Biographies

Radio 5 Live sports commentator and reporter

Bob Ballard is a sports commentator and reporter for BBC Radio 5 Live, specialising in swimming, basketball and ice hockey.

Bob was born in St John's Wood, London, about half-a-mile from Lord's Cricket Ground, and went to Drayton Manor Grammar School which produced such luminaries as Rick Wakeman and Peter Crouch (when it became a High School).

He began his career in radio aged 15 working on the Hullabaloo programme on Capital Radio, where he spent two years doing the weekly pop music round-up. During his time at Capital, Bob was voted their best young DJ three times.

Bob made his BBC debut in 1983 presenting the sport and music programme Out And About on Radio Medway, now BBC Radio Kent.

He first worked for 5 Live in 1995, commentating on ice hockey, and joined the network full-time in 1997 working on breakfast sports bulletins with Peter Allen and Jane Garvey, and commentating on a range of sports including football and swimming. He also commentates on diving and Paralympic swimming for BBC TV.

A key member of the 5 Live sport team, Bob has covered a huge range of sports and events and lists his first Olympics (Sydney 2000) and the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002 as highlights of his career.

He was part of the 5 Live team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and is looking forward to his role on the team for London 2012.

Aside from swimming, basketball and ice hockey, Bob is a huge tennis fan and has covered the last seven Wimbledon Championships.

He supports Middlesex County Cricket Club and West Ham United.

Away from sport he loves music of all kinds and reached the final of Yorkshire TV's Pop Quest in 1976.