Alan Weeks
Encyclopedia
Alan Frederick Weeks was a British
television sports reporter and commentator.
when he was five when his father, Captain F. C. Weeks, became pier
master. He attended the Brighton Hove and Sussex Grammar School
.
He married Jane Huckle, an ice skater, in 1947. They had two sons and one daughter. One son and their daughter pre-deceased him.
, eventually being demobilised in 1946 as a lieutenant
in the Royal Naval Reserve
.
. Principally remembered for his commentary on winter sports such as ice skating
and ice hockey
, Weeks also presented swimming
, snooker
and gymnastics
. Weeks was also a big speedway fan, and broadcast from Wembley Stadium on the World Speedway finals from 1955 to 1969 for the BBC. He reported for the BBC on every Winter Olympics from 1964 and most Summer Olympics until his retirement. As such he was on hand to describe the memorable gold medal wins of sports stars such as Olga Korbut
, Mark Spitz
, John Curry
, Torvill and Dean
and David Wilkie
. For all this, he was affectionately nicknamed 'The Gold Medal Commentator' by his peers. Barry Davies
took over his gymnastics duties in the Olympics, and Hamilton Bland in swimming. Davies and Weeks continued to commentate in ice-skating together, including the Torvill and Dean comeback at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer
, before a record audience of 23.9 million viewers in the UK on the BBC - a record audience for a non-football broadcast.
He made his last broadcast in early 1996 commenting the World Figure Skating Championship. He then announced he was retiring, before he died in June that year.
His, to some, excessively enthusiastic style of presentation was sometimes parodied and satirised in the media. Once he read out in a loud, high-pitched voice the marks awarded by each individual judge for an ice skater. Clive James commented that Weeks was producing "Television for the blind".
Weeks defended himself by saying that it was a commentator's duty to get excited, and remained cordial towards detractors such as James.
He was also an occasional presenter of Match of the Day
and commentated on football on the BBC for 20 years, including five World Cup final tournaments and Newcastle United's last trophy win, the 1969 Fairs Cup Final
against Upjest Dozja. He occasionally presented Grandstand
, and for a time presented the snooker series Pot Black
.
In 1989 British Ice Hockey
honoured him by naming the award for Best British Defenseman after him, the Alan Weeks Trophy
.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
television sports reporter and commentator.
Personal life
His family moved to BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
when he was five when his father, Captain F. C. Weeks, became pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
master. He attended the Brighton Hove and Sussex Grammar School
Brighton Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College
Brighton Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College, usually abbreviated to BHASVIC , is a college in Brighton & Hove, England for 16- to 18-year-old students.-Location:...
.
He married Jane Huckle, an ice skater, in 1947. They had two sons and one daughter. One son and their daughter pre-deceased him.
War service
Alan Weeks served his country through the Second World War in the British Merchant NavyMerchant Navy
The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency...
, eventually being demobilised in 1946 as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the Royal Naval Reserve
Royal Naval Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. The present Royal Naval Reserve was formed in 1958 by merging the original Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve , a reserve of civilian volunteers founded in 1903...
.
Career
Weeks worked all his broadcasting life with the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Principally remembered for his commentary on winter sports such as ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
and ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, Weeks also presented swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
and gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
. Weeks was also a big speedway fan, and broadcast from Wembley Stadium on the World Speedway finals from 1955 to 1969 for the BBC. He reported for the BBC on every Winter Olympics from 1964 and most Summer Olympics until his retirement. As such he was on hand to describe the memorable gold medal wins of sports stars such as Olga Korbut
Olga Korbut
Olga Valentinovna Korbut , also known as the Sparrow from Minsk, is a Belarusian, Soviet-born gymnast who won four gold medals and two silver medals at the Summer Olympics, in which she competed in 1972 and 1976 for the USSR team....
, Mark Spitz
Mark Spitz
Mark Andrew Spitz is a retired American swimmer. He won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, an achievement only surpassed by Michael Phelps who won eight golds at the 2008 Olympics....
, John Curry
John Curry
John Anthony Curry, OBE was a British figure skater. He was the 1976 Olympic and World Champion. He was famous for combining ballet and modern dance influences into his skating.-Early life:...
, Torvill and Dean
Torvill and Dean
Torvill and Dean are British ice dancers and former British-, European-, Olympic- and World champions...
and David Wilkie
David Wilkie (swimmer)
David Andrew Wilkie MBE is a Scottish former swimmer, who was Olympic and Commonwealth Games champion in the 1970s.He is a member of the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
. For all this, he was affectionately nicknamed 'The Gold Medal Commentator' by his peers. Barry Davies
Barry Davies
Barry George Davies MBE is a British sports commentator. He has covered a wide range of sports in a long career, primarily for the BBC.-Broadcasting career:...
took over his gymnastics duties in the Olympics, and Hamilton Bland in swimming. Davies and Weeks continued to commentate in ice-skating together, including the Torvill and Dean comeback at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
, before a record audience of 23.9 million viewers in the UK on the BBC - a record audience for a non-football broadcast.
He made his last broadcast in early 1996 commenting the World Figure Skating Championship. He then announced he was retiring, before he died in June that year.
His, to some, excessively enthusiastic style of presentation was sometimes parodied and satirised in the media. Once he read out in a loud, high-pitched voice the marks awarded by each individual judge for an ice skater. Clive James commented that Weeks was producing "Television for the blind".
Weeks defended himself by saying that it was a commentator's duty to get excited, and remained cordial towards detractors such as James.
He was also an occasional presenter of Match of the Day
Match of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
and commentated on football on the BBC for 20 years, including five World Cup final tournaments and Newcastle United's last trophy win, the 1969 Fairs Cup Final
1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final
The 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final was the final of the eleventh Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. It was played on 29 May and 11 June 1969 between Newcastle United F.C. of England and Újpesti Dózsa of Hungary. Newcastle won the tie 6–2 on aggregate.-First leg:...
against Upjest Dozja. He occasionally presented Grandstand
Grandstand (BBC)
Grandstand was a British television sport programme. Broadcast between 1958 and 2007, it was one of the BBC's longest running sports shows, alongside BBC Sports Personality of the Year.Its first presenter was Peter Dimmock...
, and for a time presented the snooker series Pot Black
Pot Black
Pot Black was a British series of snooker tournaments televised by BBC, that played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game, from 1969 to 1986. The event was revived in the form of several one-off tournaments throughout the 1990s and up to 2007...
.
In 1989 British Ice Hockey
Ice Hockey UK
Ice Hockey UK is the national governing body of the sport of ice hockey in the United Kingdom. Affiliated to the International Ice Hockey Federation , IHUK is the internationally recognised umbrella body in the United Kingdom. IHUK was created to replace the British Ice Hockey Association.The...
honoured him by naming the award for Best British Defenseman after him, the Alan Weeks Trophy
Alan Weeks Trophy
The Alan Weeks Trophy is awarded to the Best British Defenceman in the British Ice Hockey Leagues as voted by Ice Hockey Journalists UK.The award is named after Alan Weeks who was a BBC Commentator for 45 years and Chairman of the Brighton Tigers ice hockey club from 1946 until 1965.The trophy was...
.