Clive Tyldesley has been ITV’s lead football announcer for 30 years in the UK. But as the independent channel began to lose rights to Sky and BT, the opportunities to do what he loves best became rarer.
However an odd coincidence led to NBC becoming aware of his talents. The American broadcaster was making The Impossible Dream, a documentary about Manchester United’s 1999 treble. Tyldesley had been the lead commentator on many of their matches including that memorable final in Barcelona.
You can see him describe how it all happened in the video above.
Tyldesley was in London for a meeting of www.kickitout.org, an organisation he actively supports dedicated to opposing racism in British sport. In a wide ranging interview, including some of the tough issues English football has faced this year, He answered our questions on a range of subjects including how he would or would not vary his commentary depending on whether he was addressing a UK or a US audience.
Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Earle and Robbie Mustoe on the NBC SN set
Photo: Forbes magazine
In the final part, he talks of the day in 1985, he went to a football game in Heysel, Brussels, and spent the day talking about the loss of lives.
In Part One however, he talks about how the US broadcaster impressed him with their professionalism and in particular the dedication of NBC producer Pierre Moussa to producing great sporting content while they were making the Manchester United film.
He goes on to pay tribute to not only Pierre but Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Mustoe and Robbie Earle whose feelings on the importance and significance of those games mirrored his.
“I feel very much at home with the people I’ve been working with I’d love to work with them a bit more in the coming years,” he concluded.
