Gerry Harrison
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Gerry Harrison was a leading football commentator on British television in the 1970s and 80s, working for ITV. He is now a senior television executive with production company TWI, who produce coverage of English Premier League football, international golf and tennis among other sports.
Londoner Harrison played football to what he describes as a decent level on his way to becoming a news reporter with the Daily Express. He took the plunge into broadcasting in 1967 with BBC Radio Merseyside, taking up football commentary duties along the way.
Harrison entered the famous BBC Find a Commentator competition in 1969, losing out on the prize of a working trip to the 1970 FIFA World Cup to Welshman Idwal Robling. Ironically Harrison was to get the better deal out of it. Partly on the strength of his performance in the competition he was offered a post as commentator for Norwich-based Anglia Television. While Robling covered a couple of games in Mexico for the BBC, Harrison worked on the competition as part of ITV's commentary team covering seven matches. It was the first of six World Cups he would cover for ITV.
Anglia's staple football programme Match of the Week chronicled a superb spell for Ipswich Town under the guidance of Bobby Robson, as well as the fortunes of Norwich City, Luton Town, Cambridge United, Peterborough United, Colchester United, Southend United and Northampton Town. Harrison worked as presenter and commentator before its eventual demise in 1983. He also covered the first leg of the 1981 UEFA Cup Final, featuring Ipswich, for Anglia and the ITV network.
Network responsibilities rarely came Harrison's way outside of the World Cup. He commentated on live matches in 1974, 1978, 1982 and 1986, and also worked on the 1990 tournament. He was also a regular voice on Football League highlights on both The Big Match and Midweek Sports Special. He also freelanced for BSB in its early days - covering the 1990 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Crystal Palace among other matches.
In 1985 Harrison succeeded Steve Rider as Head of Sport at Anglia, but left in 1993 frustrated at ITV's inability to maintain rights to top flight football. He joined TWI as a producer, and has worked on many shows including the long-running Futbol Mundial programme. He also occasionally commentates, notably covering the 2005 FIFA World Club Championship for international audiences.
