I’ve just read the news that the Veteran Commentator, Bill McLaren, has passed away at the age of 86.
In 2000 Ed Talfan Davies and I made the series of adverts for BBC Wales for the (then) 6 nations Rugby tournament, written and created by Phillip Moss and Dylan Griffth of the BBC Wales Promos department called ‘Henry’s Heroes’.
This was a campaign written and produced between each successive game of the tournament and mostly voiced by the Wales fitness coach at the time Steve Black.
The BBC Promos department at the time, headed up by Mr Moss, created some outstanding pieces of work and this was no exception. One of the strings to Phil’s bow was in getting personalities to add their voices and for the fourth episode Phil cornered Bill and Jonathan Davies to supply a couple of lines as well as Grandstand presenter Steve Rider. In other episodes Phil managed to get Kelly Jones from the Stereophonics and Huw Edwards, BBC News presenter.
To my mind this is my favourite episode.
Bill McLaren 1923 – 2010
You can see the rest of the campaign here. Copyright remains with Phil Moss at BBC Wales