Rugby Special

Rugby Special was the main rugby union programme on the BBC in the UK. The show ran from 1966 and past presenters included David Vine, Keith Macklin, Cliff Morgan, Chris Rea, Nigel Starmer-Smith, Bill Beaumont and John Inverdale. The main commentators were Bill McLaren, Cliff Morgan, Nigel Starmer-Smith, David Parry-Jones, Martyn Williams, Lynn Davies, Jim Neilly and Eddie Butler In the early seventies, the theme tune was "Spinball" by Paddy Kingsland but this was later replaced by "Holy Mackerel" by The Shadows' drummer, Brian Bennett which was replaced for one season 1988–89 by the Kenny G version of "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" from the 1986 Duotones album replaced from 1989–90 to 1993–94 by a specially commissioned theme. From 1994 to 1995 the programme was contracted out to an independent production company Chrysalis after 28 years as an in-house BBC production. The programme ended its original run in 1997 after losing the rights to cover English domestic games, the Heineken Cup and England home tests to SKY and Welsh domestic matches to HTV/S4C the S4C involvement was controversial as BBC Wales was providing much of S4C's Welsh Language sports coverage under the BBC Cymru brand and was along with Ski Sunday merged into Sunday Grandstand in November 1997 when Sunday Grandstand became a year-round programme the first edition of the all year round Sunday Grandstand on 16 November 1997 featured live coverage of Wales v Tonga. Though in 1992 and 1993 the programme was integrated into special editions of Sunday Grandstand featuring the Formula 1 South African Grand Prix and European Grand Prix at Donington Park. The programme returned on late Thursday nights in 2002 but was discontinued in 2005, when it was a highlights programme of Autumn internationals and Six Nations with studio guests and an audience of fans from the Six Nations. But when the Premiership highlights rights were regained from the 2001–02 season highlights were shown on Sunday Grandstand. Also from the 1999-2000-2002-2003 seasons the Heineken Cup was regained though it was covered by the BBC in the 1996–97 season which was the only season in the original 1966–97 run that the BBC covered the competition

Scheduling[]

1966–1976 Saturday Nights

1976–1980 Sunday Afternoons

1980–1981 Saturday Nights

1981–1984 Sunday Afternoons

1984–1985 Saturday Nights

1985–1988 Sunday Afternoons

1988–1997 Sunday Early Evenings

2002–2005 Thursday Late Nights

Regional opt out versions[]

From the 1986–87 season BBC2 Wales along with BBC2 Scotland and BBC Two Northern Ireland started their own regional versions to cover their own matches to go out at the same time as the main version broadcast in England from London the main BBC2 England version would often show one or two of these games mostly club games from Wales and Scotland as a second and third match. While the Scottish opt-out went out under the Sportscene banner as Sportscene Rugby Special the presenter was Jill Douglas the commentator was Bill McLaren. In Wales Rugby Union highlights until 1986 went out on BBC1 Wales on Sunday Afternoons under the Sports Line-Up title later on as Weekend Rugby Union with David Parry-Jones as presenter and commentator but later he would carry on as presenter but Martyn Williams would take over the commentator role with Phil Bennett as co-commentator but from the 1986–87 season the Rugby Union highlights would move to BBC2 Wales and become Rugby Special Wales with David Parry-Jones and Martyn Williams continuing in the roles in the first season while from 1987 to 1988 Alan Wilkins became the presenter though he would also deputise as a commentator when Martyn Williams wasn't available with Martyn Williams as the main commentator and Phil Bennett in the commentary box until the end of the 1988–89 season Lynn Davies taking over as commentator from 1989 to 1990 and carried on until 1995 again with Phil Bennett as co-commentator when it would become Scrum V where he would continue as commentator until 1998 when Huw Llywelyn Davies would take over the English Language commentator role for a short time before returning to his Welsh Language commentator role on S4C. In Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland version though mostly covering matches involving Ulster Rugby was a co-production with RTE due to the fact that Rugby Union in Ireland is governed on a United Ireland basis under the Irish Rugby Football Union banner and the commentators were Jim Neilly and Fergus Slattery

Rugby Special returned to the BBC on 7 February 2016, covering the highlights of Six Nations.

External links[]

Rugby union (BBC)