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A Brief History Of Murray Walker Murray Walker was born Graeme Murray Walker on 10th October 1923 in Birmingham to
the proud parents Graham and Elsie. He grew up in the family home in Enfield,
Middlesex and was educated at Highgate School. In 1959 he married his wife
Elizabeth and they continue to be happily married to this day. Walker served
for the Royal Scots Greys (Tanks division) during World War II from 1944-47.
He was demobilised as Captain (Technical Adjutant, BAOR AFV School, Belsen).
After leaving service Walker took up a career in advertising, first with tyre
company Dunlop in 1947, becoming Advertising Executive of the tyre division,
Advertising Manager of Dunlopillo and other special products, and Public
Relations Manager for the Dunlop Group. He left Dunlop in 1954 and joined
Aspro-Nicholos for two years where he was Advertising Manager at home and
overseas. For three years Walker worked for the McCann Erickson advertising
company where he was Account Executive for Esso. Walker then moved on to his
most successful advertising position as Main Board and Management Committee
Member and Account Director at Masius Wynne-Williams from 1959-82. While at
Masius Walker was responsible for the national and global advertising of many
companies, most notably British Rail, Mars Confectionary, Vauxhall Motors and
The Co-Op. Walker commentated on his first motor cycle race at Shelsley in
1948 and his first Formula One commentary was for the BBC at the 1978 Monaco
Grand Prix. He stayed with the BBC until their F1 contract was bought by ITV
in 1997 and with it went Walker. He commentated with ITV for 5 years before
announcing his retirement in 2001. Murray Walker’s Greatest ‘Murrayisms’! Well
there’s a surprise!.. ‘He’s obviously gone in for a wheel
change. I say obviously because I can’t see it.’ ‘There’s nothing wrong with the car
except it’s on fire.’ ‘I imagine the conditions in those
cars are totally unimaginable.’ ‘It’s raining and the track is wet.’ ‘The gap between the two cars is 0.9
seconds– that’s less than a second!’ ‘He’s in front of everyone in this
race except for the two in front of him.’ ‘Either that car is stationary or
it’s on the move!’ ‘With half the race gone there is
half the race still to go.’ ‘Tambay’s hopes, which were
previously nil, are now absolutely zero.’ ‘You can’t see the digital clock
because there isn't one.’ ‘And now Laffite is as close to Surer
as Surer is to Laffite!’ ‘There’s no doubt in my mind that if
the race had lasted for 46 laps instead of 45 it would have been a McLaren
first and second– but it didn’t so it wasn’t.’ ‘We’re now on the 73rd lap and the
next one will be the 74th.’ ‘Keith Ripp’s in trouble– real trouble!’ ( A masterpiece of understatement– Keith’s mini was rolling
end over end, disintegrating as it did so!) ‘This is an interesting circuit
because it has inclines and not just up, but down as well.’ Murray: ‘And there are flames coming from the back of Prost’s car as he enters
the swimming pool!’ James Hunt: ‘Well that should put them out them!’ (Prost was entering Monaco’s
pool section). ‘Into lap 53, the penultimate last
lap but one.’ Maybe
he should rephrase that!... ‘Do my eyes deceive me or is Senna’s
car sounding a bit rough?’ ‘I cant imagine what kind of problem
Senna has. I imagine it must be some kind of a grip problem.’ ‘Speaking from memory I can’t
remember how many points Prost has.’ ‘Alain Prost is in a very commanding
second place.’ ‘What a fabulous race– Barry Sheene’s
riding his Suzuki like he’s married to it!’ ‘Only ten of the drivers who started
this race are left and I make no apologies for their absence but I’m sorry
they’re not here.’ (Two great mistake in one sentence!) ‘Prost can see Mansell in his
earphones!’ ‘I’ve just stopped my startwatch.’ ‘And we’ve had five races so far this
year– Brazil, Argentina, Imola, Schumacher and Monaco.’ ‘A mediocre season for Nelson Piquet,
as he is now know, and always has been.’ ‘The first four cars are both on the
same tyres.’ ‘And the first five places are filled
by five different cars.’ ‘That was exactly the same place
where Senna overtook Nannini that he didn’t overtake Prost.’ ‘As you look at the first four the
significant thing is that Alboreto is fifth.’ ‘And this is the third placed car
about to lap the second placed car.’ ‘Here’s Giacomelli, driving like the
veteran he is not.’ ‘The battle is well and truly on if
it wasn’t before- and it most certainly was!’ ‘Two laps to go, then the action will
begin. Unless this
is the action, which it is!’ ‘And there is a dry line emerging in
the tunnel!’ Appearances
can be deceptive… ‘Schumacher’s car is absolutely
unique, except for the one behind him– which is identical!’ ‘And it’s Mansell, Mansell, Mansell,
Nigel Mansell!’ (It was Prost in an identical Ferrari!) Murray: ‘There’s a fiery glow coming from the back of that Ferrari.’ James Hunt: ‘No, Murray, that’s his rear safety light!’ ‘Damon Hill is coming into the pit
lane, yes it’s Damon Hill coming into the Williams pit, and Damon Hill is in
the pit– no, it’s Schumacher!’ Murray: ‘Bernie, it’s some 17 years since you bought McLaren. You’ve had some
good times and bad times. What do you remember best?’ Bernie Ecclestone: ‘Well Murray I don’t remember buying McLaren!’ (He bough Brabham). ‘Piet Dam wins as he looks through a
completely clear windscreen which is, of course, the advantage of being in
front.’ (As soon as the words left his mouth Dam drive straight into a grass
bank!) ‘For real action watch this!’ (The word left his mouth and Malcolm Wilson flipped his car!) ‘Let’s watch this typical Formula
Ford start.’ (It was anything but! All the cars drive into one another!) ‘It is clear at this stage of the
race that Nigel Mansell is not going to make a pit stop.’ (Mansell
immediately took to the pit lane for his pit stop!) ‘Here comes the gallant little
Frenchman Alain Prost, almost home for his sixth Grand Prix win– nothing can
stop him now!’ (He hit a wet patch, spun into the barrier, lost a wheel and
retired!) We
can’t believe he said that!... ‘It’s a sad ending, albeit a happy
one, here at Montreal for today’s Grand Prix.’ ‘The young Ralf Schumacher has been
upstaged by teenager Button, who is 20.’ ‘Andrea de Cesaris, the man who has
won more Grands Prix than anyone without actually winning one!’ (He was
supposed to say competed
in more Grands Prix!) Magical
Murray Moments… ‘Unless I’m very much mistaken…’ ‘I am very much mistaken!’ ‘GO! GO! GO!’ ‘The atmosphere is so tense that you
could cut it with a cricket stump!’ ‘And now the boot is on the other
Schumacher.’ ‘Anything can happen in Formula One–
and it usually does!’ ‘If Mika Hakkinen’s going to do well
he needs to pull his great big woolly Finnish socks up!’ ‘IF– that’s F1 spelt backwards.’ ‘There is only a second between them.
“ONE”. That’s how long a second is!’ ‘And now excuse me while I interrupt
myself!’ ‘He’s shedding buckets of adrenalin
in that car.’ ‘And I’ve got to stop talking now
because I’ve got a lump in my throat.’ © F1iNews 2003 Editor: Chris Smith |