Tributes paid to ‘inspirational’ sport commentator Gerry Harrison

A television sports commentator whose voice was synonymous with football across the region has died.

Gerry Harrison was known for his work on Norwich City and Ipswich Town matches from the 1970s to 1990s on ITV Anglia, and also commentated on several World Cups for the national channel.

He presented a motorsport show, called Wheels, during the 1980s.

Fellow commentator Tony Jones paid tribute to Harrison as a “tremendous colleague” and “an inspirational boss [who] demanded the highest standards”.

In a time before satellite television and the internet, Harrison became widely known for his work on ITV’s Sunday highlights show, Match of the Week.

He also chronicled Ipswich Town’s fortunes under Sir Bobby Robson when the team won the FA Cup in 1978 and the UEFA Cup in 1981.

Harrison also covered fixtures involving Cambridge United, Luton Town, Peterborough United and Northampton Town.

Jones, who lives in Suffolk and retired from football commentating earlier this year, said Harrison had given him his first television job in 1982 and described him as “exceptional”.

“It was impossible not to learn from Gerry,” he said.

“It was such a distinctive voice – not just in Anglia TV coverage, but network coverage as well because Gerry was part of the team at several World Cups and Championships as well, going back to 1970.

“But commentating was only part of Gerry’s role, because he was a presenter on About Anglia, presented sport on About Anglia [and] he did the same for Thames Television.”

Jones also said the Wheels series, of which Harrison had been a “driving force” during the 1980s, was at the forefront of UK television by ensuring other sports apart from football gained airtime.

Harrison started his broadcasting career on radio at the BBC in Merseyside before he applied for a BBC competition to commentate at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

He made it through to the final six candidates before being taken on for the competition by ITV.

Jones said it was while Harrison was in Mexico City that he became mistaken for one of The Beatles.

He received numerous calls to his hotel room and there was an influx of visitors to the hotel reception after word spread that a “G Harrison” had been booked in by ITV.

Speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk in 2020, Harrison said it was not the only difficulty he had faced in the job, as he recounted starting at Anglia TV and covering Norwich City.

“It was my first job in television; I didn’t know the area, I didn’t know the teams and I didn’t know anything about television, so not a great start,” he said.

“What I discovered to my horror was that the commentary position was at the top end of the back of the River End stand, so you’re looking all the way down the pitch and the players at the Barclay End are miles away from you.”

BBC Radio Norfolk Canary Call presenter Rob Butler also remembered Harrison as “inspirational” when the pair worked together at Anglia TV.

“I learnt a lot from him and he was always so kind and supportive,” said Butler.

“We’ve lost a true broadcasting great.”