"We are Sports Lawyers for you..." or things you find when your research for something else... - Number One

Back again after a break, the blog takes in a more stranger twist. Yes, there will be occasional post about looking at light entertainment and television etc. But all work and fun makes Jack a dull boy. Well according to that episode of The Simpsons with Gillian Anderson in it anyway, but in the journey of researching and writing there comes things which are odd and strange or just generally and we hope to bring you that a bit more this year.

Starting off with these gems whilst research about World of Sport, 50 years ago that it started in January 1965 with Eamonn Andrews and Richard soon to be Dickie Davies plus also as I found out thanks to the television authority Chris Bowden-Smith of the excellent Transdiffusion website that Fred Dinenage was there it seems as well billed as 'The Man from How' which makes it sound like a failed pilot for a late sixties spy thriller show.

But however when it comes to appearing for promotional shot for newspapers and magazines to use, it can get a bit strange.

"We can get you 100% of your compensation when your team loses to a last minute goal at home..."

Mr 'His head looks uncannily like the London Planetarium' along with not Johnny from Friday Night Dinner appearing like they are selling policies to the weary in a slightly cheesy Lionel Hutz type of way, although the truth is less fun and it is a 1980 publicity shot advertising The Big Match, so that newspapers can use it on their television page. 

Yes, the standard generic photograph apart from an action shot of a footballer usually a Burnley striker and Wolves defender jumping up for the ball together. How this actually conveys the excitement of a football match is surprising, maybe Burnley and Wolves' game was called off that week. I cannot vouch that Brian and Jim turned up each and every time like that, but I can't imagine them being a double act like Morecambe and Wise.

Do you think they were the only sports presenter to appear in a strange way? Apparently, no actually. There is another champion of this as well, I bring you Dickie Davies. Him of the honest hands trying to convince us Clown Diving is a sport. From the first ever edition of Look-In magazine comes Dickie's introduction to the World of Sport column in there, whether Fred Dinenage did the column when Dickie was not presenting we do not know.

"Hello ladies, everything is two pound a pound to and I'm getting more of it in next week..."

Strangely this introduction seems if Dickie is pitching for a date, which in a magazine aimed at children doesn't seem quite appropriate somehow. I can imagine that at the first meeting, the talk was about who could encourage children to watch ITV Sport. Later on, it seems children got bored with cyclo-cross and water polo and thus Brian Moore made the column about football using 'On The Ball' as a way for children to meet their sporting heroes through Look-In.

Who needs an Oscar selfie when Dickie can photobomb any event he wants!

But think only Brian Moore and Jim Rosenthal can flog things? Think again.

"Its the World of Sport Scouts everybody!"

Yes, Dickie was helping to flog stick-on patches of course. What makes you stand out from the crowd in your parka coat then stick on patches referring to World of Sport, if you collect them all I reckon you could fill in for Dickie one Saturday afternoon. A record of the theme tune, yes. An annual, yes. But stick-on patches though? I mean you would not see David Coleman hawking himself for this type of thing, besides I don't know how official they are anyway with a Liverpool address to send your money off to. Which makes me think, did a business have a load of stickers and someone came up with the bright idea to cut them up into the World of Sport ident to flog them cheap.

But teamsters, making it sounds like the viewers of Grandstand and World of Sport were like the Jets and Sharks from West Side Story. Were they to recreate the previous Saturday programmes in interpretive dance? Still if you want to take Mr Davies up on the offer of the stickers, forget it because the offer ran out in 1973. I'm sure you could write to the address stated on the advert, but most probably its a Greggs bakery now.