Murray moments?

Racing events, drivers, cars or anything else from the past.
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#16

Post by JBT »

Bottom post of the previous page:

More of a blunder than a moment, but the 1969 Italian GP last lap (the only bit left that the BBC has? I know the whole race from French TV is knocking around though) as the lead pack were coming down to the Parabolica - Murray corrected by the producer / floor manager in the commentary booth beside him:

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#17

Post by White six »

JBT wrote: 3 years ago More of a blunder than a moment, but the 1969 Italian GP last lap (the only bit left that the BBC has? I know the whole race from French TV is knocking around though) as the lead pack were coming down to the Parabolica - Murray corrected by the producer / floor manager in the commentary booth beside him:

Barely changed did he, between 1969 and retirement

When you listen to old BBC commentaries they are generally trying to effect a posh accent. Murray was just Murray
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#18

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

White six wrote: 3 years ago
When you listen to old BBC commentaries they are generally trying to effect a posh accent. Murray was just Murray
Immediately thinks of Raymond Baxter commentaries... :cool:

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#20

Post by NathanF11989 »

In his autobiography, Murray provides a list of his favourite "Murrayisms". They include one, presumably from the 1980s, in which the exchange goes like this:

MURRAY: "There are flames coming from the back of Prost's car as he enters the Swimming Pool!"
JAMES: "Well, that should put them out then!"

Does anyone know what year this was from?
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#21

Post by EB »

Another famous one is "I make no apologies for their absence, but I'm sorry they're not here".

Anyone know when, what, why? Dates from early 1980s I think (Imola 1982 perhaps?) but possibly nothing to do with F1 at all.
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#22

Post by NathanF11989 »

I sometimes wonder if certain quotes attributed to Murray or James are in fact apocryphal. For example, did James really say "The trouble with Jarier is that he's a French wally. Always has been and always will be"? I have searched all the relevant races, most notably Austria '83, and although James was indeed extremely critical of Jarier's blatant holding up of the leaders the above quotation was not uttered.
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#23

Post by EB »

NathanF11989 wrote: 3 years ago I sometimes wonder if certain quotes attributed to Murray or James are in fact apocryphal
I can believe the Jarier one, although have no proof or memory of it.

I think Murray's "unless I'm very much mistaken.....yes, I AM very much mistaken" was used for a T-shirt but never actually spoken - unless I'm very much mistaken.
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#24

Post by NathanF11989 »

EB wrote: 3 years ago
NathanF11989 wrote: 3 years ago I sometimes wonder if certain quotes attributed to Murray or James are in fact apocryphal
I can believe the Jarier one, although have no proof or memory of it.

I think Murray's "unless I'm very much mistaken.....yes, I AM very much mistaken" was used for a T-shirt but never actually spoken - unless I'm very much mistaken.
Thank you for bringing that up EB.I remember hearing Murray's "Unless I'm very much mistaken..." quote numerous times when I played Formula One for the PSX 1 but whether he actually said it during a real race is very much uncertain.

Which reminds me, a lot of Martin's commentary for F1 97 for the same console was taken from Jonathan Palmer's real commentary during the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix. Did you know that?
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#25

Post by White six »

NathanF11989 wrote: 3 years ago I sometimes wonder if certain quotes attributed to Murray or James are in fact apocryphal. For example, did James really say "The trouble with Jarier is that he's a French wally. Always has been and always will be"? I have searched all the relevant races, most notably Austria '83, and although James was indeed extremely critical of Jarier's blatant holding up of the leaders the above quotation was not uttered.
Try earlier, 79 80?

As soon as James was out of the cockpit and into the comms box he was attacking Jarier. Definitely some stuff in his earliest BBC appearances

Of course some are missing now, so even if you can't find it it may still have happened
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#26

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

It was not only Jarier, as James was very anti French from memory. He certainly had a go on air about Arnoux over Arnoux saying non turbo cars did not suit his style, which James said was bullshit, and Jarier copped more than one load of flak, with James saying he should be banned for being himself. Other French drivers copped his wrath too, as did Patrese.

I believe the Patrese link was that James felt Patrese was responsible for Ronnie P's fatal accident. (Possibly to minimise his own part in the crash?) Apparently before he died he accepted that Patrese was not at fault and the two became reasonable friends.

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#27

Post by NathanF11989 »

Everso Biggyballies wrote: 3 years ago It was not only Jarier, as James was very anti French from memory. He certainly had a go on air about Arnoux over Arnoux saying non turbo cars did not suit his style, which James said was bullshit, and Jarier copped more than one load of flak, with James saying he should be banned for being himself. Other French drivers copped his wrath too, as did Patrese.

I believe the Patrese link was that James felt Patrese was responsible for Ronnie P's fatal accident. (Possibly to minimise his own part in the crash?) Apparently before he died he accepted that Patrese was not at fault and the two became reasonable friends.
He was very much against Philippe Alliot and Olivier Grouillard - those are two who immediately spring to mind. I remember him being especially critical of Arnoux when he took Berger out of the lead during the 1988 Australian Grand Prix. James also had an ALMIGHTY whinge about Alain Prost during the warm-up lap of the 1990 race.

Do you remember any of the things he used to say about Patrese? I recall he went into a completely unjustified diatribe about Riccardo during the 1992 South African GP.
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#28

Post by NathanF11989 »

JBT wrote: 3 years ago More of a blunder than a moment, but the 1969 Italian GP last lap (the only bit left that the BBC has? I know the whole race from French TV is knocking around though) as the lead pack were coming down to the Parabolica - Murray corrected by the producer / floor manager in the commentary booth beside him:

Is this the earliest known recording we have of Murray commentating on an F1 race or are there earlier ones circulating as well?
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#29

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

NathanF11989 wrote: 3 years ago
Is this the earliest known recording we have of Murray commentating on an F1 race or are there earlier ones circulating as well?
Not TV, but Murray did his first GP commentary pre the WDC, at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone in 1949, albeit on the radio. That was before he went and did Motorcycle commentary at the IoM TT etc for many years.

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#30

Post by JBT »

NathanF11989 wrote: 3 years ago
JBT wrote: 3 years ago More of a blunder than a moment, but the 1969 Italian GP last lap (the only bit left that the BBC has? I know the whole race from French TV is knocking around though) as the lead pack were coming down to the Parabolica - Murray corrected by the producer / floor manager in the commentary booth beside him:

Is this the earliest known recording we have of Murray commentating on an F1 race or are there earlier ones circulating as well?
I think its his earliest surviving TV recording of F1 commentary. A few years ago I did some research to put together a list of Murray's pre 1978 'Grand Prix' programme F1 commentaries and came up with the below list:

1949 British GP (Radio)
1957 Oulton Park Gold Cup? (Radio)
1969 Monaco Grand Prix - with Innes Ireland (TV)
1969 German GP (TV)
1969 Italian GP (TV)
1970 Oulton Park Gold Cup - with Graham Hill (TV)
1971 Oulton Park International Spring Trophy (TV)
1971 Oulton Park Gold Cup (TV)
1972 International Trophy (TV)
1972 Rothmans 50,000 (TV)
1973 International Trophy (TV)
1974 International Trophy (TV)
1974 British GP (Radio)
1974 German GP (TV)
1975 Race of Champions - with Jackie Stewart (TV)
1975 International Trophy - with Jackie Stewart (TV)
1975 Monaco GP - with Jackie Stewart (TV)
1975 British GP - with Jackie Stewart (TV - highlights)
1976 Race of Champions - with Jackie Stewart (TV - highlights)
1977 British GP (Radio - pit commentator)
1977 British GP (TV - filmed highlights)
1977 Italian GP - with Alain de Cadenet (TV - highlights)
1978 International Trophy - with Peter Gethin

So for TV, there would only be the '69 Monaco and German GP that were earlier than the '69 Italian GP, with those most likely long gone (or never recorded in the first place). The list came from his name's appearance in the BBC Genome website which covers what appeared in the Radio Times magazine between the late 1920's and early 2000's. So it's not gospel, as what was printed in the magazine might have had a last minute program or commentator change. Or similarly, Murray might have subbed in for regular commentator Raymond Baxter after the magazine was printed, for a GP - we may never know!

Stranger things turn up out of the blue though - for about half a century no one thought there was any surviving footage of the Beatles only live Top of the Pops appearance apart from one rumoured copy owned by a collector in the USA who wanted big £££ for it. Then two separate recordings of sections of their appearance were within a couple of months of each other about a year or so ago...

One thing I left off the list as it wasn't F1 - Murray also did the 1967 Le Mans 24hrs for the BBC, which I believe was his first car TV commentary.
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#31

Post by Michael Ferner »



Count the bloopers!

Incredible! I grew up believing German F1 presenters were the worst in the world - you definitely had it worse, my commiseration. :(
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