Image: Presenter David Coleman on the Grandstand set in May 1959.
Saturday 11 October 1958 saw the first edition of Grandstand, an afternoon feast of sport, with updates on the all the latest action. The first programme was introduced by its original theme 'News Scoop' and presented by Peter Dimmock. It featured Golf from St Andrews, Racing from Ascot and the Horse of the Year Show from Haringey. Grandstand became the world’s longest running live sports programme and produced another classic theme tune in Keith Mansfield’s theme, the cue for armchair sportspeople across the nation.
Although the sports covered varied enormously over the years, there was remarkable continuity with the main presenters over Grandstand’s near 50 year life. Dimmock was replaced by David Coleman, who anchored the show until 1968. After him came Frank Bough until 1983, and finally Des Lynam and Steve Rider were the main presenters. Grandstand expanded in 1981 to include a Sunday edition and special editions covered events like the World Cup and Olympics.
In 2007 Grandstand came to an end. This was partly in response to the digital age and the need to offer audiences more options. Despite increased competition, the BBC still offers comprehensive sports coverage of specific events across any given week and can be found on television and online. In 5 Live Sports Extra, it has a dedicated radio channel.
October anniversaries
Winston Churchill's first wartime broadcast
1 October 1939
Songs of Praise
1 October 1961
Live and Kicking
2 October 1993
Points of View
2 October 1961
