Murray Walker
Motor racing commentator
MURRAY WALKER, who has died at 97, will be remembered as the undisputed voice of Formula One, a commentator whose unique, high-octane style – once described by the late critic Clive James as “sounding like a man whose trousers are on fire” – is forever ingrained in British sporting culture.
From James Hunt’s 1976 championship triumph over Niki Lauda at a rain-lashed Fuji, to Ayrton Senna’s intense rivalry with Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell’s 1992 title triumph, Walker called it all in a remarkable broadcasting career which spanned 52 years.
When Damon Hill took the chequered flag at Suzuka to win the Japanese Grand Prix and become world champion in the early hours of an October morning in 1996, an emotional Walker cried: “I have got to stop because I have got a lump in my throat.”
Graeme Murray Walker was born in Birmingham in October 1923. His father, Graham, was a prominent figure in motorcycling and enjoyed a 15-year career which culminated in him winning the Isle of Man TT race.
“You either loved what your father did or you loathed it,” said his son. “I wanted to be like him.”
But before he could attempt to emulate his father, he was conscripted into the Army, aged 18. He soon graduated from the Royal Military College at Sandhurst and went on to command a tank in the Battle of the Reichswald in the Second World War.
He reached the rank of captain but upon leaving the army he turned his attention back to two wheels. Although he was a decent motorcyclist, he was not in the same league as his father, and it would be the advertising world where he would first make his name. Walker retained his passion for motor racing by commentating at the weekends.
But when Hunt beat Lauda to the 1976 title, Walker’s life changed. The BBC ramped up its coverage and a relatively unknown advertising executive was handed the commentating duties.
“Britain suddenly became aware of Formula One because of the glamorous, playboy image that James had,” explained Walker.
“The BBC decided they were going to do every race and they asked me to do it.
“I carried on doing both advertising and commentary jobs for four years until in 1982, when I was 60, I retired from the advertising business and then my broadcasting career started.”
As most would be winding down, Walker entered his seventh decade by beginning a second career which would see him become a household name.
Popular for his passion, Walker was the motor racing fan with a microphone.
When Mansell crashed out of the 1987 title decider in Australia, he yelled: “And colossally that’s Mansell.”
But, bizarrely, it was his mistakes – later nicknamed ‘Murrayisms’ – which earned him his status as a national treasure.
“There is nothing wrong with his car, except that it is on fire!” he once proclaimed.
At the BBC, he was partnered by Hunt for 13 years before his death in 1993. The clash of personalities – Walker a consummate professional contrasting with Hunt’s laid-back approach – won over the public.
“James didn’t care what people thought,” said Walker of their relationship. “He was an extrovert, a showman, he drank too much, smoked too much and womanised like there was no tomorrow.
“He could be the most arrogant, overbearing person you would ever meet in your life and he frequently was. But there was a nice person hiding inside and, when he retired from racing, the nice chap took over.”
When Hunt died and Formula One headed to ITV in 1997, Walker, who had been appointed an OBE the previous year for his services to broadcasting and motor racing, teamed up with Martin Brundle, whom he would work alongside for five seasons before his final race at the US Grand Prix in 2001. He was 77 when he stopped. Walker is survived by his wife, Elizabeth.