Jim is the BBC’s senior racing commentator, covering many of the leading fixtures in the domestic racing calendar including the Grand National, the Derby and Royal Ascot as well as top overseas events such as the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the Dubai World Cup and the Melbourne Cup in his native Australia.

Jim started his career in Melbourne but a lack of opportunity forced him to leave his homeland for Hong Kong in 1973. In 1984 he came to Europe, essentially to work for Phoenix Park in Dublin doing course commentaries in the summer. He then got the opportunity to call a couple of races at York during the Ebor meeting in 1984 for which he received favourable publicity in the racing and national press. Soon afterwards, Jim joined the BBC under the wing of Sir Peter O’Sullevan and succeeded the celebrated commentator following his retirement in 1997.

In 2001 Jim won the Royal Television Society Commentator of the Year award.