A long-running British sports anthology show on ITV which aired between 1965 and 1985, in competition with Grandstand on The BBC - both shows running for several hours on Saturday afternoons. Under normal circumstances it started at twelve-fifteen in the afternoon, but if there was a significant sporting event such as the FA Cup Final or the Grand National, coverage might start as early as ten in the morning, so as to capitalise on the build-up and escalating excitement of the day.
The actual content of the show, which was presented for most of its run by Dickie Davies, varied with the seasons but invariably managed to incorporate football, horse racing, darts and rugby league (The BBC had sole rights to rugby union and cricket). Also, it usually found the time and space to feature minority sports that did not usually see prime-time television - among them stock-car racing, water-skiing and quite a few women's sports in addition to novelty events like the World Barrel Jumping Championship. Sometimes, footage from its American equivalent, ABC's Wide World Of Sports, would be used.
One thing did not vary, and became a British TV institution: at four o'clock on a Saturday, every Saturday, the show would go live to whichever venue was hosting the event, and the cultured tones of Kent Walton would welcome the viewers with "Good afternoon, grapple fans!" Yes, the wrestling - shown between the half-time football scores and the final results - was very popular note .
After World of Sport ended, wrestling continued to be televised on ITV for three more years; although it got high viewing figures and was said to be one of Queen Elizabeth II's favourite shows, it was cancelled by ITV's then Head of Sport, Greg Dyke, who thought it was "too working-class" note . On the Ball, the half-hour lunchtime football round-up section, was succeeded by Saint and Greavsie, a similar standalone show named for its presenters, ex-professionals Ian St John and Jimmy Greaves; it ran until 1992 when the Premier League was created and Sky Sports won the right to broadcast it.
Good afternoon, troping fans!
- Added Alliterative Appeal: Dickie Davies. When he started out in broadcasting in The '60s he was known by his full name, Richard Davies, but was quickly persuaded to use a diminutive of his first name, presumably for reasons relating to this trope.
- The Host - the magazine format was anchored in the studio for much of its run by Dickie Davis, who became a household name in a similar way to Frank Bough and Des Lynam, his contemporaries on the show's BBC rival, Grandstand. Like Dickie, Des had a prominent moustache and developed something of a reputation as an unlikely TV sex symbol, or "housewives' favourite" as it was called back then.
- Parody: Comedy shows had great fun with this much-loved institution.
- Radio sketch show The Burkiss Way made much of presenter Dickie Davies' status as a "housewives' favourite" and of the perceived frustration and resentment of second-string presenter Fred Dineage, whose other TV gig was as a childrens' TV presenternote
And this afternoon on How, the kids' show where Fred Dineage hides while he waits for Dickie Davies to die...- Victoria Wood's approach was to focus on the busy office behind the presenters, where diligent-looking and anonymous women were seen typing and operating Telex machines, so as to convey the atmosphere of up-to-the-second reports coming in which were then sent to Dickie Davies to read out. Victoria played a frustrated and ambitious failed actress seeking exposure on live TV, who tried to upstage Dickie at every opportunity.
- Benny Hill could do an unnervingly good impression of Dickie, and if Hill's Angels played the office girls in the background, much distraction was had from this.
- Tonight in This Very Ring - World of Sport was very much the public face of British wrestling and some of its greatest stars made their names and reputations through regular Saturday afternoon exposure. Wrestlers from Big Daddy to Davey Boy Smith owed their careers to the start they got here.
