Match of the Day viewers who are bored with Shearer and co. can envy their fellow fans in the United States. During the 1970s, an edition of “Monday Night Football” featured California Governor Ronald Reagan. Reagan talked his ill-informed guest through the ins and outs of gridiron. His guest – a Liverpudlian musician called John Lennon.
(I have an image in my head here of Israel v England commentated by Margaret Thatcher and Pete Seeger)
If anyone has footage of this, let me know immediately!
Alas Wikipedia says it was off-camera (and that they were both guests, which I suppose makes more sense)
“The November 26, 1973 contest featured a rare instance of two celebrities entering the booth, with Lennon being interviewed by Cosell and California governor Ronald Reagan speaking with Gifford, with Reagan explaining the rules of American football (off-camera) to Lennon as the game went along.”
Thanks! I can’t help thinking that this is just one of those occasions when the camera was pointed in the wrong direction. What a lost opportunity.
Of course, both men were part of that horrible assassination treble of President, Pope and Pop Star in 1980-1.
Shearer is boring, isn’t he? Ian Wright is an embarrassment. Motson’s commentaries get worse and worse. “Spain have scored while England were concentrating on replacements.” Dear God. (The rugby can be bad too: the chap for Wales-Ireland last weekend was dire.) We seem to be left with Alan Hindsight, who I think pulls his punches on England for fear of being labelled a sour Jock.