Alison Mitchell
Encyclopedia
Alison Mitchell is an English sports broadcaster. She is a reporter for Test Match Special
, and a reporter and commentator for BBC Radio 5 Live
and Five Live Sports Extra.
as a part-time Broadcast Assistant at BBC Radio Northampton
while studying for A-levels at Wellingborough School
, where she is a Committee Member of the Old Wellingburians. She played all sports at school, captaining the school tennis, netball and athletics squads.
She played Hockey
seriously, representing Northamptonshire, being selected for Midland Developments squads, playing for the University of Nottingham
1st XI and captaining the club.
She took a degree in Geography
(dissertation entitled "The Impact of Television on the Cultural Geography of English Cricket" 1995-2000) and then trained in Broadcast Journalism at Falmouth College of Arts. She gained her first experience of live reporting on cricket, football and rugby at BBC Radio Cornwall
before freelancing for BBC Radio Leicester
.
Networks, including Radio 5 Live
, Radio 4, Radio 1, the Asian Network
and the World Service
. She also works in television, presenting sport news for the BBC News Channel.
She is Britain’s first and only female cricket commentator, calling games ball by ball.
She specialises in Cricket
as part of the Test Match Special
team, but she also covers major events for BBC Sport
such as the Olympics, Commonwealth Games
and Wimbledon
.
She is a sports news presenter for Radio Five Live, and has also presented the sport for Radio One’s Newsbeat
, including a stint on the Chris Moyles Show.
as staff in 2002, mainly covering international cricket
, and did her first broadcast for Radio Five Live in 2003.
She has covered England Winter cricket
tours to Pakistan
, Sri Lanka
, New Zealand
, South Africa
and India
, the World Cup in the West Indies, World Twenty20s in South Africa 2007 and England 2009, the ICC Champions Trophy
, two Women's Cricket World Cups, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2006 Commonwealth Games
in Melbourne, two World Snooker Championships, the World Gymnastics Championships
and Wimbledon.
Alison was a boundary commentator at the momentous Oval Test when England regained the Ashes
in 2005.
She commentated on Ireland's historic victory over Pakistan at the 2007 Cricket World Cup
, and was the last person to interview Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer
before his sudden death in the Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica
. Alison reported on his death for all BBC Networks, and was the only BBC reporter in Kingston
when police announced a murder investigation.
She made her England commentary debut at the 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa
with Jonathan Agnew
for Test Match Special (she seemed to get on well with summariser Ian Chappell
when she mentioned that her mother is Australian). She then flew on to Sri Lanka
to commentate on her first ODI series there.
John Inverdale
called it a "radio first" when Alison commentated on the Pommel Horse
at the Beijing Olympics
.
She was part of England's winter tour to India
, which was interrupted by the terrorist attacks in Mumbai
. When the tour resumed, Alison got locked in the toilet during the tea interval of the Chennai
Test.
She commentated for both BBC
and ABC radio
for the 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup
Final in Sydney, which was won by England.
She was Radio Five Live's England reporter during the Cricket World Cup 2011, commentating on a number of World Cup matches for Test Match Special
and following India through from the quarter finals to their eventual triumph in Mumbai
.
She presented online video diaries from England’s winter tour to India
in 2008, and online videos The Mitchell Show during the Ashes 2009.
She made her TV commentary debut in 2007, joining Jonathan Agnew
, Sunil Gavaskar
and Graham Gooch
as part of the commentary team for the ODI between Scotland and India, which was shown live on ESPN
and BBC Scotland
, produced by Sunset and Vine.
She has presented Lord's TV - presenting on the Big Screen for Middlesex Panthers Twenty20 matches, and commentating for the in-house television system with Simon Hughes
.
on the BBC website. She also contributes to The Wisden Cricketer
, Spin magazine and has written for the Wisden Almanack
.
Test Match Special
Test Match Special is a British radio programme covering professional cricket, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 , Five Live Sports Extra and the internet to the United Kingdom and the rest of the world...
, and a reporter and commentator for BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
and Five Live Sports Extra.
Early life
Alison began 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...
as a part-time Broadcast Assistant at BBC Radio Northampton
BBC Radio Northampton
BBC Radio Northampton is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Northamptonshire. It broadcasts from its studios in Broadcasting House, Northampton on 104.2 and 103.6 FM. The station also has two studios in Daventry and Corby...
while studying for A-levels at Wellingborough School
Wellingborough School
Wellingborough School is an independent fee-paying day school in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England. It was established in 1595 and is one of the oldest schools in the country.-History:...
, where she is a Committee Member of the Old Wellingburians. She played all sports at school, captaining the school tennis, netball and athletics squads.
She played Hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
seriously, representing Northamptonshire, being selected for Midland Developments squads, playing for the University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
1st XI and captaining the club.
She took a degree in Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
(dissertation entitled "The Impact of Television on the Cultural Geography of English Cricket" 1995-2000) and then trained in Broadcast Journalism at Falmouth College of Arts. She gained her first experience of live reporting on cricket, football and rugby at BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cornwall is the BBC Local Radio service for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the United Kingdom. It broadcasts from its studios on Phoenix Wharf in Truro on 95.2 in the east, 96.0 on the Isles of Scilly and 103.9 in the west MHz FM, as well as on DAB.Andrew George, MP for St Ives, has...
before freelancing for BBC Radio Leicester
BBC Radio Leicester
BBC Radio Leicester is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. The station broadcasts from studios in Leicester on 104.9 FM, on DAB, and via the BBC iPlayer.-History:...
.
BBC career
Alison Mitchell is a sports reporter/presenter/commentator, working across all 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...
Networks, including Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
, Radio 4, Radio 1, the Asian Network
BBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network is a British radio station serving those originating from and around the Indian subcontinent. The music and news comes out of the main urban areas where there are significant communities with these backgrounds. The station has production centres in Birmingham, Leicester and London...
and the World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
. She also works in television, presenting sport news for the BBC News Channel.
She is Britain’s first and only female cricket commentator, calling games ball by ball.
She specialises in Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
as part of the Test Match Special
Test Match Special
Test Match Special is a British radio programme covering professional cricket, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 , Five Live Sports Extra and the internet to the United Kingdom and the rest of the world...
team, but she also covers major events for BBC Sport
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
such as the Olympics, Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
and Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
.
She is a sports news presenter for Radio Five Live, and has also presented the sport for Radio One’s Newsbeat
Newsbeat
Newsbeat is the flagship news programme on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. Newsbeat is produced by BBC News but differs from the BBC's other news programmes in its remit to provide news tailored for a specifically younger audience....
, including a stint on the Chris Moyles Show.
Radio
Alison joined the BBC Asian NetworkBBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network is a British radio station serving those originating from and around the Indian subcontinent. The music and news comes out of the main urban areas where there are significant communities with these backgrounds. The station has production centres in Birmingham, Leicester and London...
as staff in 2002, mainly covering international cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, and did her first broadcast for Radio Five Live in 2003.
She has covered England Winter cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
tours to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the World Cup in the West Indies, World Twenty20s in South Africa 2007 and England 2009, the ICC Champions Trophy
ICC Champions Trophy
The ICC Champions Trophy is a One Day International cricket tournament, second in importance only to the Cricket World Cup. It was inaugurated as the ICC Knock Out tournament in 1998 and has been played every two years since, changing its name to the Champions Trophy in 2002...
, two Women's Cricket World Cups, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
in Melbourne, two World Snooker Championships, the World Gymnastics Championships
World Gymnastics Championships
The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique organises World Gymnastics Championships for each of the gymnastic disciplines:...
and Wimbledon.
Alison was a boundary commentator at the momentous Oval Test when England regained the Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
in 2005.
She commentated on Ireland's historic victory over Pakistan at the 2007 Cricket World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
, and was the last person to interview Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer
Bob Woolmer
Robert Andrew Woolmer was an international cricketer, professional cricket coach and also a professional commentator...
before his sudden death in the Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. Alison reported on his death for all BBC Networks, and was the only BBC reporter in Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
when police announced a murder investigation.
She made her England commentary debut at the 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
with Jonathan Agnew
Jonathan Agnew
Jonathan Philip Agnew is an English cricket broadcaster and former professional cricketer. He was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire and educated at Uppingham School. He is nicknamed "Aggers", and, less commonly, "Spiro"....
for Test Match Special (she seemed to get on well with summariser Ian Chappell
Ian Chappell
Ian Michael Chappell is a former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975 before taking a central role in the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation...
when she mentioned that her mother is Australian). She then flew on to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
to commentate on her first ODI series there.
John Inverdale
John Inverdale
John Inverdale , is an English radio and television broadcaster who works for the BBC, mainly covering sporting events.-Biography:...
called it a "radio first" when Alison commentated on the Pommel Horse
Pommel horse
The pommel horse is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. Traditionally, it is used by only male gymnasts. Originally made of a metal frame with a wooden body and a leather cover, modern pommel horses have a metal body covered with foam rubber and leather, with plastic handles .- History :The pommel...
at the Beijing Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
She was part of England's winter tour to India
English cricket team in India in 2008–09
-2nd ODI:-3rd ODI:-4th ODI:-5th ODI:* 2 further ODIs were scheduled for Guwahati and Delhi but were cancelled for security reasons following the 2008 Mumbai attacks.-1st Test:-2nd Test:...
, which was interrupted by the terrorist attacks in Mumbai
2008 Mumbai attacks
The 2008 Mumbai attacks were more than 10 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India's largest city, by Islamist attackers who came from Pakistan...
. When the tour resumed, Alison got locked in the toilet during the tea interval of the Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
Test.
She commentated for both BBC
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
and ABC radio
ABC NewsRadio
ABC NewsRadio is an Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio service devoted to delivering live and 24-hour news updates and information. The service is available on a number of broadcasts right around Australia, including AM/FM radio, some pay-TV platforms and online via the Internet.Originally...
for the 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup
2009 Women's Cricket World Cup
The 2009 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the tournament and was held in Australia from 7 to 22 March 2009, using the sport's One Day International format....
Final in Sydney, which was won by England.
She was Radio Five Live's England reporter during the Cricket World Cup 2011, commentating on a number of World Cup matches for Test Match Special
Test Match Special
Test Match Special is a British radio programme covering professional cricket, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 , Five Live Sports Extra and the internet to the United Kingdom and the rest of the world...
and following India through from the quarter finals to their eventual triumph in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
.
Television
Alison is a sport presenter for the BBC News Channel.She presented online video diaries from England’s winter tour to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 2008, and online videos The Mitchell Show during the Ashes 2009.
She made her TV commentary debut in 2007, joining Jonathan Agnew
Jonathan Agnew
Jonathan Philip Agnew is an English cricket broadcaster and former professional cricketer. He was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire and educated at Uppingham School. He is nicknamed "Aggers", and, less commonly, "Spiro"....
, Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
and Graham Gooch
Graham Gooch
Graham Alan Gooch OBE DL is a former cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, he became the most prolific run scorer of all time with 67,057 runs...
as part of the commentary team for the ODI between Scotland and India, which was shown live on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
, produced by Sunset and Vine.
She has presented Lord's TV - presenting on the Big Screen for Middlesex Panthers Twenty20 matches, and commentating for the in-house television system with Simon Hughes
Simon Hughes
Simon Henry Ward Hughes is a British politician and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Until 2008 he was President of the Liberal Democrats...
.
Writing
Alison writes for the TMS BlogTest Match Special
Test Match Special is a British radio programme covering professional cricket, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 , Five Live Sports Extra and the internet to the United Kingdom and the rest of the world...
on the BBC website. She also contributes to The Wisden Cricketer
The Wisden Cricketer
The Wisden Cricketer is the world's best-selling monthly cricket magazine.It was created in 2003 by a merger between The Cricketer magazine and Wisden Cricket Monthly....
, Spin magazine and has written for the Wisden Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
.
External links
- Personal website Personal website
- Biography BBC Press Office, August 2007
- TMS Blog from the Boundary and photographs BBC Sport
- TMS On The Road - Behind the scenes in Mohali BBC Sport, 17 December 2008
- Relive Classic TMS Ashes Moments BBC Sport, 6 July 2009
- BBC Radio 5 live recall England's Ashes win BBC Sport, 14 December 2009
- Althea Gibson Documentary BBC 1Xtra, 23 June 2009
- Chris Moyles Show Runnnig Order BBC Radio 1, 1 May 2008