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Tributes paid to Peter Bromley, the BBC's voice of racing
Tributes
have been paid to Peter Bromley, for 41 years the BBC's Racing
Correspondent.
He
died at the age of 74 in the early hours of today (Wednesday 4 June
2003)
following a 15-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
Peter
Salmon, the BBC's Director of Sport, said: "Peter Bromley
set the gold standard for horse racing commentary on British radio.
"His
voice and expertise defined the sport for audiences. Our thoughts
go to his family who will miss him dearly, though the loss will
be felt by millions of radio listeners too."
Bob
Shennan, Controller of BBC Radio Five Live, said: "He was
one of the giants of sports broadcasting whose incredible voice
became the hallmark of Saturday afternoon radio listening for millions."
Cornelius
Lysaght, BBC Radio's current Racing Correspondent, said: "He
described in an unmistakable way a powerful, colourful sport and
in doing so converted many people to racing."
And
Gordon
Turnbull, Head of BBC Radio Sport, said: "Peter was a legendary
figure in the world of sports broadcasting who had one of the great
voices of radio, unmistakable in its richness. He will be sorely
missed."
Peter
Bromley
retired two years ago this week. He
gave his first BBC Radio commentary at Newmarket on 13 May 1959.
Later
that year, he was appointed the BBC Racing Correspondent, becoming
the first sports correspondent ever appointed by the Corporation.
Among
Peter's memorable commentaries were Shergar's runaway victory in
the 1981 Derby ("You'll need a telescope to see the rest!"),
and the emotional victory of Aldaniti and Bob Champion in the Grand
National in the same year, which reduced Peter and most of his listeners
to tears.
Peter
Bromley, after leaving the army, began his racing career as an assistant
to trainer Frank Pullen and occasional amateur jockey - although
this was curtailed by injury.
He
turned to racecourse commentary and worked as a freelance for both
ITV and the BBC.
Notes
to Editors
BBC
Sport Online story and classic commentaries
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