New series starting on BBC2 tonight

[stumpski]

Looks promising, to say the least ...

BBC - BBC Two Programmes - Empire of Cricket, England


If nothing else, could be the perfect antidote to a month of Twenty20. On a bit late for me, so some at least may have to be recorded.

 

[superkingdave]

Cheers for that, will probably record it anyway in case i forget to watch it

 

[fredfertang]

...... and for those with ESPN there is a programme on at 20.30 BST about the 1968 Ashes which will no doubt concentrate on that remarkable final test at the Oval

 

[Richard]

1968 and The Oval is like The Ashes and 1932/33 and 2005.

Why on Earth would anyone want to watch yet another program on the most famous bits? Why not have something on the more obscure stuff that hardly anyone ever gets to see any more?

I've honestly never seen any of the 1968 series apart from said Underwood Oval Test.

 

[fredfertang]

1968 and The Oval is like The Ashes and 1932/33 and 2005.

Why on Earth would anyone want to watch yet another program on the most famous bits? Why not have something on the more obscure stuff that hardly anyone ever gets to see any more?

I've honestly never seen any of the 1968 series apart from said Underwood Oval Test.

I've never seen a programme dedicated to the series before - all I've ever seen is about five minutes worth of highlights of the last afternoon and a few bits of Dolly's famous 158 - in an hour with, hopefully some comments from the participants, and coverage of earlier games, I'm expecting a classic and won't be prejudging

 

[Lillian Thomson]

...... and for those with ESPN there is a programme on at 20.30 BST about the 1968 Ashes which will no doubt concentrate on that remarkable final test at the Oval

Also on ESPN starting tomorrow (June 1st) are full half hour hightlights of each days play from the 1986/87 Ashes series. This was historic for many reasons - not least because it was the last time England won in Australia. It was also the first time an England Test victory in Australia had been broadcast live on television. The BBC were only showing half-hour highlights each evening but with England poised to push for victory on the last morning of the match the BBC decided to broadcast live coverage. It's also notable for Bob Willis's early days as a commentator before he became a bitter and twisted old fool courting controversy.

 

[GIMH]

ESPN really is brilliant. They were showing the 97 Ashes last week. You may remember that the 97 Ashes was only a short two-test series which England won 2-0, their coverage was great anyway. Really enjoyed watching Nasser

 

[Richard]

Yeah, have re-watched that 1997 Ashes several times on ESPN Classic. Along with several other series' from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

 

[GIMH]

97 is probably my favourite Ashes series that we didn't win

 

[Manee]

Had the First Test on tape, used to rewatch countless times. Great stuff, I loved that VHS tape - used to watch it so often. This was back when I was an England fan, oh the good ol' days.

 

[zaremba]

97 is probably my favourite Ashes series that we didn't win

??

two zip to us, as I recall, GIMH

 

[fredfertang]

??

two zip to us, as I recall, GIMH

He's well aware of that Mr Z - i think he's just had a baggy green moment - probably been at the Jagermeister again

 

[GIMH]

Sorry I missed off the end of my post. It should have said "that we didn't win in a really tight finish, as it was as comfortable as you like"

 

[zaremba]

Just enjoyed watching the '68 Ashes highlights.

The camerawork is almost inedscribably bad - you can't see what the bowler is doing with the ball being among the many deficiencies - but it's great to see nonetheless.

One thing that's particularly striking is the calm politeness with which wickets are celebrated, and opponents' landmarks are always congratulated. Times have changed.

 

[oitoitoi]

Just enjoyed watching the '68 Ashes highlights.

The camerawork is almost inedscribably bad - you can't see what the bowler is doing with the ball being among the many deficiencies - but it's great to see nonetheless.

One thing that's particularly striking is the calm politeness with which wickets are celebrated, and opponents' landmarks are always congratulated. Times have changed.

Yeah I love the low key celebrations in games of times past. Seems odd as acting like an idiot and shouting always came naturally to me after taking a wicket. The thing that always gets me is that they played in actual shirts, with proper buttons and everything! It almost looks like they just got bored at the office, took off their ties, rolled up their sleeves and wandered out for a game of cricket.

 

[shivfan]

I just watched tonight's programme....

I'm disappointed. I thought it was a very superficial effort. Instead of calling it 'The Empire of Cricket' or whatever, they should've called it, 'England's nostalgic look back at the Ashes, with the token nod towards other parts of the Empire'.

I'm glad I watched it, and I learnt a couple of things. However, if it's ever repeated some time in the future, would I watch it again? Not a chance!

 

[grecian]

I think they're doing other nations later in the series, this was just the English one. It does Windies, Australia and India in later episodes

I thought it was okay, but really tough to get it all in to one hour, 200 odd years, after all. They were always going to miss people and times. Felt a tad hollow, to me.

 

[aussie]

1968 and The Oval is like The Ashes and 1932/33 and 2005.

Why on Earth would anyone want to watch yet another program on the most famous bits? Why not have something on the more obscure stuff that hardly anyone ever gets to see any more?

I've honestly never seen any of the 1968 series apart from said Underwood Oval Test.

Damn, well i missed this show....but i agree with Richard here. Would like to see stuff from the great England team of the 50s (other than Ashes 53), instead of the regular old footage..

 

[Richard]

Some stuff I've always wished there was more re-screening of is the Ashes of 1977 and 1972. 1975 is famous for Steele's sustained exploits, but all I've ever managed to get hold of from '72 is the famous Massie 16-some and the equally famous Chappell partnership. Nothing else from either game and nothing else from any of the other six. And this despite the fact the series appears, from reading scorecards, to have been one of the more interesting of recent times.

1981 is obviously famous for Botham (though I've never seen a single ball from the First and Second Tests), 1985 and 1989 I've gotten hold of via luck and careful looking (because they fascinate me so) and 1993 and 1997 are re-screened pretty often - and I have plenty of highlights from 2001 on my own tapes and even if I didn't I remember most of it.

And I've seen so much as three deliveries, ever, from 1977 - Boycott hitting Pascoe for a boundary on his comeback, and bringing-up his half-century and century. This despite the fact it's one of the best victories by an England side since WW1.

Obviously, once you get back into the '60s and '50s it's much harder to re-screen because the footage just isn't what we recognise it as now. Though it's quite fascinating to see black-and-white footage from behind the bowler in 1961 and 1964.

 

[Days of Grace]

There's some great behind the bowler coverage of Fred Trueman on youtube.

You get a great sense of his speed and what he did with the ball.