TV footage

[paulzinho]

Does television footage of every F1 championship race exist?

If so how could you get hold of some?

The reason I ask is that Murray has been commentating for over 50 years so it must do surely.

[AGGY]

Originally posted by paulzinho
Does television footage of every F1 championship race exist?

If so how could you get hold of some?

The reason I ask is that Murray has been commentating for over 50 years so it must do surely.

I`m waiting for it to go to DVD,i`m after 84-94.

It amazes me the senna races haven`t been released,if only his ten best races as a $200 set.

[TimD]

First of all, it's actually a misconception that Murray's been commentating without break for 50 years.

He certainly reported for BBC "steam radio" for the 1949 British GP, but then the chief motor sport commentator was John Vary Bolster ("JVB" of Autosport). In his day, JVB was renowned for classic gaffes in his own right.

In the late 1960s and mid 1970s, the most frequent GP commentator was Raymond Baxter, perhaps better known for presenting "Tomorrow's World" and for his outside broadcasts of the Farnborough and Biggin Hill airshows.

Murray's role was as often as not as commentator for the Formula 3 and Touring Car races, as well as for the motorcycles. Indeed, there were occasions when he would turn down the chance of commentating at a European GP, even in the 1980s, if he was required to be at Donington for the Superbikes.


The BBC "Grand Prix" programme only got a regular slot in 1979. This was after several years when the Beeb refused to broadcast any serious motor racing because of a moral objection to showing adverts on the telly. ITV did carry a few Grands Prix, which they showed as 15 minute highlight slots as "World of Sport Sports Specials". Remember them? Andrew Marriott was frequently the commentator in these cases.

So in answer to the query about what exists - this is a rough estimate from what I've discovered so far.

1950-1966
Film footage, rather than TV broadcasts seem to be all that survives. Castrol often shot promotional films, and some of these are commercially available today. Monaco '55, Belgium '58, Monaco '61, France '62, Britain '64 are all great films, put together sympathetically and informatively. Well worth looking for.

1966-1970
The early days of live TV, and it shows. I've seen footage of the '67 Italian GP, which is incredibly grainy. It was one of the first beamed back live to Britain, and the broadcast quality is shocking. But it exists.

1971-1978
Reliant on how good the local TV station was. Monaco '71 is in good condition, so too are the British and Dutch races of '73. The Castrol film unit did a terrific job on the '73 Austrian race, which is available nowadays.
On the other hand, the '76 Japanese GP is a very grainy bit of footage, not helped by the torrential rains. South Africa '77 also - but I wouldn't ever recommend watching that one, because Tom Pryce's accident was deeply horrid.
I know that the German broadcasts of the 1978 season are almost to modern standards of coverage, as long as you can either understand or ignore the commentary, and they even have segments of qualifying and background information.

After 1979, the BBC programmes exist - they are out there if you search hard enough for them.

As for where to find them - well, send me a PM, and I might be able to offer some clues....

[paulzinho]

When Murray missed the French GP last season he said it was the 1st GP he hadnt been to since the Championship began.

[jiggly_puff]

blatent lie - what about the time he did his hip in!

[TimD]

That's what the press said.

I don't think he did!

[paulzinho]

Originally posted by jiggly_puff
blatent lie - what about the time he did his hip in!

That was the race...

Oh dear....

[paulzinho]

Originally posted by TimD
That's what the press said.

I don't think he did!

I thought i remember him saying that he was disappointed to miss his 1st GP since the inauguration of the WDC...

[TimD]

I hope it wasn't a Murrayism about himself then!

I have the broadcast of the 1984 German GP, which is hosted by James Hunt and Barry Gill, where they announce straight off that Murray is doing the superbikes back at Donny.

[paulzinho]

Just what i (thought i) heard...

[jiggly_puff]

Originally posted by paulzinho


That was the race...

Oh dear....

yeah i was blatently lieing! but he hasn't always travelled to every race in past years - i heard he commentates some from the uk or something .......or is that untrue