Like one or two have already mentioned, this was part of my upbringing in the 80s when Saturdays were Saturdays! Sad that we no longer have this theme on terrestrial tv, and instead have a similarity in Gillette Soccer Saturday. Today's generation are oblivious to what was around in the 1980s; no mobile phones or the internet, but life back then was sure worth living - now that's rose-tinted glasses!
classic memories..am nearly forty now lol .great times.sky are robbing gits and no internet or mobiles as in where kids found ball games to play and climbing trees.sadly today the world is different.
World of Sport 68-85 hosted by Dickie Davies. On the Ball hosted by Brian Moore 68-78 and then Ian St John 78-85 along with Jimmy Greaves. The ITV Seven from Redcar, Newcastle, York, Newmarket, Kempton, Epsom and Sandown hosted by Borough Scott and John Oaskey with John Penny doing the commentaries. Boxing with none other than Reg Gutteridge. Athletics from Zurich, London, Brussels and Oslo with Adrian Metcafe. Greyhound Racing from London with Reg Gutteridge again, Speedway with Dave Lanning, Snooker, Table Tennis, Wrestling from Lewisham, Walthamstow, Southend, Oldham, Leeds, Blackburn and Nottingham. Who could remember all of this? Dickie gets his football colleagues of Brian Moore, Gerry Harrison, Arthur Montford, Martin Tyler, Hugh Johns and Gerald Sinstadt to reports matches in the ITV region half time and full time?
Ours was more of a Grandstand household, but, if the rugby wasn't on the other side, my dad would have the wresting on - just hearing the audio brings back memories of Saturday teatimes. I remember reading in the Sunday Mirror that WoS was going to end, couldn't believe it. Then, after it was said and done, what did we get? repeats of The Cuckoo Waltz and Man About The House and old films. Well done ITV! Thank you for posting this less-remembered but still memory-jogging version, everybody knows the 'classic' theme tune.
Nice post; I can't exactly remember when WoS came to an end, but in the 1990s, the Saturdaty daytime TV was a treat for me to be able to watch The Chart Show, Movies, Games and Videos, and WCW Wrestling. After that, it was the Football Results, The A Team (or Baywatch), Beverley Hills 90210, Blind Date or Big Break on the BBC, and there-after Match Of The Day - I was clearly comfortable and never left my house! :-D
You got two seasons of "AIRWOLF", which was brand new at the time. A male-driven action drama for a classic male demographic. The show did very well with that "World of Sport" audience.
These titles were used by World of Sport from 1983 until its end in 1985. I can remember Eamonn Andrews fronting the edition transmitted on 5th January 1985 to mark the programme's 20th birthday - Eamonn being one of WoS's original presenters.
The military style theme tune composed by Don Harper had been replaced by a radio phonic workshop style synthezised composition created by Jeff Wayne in the later years of World of Sport.
Wow, how slick was that for 1984! I just wish they had just jazzed up the original theme music and used that instead. But that was so good. Miss it now. We have to increasingly rely on Sky.
Nice to see this. Here in the US we used to have ABC's Wide World of Sports. Obviously a similar format. Saturday afternoons were great seeing some of the other sports and boxing as well.
I always thought that studio was massive and it turns out it was that small one used by Good Morning Britain before they (stupidly) closed down the LWT studios.
It must say something about the sports we appreciated in those days, but did anyone else notice the absence of cricket and rugby from these titles? (I'm sure cricket featured on another version, though.)
i grew up with world of sport on tv on every saturday, hasn't been the same since it finished,i even miss the football results and the wrestling the end. you had everything on world of sport, the big fights for instance, ali, holmes, leonard, duran, hagler and you watched them for free not like the past 15 or 20 years where you have to pay 15 odd quid to watch a boxing match. its pay per view that has killed boxing, well that and theirs no big names anymore. anyway rant over.
Carl what memories on World of Sport big fights from USA and in this country including Ali, Holmes, Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, Christie, Bugner, Weaver, Tate, Duran, Pryor, Curry and many others. Reg Gutteridge and Jim Rosenthal both on the mike.
