Peter Baxter
Encyclopedia
Peter Baxter was a producer for BBC radio, in particular he was for 34 years the organising brain behind Test Match Special
.
in September 1965 after a spell in British Forces Broadcasting.
He first worked on Test Match Special in 1966, and produced it from 1973-2007.
In tandem with his work on cricket
he was also the rugby union producer for eight years and the University Boat Race producer throughout the 1980s.
He co-ordinated the BBC
's cricket
coverage from every one of the Test-playing nations, and has also frequently been part of the commentary team himself. Baxer commentated on the end of the 1992 World Cup Final between England
and Pakistan
in Melbourne
There have been many amusing moments over the years, but being locked out of the ground by the groundsman at Galle
, in Sri Lanka
, in 2001 was not one of them. He and BBC
cricket
correspondent Jonathan Agnew
eventually watched the action from a nearby fort.
Baxter retired on 19 June 2007—with his last TMS production going off the air at 18:30. He was succeeded by Adam Mountford, the former cricket producer of BBC Radio Five Live
.
He is a Fellow of The Radio Academy
. and president of the Bedfordshire Cricket Board and Metro Blind Sports.
In December 2009 Baxter started a regular podcast
on the cricket website thecricketer.com. He is an accomplished and entertaining after dinner speaker.
He has edited several books with the Test Match Special team and on his own account, 'World Cup - Cricket's Clash of the Titans', 'The Best Views From the Boundary' and the autobiographical 'Inside the Box'.
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...
.
Career
Baxter joined 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...
in September 1965 after a spell in British Forces Broadcasting.
He first worked on Test Match Special in 1966, and produced it from 1973-2007.
In tandem with his work on 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...
he was also the rugby union producer for eight years and the University Boat Race producer throughout the 1980s.
He co-ordinated the BBC
BBC
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...
's 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...
coverage from every one of the Test-playing nations, and has also frequently been part of the commentary team himself. Baxer commentated on the end of the 1992 World Cup Final between England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and 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...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
There have been many amusing moments over the years, but being locked out of the ground by the groundsman at Galle
Galle
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District....
, in 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...
, in 2001 was not one of them. He and BBC
BBC
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...
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...
correspondent 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"....
eventually watched the action from a nearby fort.
Baxter retired on 19 June 2007—with his last TMS production going off the air at 18:30. He was succeeded by Adam Mountford, the former cricket producer of BBC Radio Five 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...
.
He is a Fellow of The Radio Academy
Radio Academy
The Radio Academy is a registered charity that is dedicated to 'the encouragement, recognition and promotion of excellence in UK broadcasting and audio production'....
. and president of the Bedfordshire Cricket Board and Metro Blind Sports.
In December 2009 Baxter started a regular podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
on the cricket website thecricketer.com. He is an accomplished and entertaining after dinner speaker.
He has edited several books with the Test Match Special team and on his own account, 'World Cup - Cricket's Clash of the Titans', 'The Best Views From the Boundary' and the autobiographical 'Inside the Box'.