimmy Jewell, the BBC's main television football voice of the time.

Lloyd subsequently worked for the commercial ITV network following its launch in 1955, covering its first live football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Vasas Budapest. He also worked on three FA Cup Finals[11][12] and on the 1958 World Cup.[13] He later provided football commentary for ITV regional companies TWW and Granada Television.

In the 1950s and 60s he also provided commentary for ITV on other sports such as figure skating[14] and cricket,[15] as well as on non-sporting events including royal wedding broadcasts in 1960[16] and 1961.[17]

Lloyd also worked as a presenter, fronting ITV's Seeing Sport. This was a programme aimed at younger viewers, later described by The Stage newspaper as having been "the only regular and popular sports programme" of the network's early years.[2] By the time of the publication of that article in The Stage in September 1976, Lloyd had died.[2]

In November 1958 he overpowered an intruder who had invaded a neighbour's house; the neighbour's 11-year-old son having run to Lloyd's home to ask for help.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "TV Man Knocks Down Intruder". Daily Herald. 17 November 1958. p. 5.
  2. ^ a b c Bromley, John (23 September 1976). "Locked in a Healthy Sporting War". The Stage. p. 28.
  3. ^ McGhee, Frank (12 September 1960). "TV Makes Pitch 200 Yards Wide!". Daily Mirror. p. 25.
  4. ^ Crist, Matthew (19 September 2019). "Saturday Night Live: Remembering ITV's Failed Football Experiment". The Sportsman. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Association Football: Oxford v Cambridge". Radio Times. London: BBC. 16 November 1948. p. 27. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Association Football: Schoolboys' International - England v Wales". Radio Times. London: BBC. 15 April 1955. p. 50. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  7. ^ "The Cup Final: Leicester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers". Radio Times. London: BBC. 22 April 1949. p. 31. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  8. ^ "The Cup Final: Arsenal v Liverpool". Radio Times. London: BBC. 21 April 1950. p. 45. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Association Football: England v Scotland". Radio Times. London: BBC. 1 April 1949. p. 31. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Association Football: England v Italy". Radio Times. London: BBC. 25 November 1949. p. 47. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  11. ^ Bentley, Tom (3 May 1958). "Televiews". South Yorkshire Times. p. 16. ...on ITV the commentators are Peter Lloyd, Gerry Loftus and Berkeley Smith
  12. ^ "BBC Plan Close-Ups of FA Cup Highlights". Shields Daily News. 30 April 1958. p. 4. Associated Television, covering the match for ITV, will be using four cameras, but the onerous job of commentating is divided between two men - Gerry Loftus and Peter Lloyd
  13. ^ North, Max (11 June 1958). "On TV To-Night". Manchester Evening News. p. 2. Priority programme to-night is the England v Brazil World Cup match in Gothenburg... for ITV there are Peter Lloyd and Gerry Loftus
  14. ^ "Tomorrow's Programmes". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 22 November 1958. p. 2. Tomorrow afternoon ITV cameras will focus on some of Britain's top amateur skaters practising for the forthcoming British figure skating championships. With commentator Peter Lloyd at 1.30 will be Geoffrey Yates, winner of many figure skating championships.
  15. ^ "Today's TV and Radio". Daily Herald. 14 August 1963. p. 4. Cricket from the Oval: Surrey v Lancashire with commentary from Geoffrey Evans, George Duckworth and Peter Lloyd
  16. ^ Patrick, John (1 April 1960). "John Patrick Talks Television". Halifax Evening Courier. p. 3. Peter Lloyd will describe the scene at Clarence House as the Princess leaves for the service at Westminster Abbey
  17. ^ "Peter Lloyd's Holiday Stunt". The Stage. 15 June 1961. p. 10. Peter, who was one of the ITV team of commentators at the recent Royal Wedding...