Peter
Baxter was producer of BBC Radio’s world-famous ‘Test
Match Special’ programme for thirty-four years. He left the
BBC staff in 2007, the year of the programme’s fiftieth anniversary.
In that time he produced the radio coverage of around 400 Test Matches
round the world, in all ten Test-playing countries, commentating
and reporting himself on much of the cricket. He has worked alongside
some of the great names of broadcasting, like Brian Johnston, John
Arlott, John Snagge, Rex Alston, Jonathan Agnew, Henry Blofeld and
Christopher Martin-Jenkins and employed some of the greatest cricketers
of the post-war era as expert commentators as well as interviewing
them for the programme.
Several years ago, as Peter was parking his car at Lord’s,
the young steward supervising the operation noticed a BBC sticker
on some piece of kit.
“Are you one of the commentators?” he asked.
With a little pride, Peter answered, “I’m the producer.”
The lad turned away, with an air of obvious disappointment. “Oh,”
he said, “Just the producer. I suppose you've just come along
to watch.”
In fact the producing of radio cricket commentaries home and away
requires a nursemaid, an electrician, a carpenter, a politician,
an administrator, emergency scorer and emergency commentator –
and all of these and more Peter has had to be at times.
He is one of a very small group who have worked on all nine Cricket
World Cups and he has also covered World Cups in rugby and football.
In fact he was the BBC’s rugby producer for eight years and
was in charge of the coverage of the University Boat Race for a
decade, on top of his cricketing duties.
Eight tours of India and four of Pakistan have inevitably provided
a rich source of material for after-dinner speeches and illustrated
talks. He reported from Delhi when Indira Ghandi was assassinated
and from Faisalabad when Mike Gatting and umpire Shakoor Rana had
their infamous difference of opinion. In company with Jonathan Agnew,
he was threatened with jail for trying to enter Zimbabwe after the
BBC had been banned from covering a series there, was held up by
bandits in West Bengal and he famously sent Agnew to the ramparts
of the Galle Fort to report on a Test Match from there when the
BBC had been banned from that ground.
In England he was a helpless bystander in the back of the commentary
box as – to his horror – Brian Johnston and Jonathan
Agnew ‘corpsed’ after the celebrated remark that “Botham
couldn’t quite get his leg over”. And he was there,
too, for one of John Arlott’s greatest commentaries –
on the first streaker ever seen at Lord’s: “Not very
shapely – and it’s masculine – and it’s
seen the last of its cricket for the day.”
Peter Baxter’s repertoire is packed with amusing and entertaining
tales from behind the scenes in ‘Test Match Special’
the radio programme that has become a national institution.
Books:
Test Match Special (1981), Test Match Special 2
(1983), Test Match Special 3 (1985), From Brisbane
to Karachi (1988), From Arlott to Aggers (1997), Test
Match Special 50 Not Out (2007) – all as editor and main
writer.
The Ashes – Highlights since 1948 (1989) and England
v West Indies – Highlights since 1948 (1991) –
with Peter Hayter.
Views From the Boundary (1990) and More Views From
the Boundary (1993) – with Brian Johnston.
Cricket’s Big Day Out (1998), World Cup –
Cricket’s Clash of the Titans (1999), Cricket’s
Greatest Battles (2000).
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