FOR those of us who became hooked on sport by watching BBC One on Saturday afternoons, it can be discombobulating to see the schedules filled with Bargain Hunt, Money For Nothing, Escape To The Country and Garden Rescue repeats.
It's hardly 'Today's Sport As It Happens', as promised 65 years ago - in bold white upper case font over the top of an outside broadcast camera - when the nation settled down to watch what would become the Beeb's flagship sports show and the world's longest running live programme of its kind.
That first edition of Grandstand on October 11, 1958, which came on to the orchestral tune of News Scoop by Len Stevens the iconic baa-buh-bun-bun theme, written at a set of traffic lights while driving to work one morning by Keith Mansfield, didn't come along until October 1975 when it replaced Match of the Day composer Barry Stoller's 1971 successor to News Scoop - featured racing from Ascot and the World Amateur Golf Championship at St Andrews as well as showjumping from Haringey.
However, as original host Peter Dimmock recalled when the programme turned 40 in 1998, football was at the heart of the show's conception.
"We always had live outside broadcasts and they were a feature of Saturday afternoons," Dimmock said. "Paul (Fox, BBC executive) had this idea that it would be a good idea to link the live outside broadcasts from a studio so that we could give half-time football results, racing results and various items throughout the afternoon, and then of course the most important thing of all - the football results on the teleprinter, with everybody at home with their pools coupon seeing the results the moment they came up."
This story is from the November - December 2023 edition of Late Tackle Football Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November - December 2023 edition of Late Tackle Football Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
EURO 96 AN ALMOST PERFECT SUMMER
TOM GREEN RECALLS A TOURNAMENT WHICH CAPTURED THE ENTIRE COUNTRY'S IMAGINATION
GROUP GAMES
SAM SHEPPEY LOOKS AT HOW ENGLAND HAVE FARED AGAINST THEIR UPCOMING EURO 2024 FOES IN THE PAST
THE INCREDIBLE RISE OF KOBBIE MAINOO
CALLUM HUMPHREY HOW THE YOUNG MIDFIELDER HAS BLOSSOMED AT MANCHESTER UNITED AND COULD DO THE SAME FOR ENGLAND THIS SUMMER
GERMANY EYE FRESH SUMMER FAIRYTALE
KIT HOLDEN TAKES A LOOK AT THE PROSPECTS OF THE EURO 2024 HOSTS
PROGRAMME PERIL
JAKE GUNTON ON THE BATTLE FOR A FOOTBALL INSTITUTION TO STAY RELEVANT IN THE MODERN AGE
ENGLAND EXPECTS
ROBERT J WILSON ON THE THREE LIONS' BID FOR GLORY AFTER PREVIOUS EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP DISAPPOINTMENTS
PASSING THE BATON
NOTTS COUNTY FAN IAN KIRKE REFLECTS ON AN UNFORGETTABLE DAY AT MEADOW LANE...
CHEEKY CHARLIE
TOM GREEN LOOKS AT THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CHARLIE MITTEN, WHO WENT FROM BURMA TO BOGOTA VIA OLD TRAFFORD
HAPPY WITH OUR LOT
WATFORD FAN JONNY BRICK IS QUITE CONTENT WITH HIS TEAM NEVER GOING UP AND NEVER GOING DOWN...
JAMES RODRIGUEZ TEN YEARS ON
DANIEL MOFFAT LOOKS AT THE CAREER OF THE COLOMBIA STAR