Murray Walker

Desert Island Discs

BBC

Society & Culture, Music Commentary, Music, Personal Journals

4.4 • 13.7K Ratings

🗓️ 16 March 2014

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Kirsty Young's castaway is the broadcaster Murray Walker His commentating career began in 1948 and he finally hung the lip mic at the end of 2001. His trousers-on-fire style of delivery brought excitement, emotion and fanatical obsession to Formula 1 - for many motor racing fans he was motorsport. He was a petrol-head before the term had even been coined; his father, one of the top motorbike racing champions of his day, ignited his son's life-long love of big noisy engines. He's talked British fans through so many of the sport's greatest victories - Damon Hill crossing the finish line to win the World Title brought an audible lump to his throat. But also, inevitably, there have been great tragedies too - his live commentary on Ayrton Senna's fatal crash in 1994 was possibly his most professionally demanding. He says, "I have always believed that Formula One, with its highs and lows, is the ultimate distillation of life." Producer: Cathy Drysdale.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Kirstie Young.
0:02.0	Thank you for downloading this podcast of Desert Island Discs from BBC Radio 4.
0:06.5	For rights reasons, the music choices are shorter than in the Radio broadcast.
0:11.0	For more information about the program, please visit bbc.co.uk-radio4.
0:30.0	My cast away this week is the broadcaster Marie Walker.
0:38.0	His commentating career began in 1948 and he finally hung up the lit mic at the end of 2001.
0:46.0	His trousers on fire style of delivery brought excitement, emotion and fanatical obsession to Formula 1.
0:52.0	For motor racing fans, he was motorsport.
0:56.0	A petrol head before the term had even been coined, it was his father.
1:00.0	One of the top motorbike racing champs of his day who ignited his son's lifelong love of big noisy engines.
1:07.0	He's talked British fans through so many of the sport's greatest victories.
1:12.0	Damon Hill crossing the finish line to win the world title brought an audible lump to his throat.
1:18.0	But also inevitably great tragedies too, his live commentary on Erton Senna's fatal crash in 94.
1:24.0	Must surely have been his most professionally demanding.
1:28.0	He says, I have always believed that Formula 1 with its highs and lows is the ultimate distillation of life.
1:36.0	So, Marie Walker, if you would begin then by just expanding on that.
1:39.0	And what way do you think does Formula 1 represent everything we have to deal with in the real world?
1:44.0	Everybody in Formula 1 coasty doesn't matter whether they're the trucky who is bringing their tyres to the circuit.
1:50.0	Or Bernie Eccleston himself. Or one of the top drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Louis Hamilton and Jensen Bunn.
1:58.0	They're all the best at what they do.
2:01.0	And it's an enormously satisfying and stimulating environment to be in.
2:06.0	Because you are strong rivals and in some cases bitter rivals on Saturday and Sunday.
	...

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