Another significant person dies, sad news. RIP
And..... there he goes!
Legend.
RIP.
(I mean that in a nice/upbeat way).
Ah bollox. RIP Murray, the true voice of F1.
Gutted, will always be the voice of F1.
RIP Murray.
Sad, Back when I still liked watching F1 it was best with Murray's voice...
True legend - he made F1 for me when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s.
So much enthusiasm, so much knowledge - and provided many, many moments when you shouted at the screen when enthusiasm got the better of knowledge and he got it wrong! 🙂
Not just a talking head, won Gold medals in the ISDE 6 day enduro and Scottish 6 Day trial, a true motorsport enthusiast. Father was a works Norton road racer as well.
Voice of my childhood.
Real interesting chap.
Apparently coined the phrase a Mars a day helps you work rest and play
^^^ Urban myth - but he DID write "opal fruits - made to make your mouth water". 😉
A lovely story from Julian Ryder -
"n the ‘80s I was going skint running a magazine called Road Racer. I wanted to interview him for the British GP issue, so got a copy to him and was surprised to get a call asking me down to his house. This is a small magazine with a staff of one - me - we’re talking about. I arrived and said ‘Did you read the magazine.’ Murray said ‘Loved it, I’ve placed an order with my newsagent.’ My point is that anyone else in his position would have said ‘Put me on the free list.’ Not Murray, he understood. And he took me and the photographer to lunch."
"and of course, the advantage of being out in front is you have a nice clear windscreen................. "
RIP you legend 🙁
watched a re-run of a classic F1 on Sky the other day with Murray commentating, and wondering at the time how old he must be. What sad news
This might be another urban myth, but I heard a story about Murray Walker commentating and not breaking stride whilst James Hunt was doing a line of charlie off of the desk in front of him.
A life well lived
One of my kids asked who he was and I described him being a bit like the Queen in the respect that no matter how old you are, you remember him/her from your childhood and throughout your life.
This is well worth a listen, a true gentleman
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03xzx62
So many good memories. A voice from my childhood.
“and of course, the advantage of being out in front is you have a nice clear windscreen…………….. ”
My favourite.
"Just watch this for car control."
"Mansell entered the pits and shook Ayrton warmly by the throat."
So many good memories. One of the things about him that really got me was how he did the commentary from BTCC highlights. He was actually commentating after the event, so would even make them do extra takes if he felt he wasn’t being enthusiastic enough!
And of course
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Gutted, he was the voice of motorsport from my younger days watching BTCC/F1.
RIP
Very sad to read this when I saw his name.
He really was the Voice of British Motorsport. F1, BTCC, motorbikes, rallycross and anything else he felt like commentating on!
If you haven't yet read it I recommend reading his autobiography, gives a much fuller picture of the man. Lived life to the full and brought joy to many, many people around the world.
At least he got to commentate when F1 was exciting. A life well lived. I’ll have a Whisky in your memory later.
Go go go
BBC F1 coverage when it was edgy was a joy with Murray and the great James Hunt
I think he was best either with BBC rallycross from Lydden Hill or BTCC late 80's one or two malaproprisms chucked in or when he prodded Nigel Mansells huge bump on his heid
Redmex the rally cross was incredible, a mini 1275 gt v another mini 1275 gt with six ending up on their roofs with oil and snot pouring out of them
70’s classic
A proper legend.
What a life though? Spending your life travelling the world and commentating on F1 during all the times when it was truly great watching.
It would have been interesting to know what he made of the tedious, unwatchable shite it’s now become
He definitely had the best of it
binners
It would have been interesting to know what he made of the tedious, unwatchable shite it’s now become
He definitely had the best of it
He loved the current era and you're talking utter shite.
He loved the current era and you’re talking utter shite.
Absolutely this.
97, a fair innings all the same. You can cut the tension with a cricket stump.
I saw him at Thruxton a few years back when he was a guest speaker at some company promo. He was driven to the door, lifted to his walking frame. shuffled into the room, put up onto his seat...
..then he spoke and was a man in the prime of life taking you with him on the thrills and adventures even while you looked at the pale hust of the physical man he had been. True legend
"He's obviously gone in for a wheel change. I say obviously because I can't see
it"
"With half the race gone, there is half the race still to go"
"Do my eyes deceive me, or is Senna's Lotus sounding rough ?"
"Anything happens in Grand Prix racing and it usually does"
"Alboreto has dropped back up to fifth place"
"As you look at the first four, the significant thing is that Alboreto is 5th"
"I can't imagine what kind of problem Senna has. I imagine it must be some sort
of grip problem"
"He is shedding buckets of adrenalin in that car"
"It's raining and the track is wet"
"And there's just a few more corners for Nigel Mansell to go to win the Canadian
Grand Prix...and...he's going rather slow....HE'S STOPPING HE'S STOPPING!"
"and this is the third placed car about to lap the second placed car"
"they say clothes maketh the man... the clothes are Niki Lauda's, but the
contents are me..." as Murray prepares to take a drive in a F1 car." [He gets a
total distance of... oh, 1 foot before he stalls it.] (Apparently, this was the
second attempt to film Murray in an F1 McLaren - the first, earlier that day,
had gone very well, but for technical reasons couldn't be used!)
[During a F1 race, describing how the leader can see the driver following him]
"... Mansell can see him in his earphone..."
"So Bernie [Ecclestone], in the seventeen years since you bought McLaren, which
of your many achievements do you think was the most memorable ?" Bernie Answers,
"Well I don't remember buying McLaren." [Bernie Ecclestone used to own the
Brabham team].
Murrary: "What's that? There's a BODY on the track!!!" James: "Um, I think that
that is a piece of BODY-WORK, from someone's car."
Murray: There's a fiery glow coming from the back of the Ferrari James: No
Murray, that's his rear safety light
As an introductory piece for a rallysprint race, Murray was put in the
Navigator's seat alongside Tony Pond in a Chevette HSR (270 BHP, rwd, and
TWITCHY), added an in-car camera, and wired Murray for sound. The result can be
deduced by extrapolating his usual excitement and enthusiasm, and adding a large
pinch of raw terror! "And there's a 600 foot drop on my left..AND we're doing
120 mph... AND we're approaching a hairpin...OH MY GOD we're going to die..."
[after a post race interview with Mansell after the Austrian GP 1987] Murray :
"How did you get that nasty bumb on your head Nigel?" [Nigel leans forward to
show the camera as Murray pokes it with his finger !] Nigel: "OWCH!!"
Just seen this. Gutted. Was the voice of F1 when I used to be really into it in the 90s. Just one of those people who you thought would carry on forever 🙁
Missed this - was the sound of my F1 growing up
Towards the end of his F1 career he became annoying, the mistakes and actually his voice became annoying and he switched me off from F1. However that probably coincided with the beginning of F1 too with it becoming a dull sport.
I had a new found respect for him though as I then realised what he had also been (no just a commentator) and when he spoke quietly in his documentaries or on TV in general, a very pleasant interesting man
RIP
Here's a true story and a fine example what a thoroughly decent chap he was...
I used to work as a sound engineer in a post production studio and on one occasion Murray was booked in to do a V/O for a commercial. My friend was due to do the session but was double booked so I did it. My friend was planning to ask him if he would record an answerphone message to put on his home phone and he asked if I would see if Murray would do it.
I didn't like to ask as the "talent" can often be funny about such requests, but at the end of the session I did indeed ask.
Murray said of course and asked what their names were. I said Ben and Nicola. Murray then proceeded to do three takes in his best F1 commentary style of "Unless I'm very much mistaken, Ben and Nicola are.. in". My friend Ben then added "Err no Murray, actually we're out. Please leave a message".
Total gent and absolute legend. RIP Murray.
Great story. One of those rare folk of whom you will never hear a bad word spoken.
A national treasure.
His autobiography is well worth a read, had a very interesting life, and not just in motorsport
He doesn't come across as big headed in it at all, which some autobiographies can do, none of the 'hey look at me' just lots of 'this happened and it was great and I'm really lucky to be part of it'
As above, I've never heard anyone have a bad word to say about him, he will be missed.
Animal. He trod on my foot at a Thruxton Touring Car event in the pit lane.
The voice of motorsport for my life really, top man.
Great story. One of those rare folk of whom you will never hear a bad word spoken.
What a friend of mine has to say about him:
‘Met him at the Beeb when I was at TV Centre, then again when I was doing F1 and last time was about 6 years ago at a mates film show...he was the same man every time’
And here’s something a little different, which I found really helpful when learning to ride. A man of many talents.
The voice of an era. My era
Loved him
Sad News but definitely a life well lived.
Just read his obit in the Guardian his commentating carrer spanned seven decades, a true legend.
Growing up in the eighties F1 was always Senna, Prost, Mansell and Murray.
RIP Murray
The only commentator whose voice actually sounded like the sport. I'd probably rank him second only to Bill McLaren in my top sports commentators of all time list. And I'm not even a F1 fan. A sad loss.
"He is exactly 10 seconds ahead, or more approximately, 9.86 seconds."
What a legend.
can only add what others have said a true legend.
here is a great interview i was watching yesterday after hearing the news.
rip mr walker 😢
Having watched that video above YouTube suggested this:
A good, funny way to take away from the sad news!
And a WW2 Sherman Tank Commander in Northern Europe...