How Murray Walker became not just the Voice of F1, but a legend of the sport with his infectious personality, iconic enthusiasm and 'Murrayisms' as a commentator over 25 years
Sunday 14 March 2021 12:03, UK
The undisputed Voice of F1. A true motorsport legend.
He may not have been a driver, but such was the iconic status that Murray Walker achieved during his time behind the microphone commentating on Formula 1 that he was more well known and loved than many a world champion.
Starting out in an era when a sport could be identified as much by its commentator as the pictures themselves, Murray became so intrinsically linked to F1 that it was hard to imagine a race taking place without his famously loud, excitable style as an essential backdrop to the action.
He will always be remembered.
The amazing thing about the Birmingham-born legend's life and career, is that while he will forevermore be associated with F1. he only actually started commenting full-time on the sport from his mid-50s onwards. The first half a century of his life - he was born Graeme Murray Walker in October 1923 - had been somewhat more varied to say the least.
Having been fast approaching his 16th birthday at the outbreak of World War Two, the young Murray volunteered to join the forces and, after completing his officer training at Sandhurst, joined a tank regiment in the Royal Scots Greys to serve his country. Following the end of the war, he rejoined Dunlop, where he had completed a business scholarship some years earlier, to begin what would prove a hugely successful career in advertising - which lasted all the way up to 1982.
But the lure of motorsport would ultimately prove too strong and would eventually lead to him down the path towards becoming a household name around the English-speaking world. In truth, it should have been little surprise considering his father, Graham, was a despatch rider during the First World War and went on to both race in, and ultimately commentate on, bike racing.
Although he initially tried to carve out his own racing career on two wheels, Murray Walker the commentator - or in this case the PA announcer - was first heard at a hill climb event in 1948. Asked to stand in for the public address announcer, Murray unsurprisingly shone and a year later was making his sports broadcasting debut for real at Silverstone for the British GP on BBC Radio - a year before the F1 World Championship was formed.
He continued to combine his dual identity - advertising executive by weekday and passionate motor racing enthusiast and commentator at the weekend - over the following few decades with commentaries across the spectrum of motorsport from F1 to TT racing before the role that would ultimately come to define him came about in the late 1970s as the BBC decided to vastly expand its TV coverage of the top level of motorsport. Choosing Murray to front its new Grand Prix programme was a masterstroke and over the next quarter of a century his unique commentary style became part of the fabric of the sport.
As did, famously, what affectionately became known over the years as his collection of 'Murrayisms'.
Whether straightforward gaffes, slips of the tongue, commentator curses or sheer bewildering turns of phrase, Murray was undoubtedly the master of them all and whether intentional or otherwise he ensured his audience was always entertained irrespective of what was going on in the race at the time.
Indeed his commentaries always came from the heart, no more so than when friend Damon Hill took the chequered flag at Suzuka in 1996 to emulate his father in winning the World Championship and Murrary quietly informed millions that "I've got to stop because I've got a lump in my throat."
His two most famous and long-running commentary partnerships would prove similarly good value for viewers. Although initially apprehensive about the appearance of the flamboyant James Hunt alongside him in the commentary box, the pair struck up a famous double act for over a decade prior to the 1976 world champion's death in 1993.
Murray's relationship with Martin Brundle proved equally popular after the UK's F1 TV rights, and the 'Voice' himself, transferred to ITV at the start of the 1997 season to begin an unexpected new era in his incredible broadcasting career.
More than 50 years after his commentary debut at Silverstone, Murray was still captivating F1 audiences as the new century dawned. However, aware that he wanted to retire while still at the top of his game, at the end of the 2001 season and just two years shy of his 80th birthday, he hung up his microphone for the last time after commentating on what turned out to be Mika Hakkinen's 20th and final F1 victory at the US Grand Prix.
He later even became a Honda F1 ambassador, and was a popular attendee of F1 events even after passing the age of 90.
As his successors ever since have remarked, it's a pointless task trying to emulate Murray Walker. He was a true one-off.
