Ski Sunday
Encyclopedia
Ski Sunday is the BBC
Sports
weekly magazine-style television show covering winter sports, broadcast in the United Kingdom
on Sundays in a late afternoon or an early evening time-slot. It began in 1978 and is currently presented by Graham Bell
and Ed Leigh
.
, later forming part of Sunday Grandstand
and presented and commentated on by British broadcasting luminaries such as Ron Pickering
and David Vine
(who presented the show for 20 years until he took semi-retirement in 1996, he died in January 2009), the show focused primarily on the blue riband
events of downhill skiing
and Special Slalom
. Following the final edition of Grandstand in early 2007, Ski Sunday became one of the longest-running BBC Sports television programmes still being broadcast; the 2008 season was the 30th.
changed over time, the programme experimented with different formats and time-slots. In recent years the show has been presented by, amongst others, Hazel Irvine
, Matt Chilton, former British Olympic skier Graham Bell
and Ed Leigh
. The 2008 season started on 20 January in an extended prime time
slot (Sundays 7pm to 8pm GMT) and was broadcast weekly on BBC2 for eight weeks. The 2008 revised format covered most forms of competition skiing and snowboarding
as well as covering travelogue
and entertainment features. The series also offered interactive
features via the BBC Red Button service.
The 2009 series began on 10 January with a special preview programme presented by Graham Bell covering a summer trek in the Alps
. The 2009 series-proper started on 18 January, and was again broadcast on BBC2 and BBC Red Button. Prior to the launch of the 2009 season, it was reported that the more general winter sports content of the 2008 format was not popular with viewers, and the BBC acknowledged: "we didn't get things quite right last year. Ski racing fans wanted more of the action and our new viewers wanted more adventure." Consequently for 2009 the show was divided into two programmes: Ski Sunday and High Altitude; the former covering ski racing and the latter, "mountain adventure".
For the 2010 season, High Altitude was dropped and a stand-alone Ski Sunday comprised one half-hour programme weekly, shown around 5pm on BBC2 on Sunday evenings. It consisted largely of events coverage, plus a new clothing, equipment and technology slot, with further events covered and a worldwide skiing weather report accessible afterwards, not always reliably, via the Red Button digital services. Bell and Leigh continued to present.
For the 2011 season, Ski Sunday returned on 9 January 2011 on BBC2 and ran until 2 February 2011 with Ski Sunday Extra available via the BBC Red Button interactive services. The show's format continued the 2010 approach, focusing on coverage of the unfolding alpine ski racing season interspersed with occasional featured segments on alternative winter sports such as Crashed Ice
downhill skating and snowboard events.
to the programme, "Pop Looks Bach" by Sam Fonteyn
, has changed very little over the years and is well-known to the British public. It has been re-mixed and sampled many times over. The music has also become the theme tune for the BBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics. In the US, the religion-oriented radio show The World Tomorrow
used the Ski Sunday theme as its opening music during the 1980s. It was first recorded for the Boosey & Hawkes
Music Library in 1970, and was not written for the BBC. It has similarities to the opening of Bach's famous Fugue in D minor
, which is referenced to by a hardly-noticeable church organ
in the background instrumentation of the original recording.
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...
Sports
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...
weekly magazine-style television show covering winter sports, broadcast in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on Sundays in a late afternoon or an early evening time-slot. It began in 1978 and is currently presented by Graham Bell
Graham Bell (skier)
Graham Bell is a former professional skier and television pundit. Graham Bell was the younger of the two Bell brothers from Britain....
and Ed Leigh
Ed Leigh
-Broadcasting career:Leigh presents the BBC2 show Ski Sunday during the winter and Red Bull X-Fighters World Series for Dave alongside Rob Warner in the summer....
.
History
Originally launched in 1978 on the back of the 1976 Winter Olympics1976 Winter Olympics
The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4–15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria...
, later forming part of Sunday 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 presented and commentated on by British broadcasting luminaries such as Ron Pickering
Ron Pickering
Ronald James Pickering , was an athletics coach and BBC sports commentator. Born in Barking, Essex, he coached several Olympic athletes, including Lynn Davies, a Welsh Olympic Games gold medallist long jumper. He was also the first host of the BBC1 children's sports programme We Are the...
and David Vine
David Vine
David Martin Vine was a British television sports presenter. He presented a wide variety of shows from the 1960s onwards.-Early life:...
(who presented the show for 20 years until he took semi-retirement in 1996, he died in January 2009), the show focused primarily on the blue riband
Blue Riband (disambiguation)
Blue Riband may refer to:*The Blue Riband, an award held by the ship with the record for a transatlantic crossing* Blue Riband , chocolate biscuits made by Nestlé and sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
events of downhill skiing
Downhill
Downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the Downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
and Special Slalom
Slalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
. Following the final edition of Grandstand in early 2007, Ski Sunday became one of the longest-running BBC Sports television programmes still being broadcast; the 2008 season was the 30th.
Format
As the British appetite for alpine skiingAlpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
changed over time, the programme experimented with different formats and time-slots. In recent years the show has been presented by, amongst others, Hazel Irvine
Hazel Irvine
Hazel Irvine , is a television presenter from the United Kingdom.- Life and career :Educated at Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh, she achieved an M.A. in History of Art at the University of St. Andrews, and competed in golf, netball and athletics at university level. In her final year she was...
, Matt Chilton, former British Olympic skier Graham Bell
Graham Bell (skier)
Graham Bell is a former professional skier and television pundit. Graham Bell was the younger of the two Bell brothers from Britain....
and Ed Leigh
Ed Leigh
-Broadcasting career:Leigh presents the BBC2 show Ski Sunday during the winter and Red Bull X-Fighters World Series for Dave alongside Rob Warner in the summer....
. The 2008 season started on 20 January in an extended prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
slot (Sundays 7pm to 8pm GMT) and was broadcast weekly on BBC2 for eight weeks. The 2008 revised format covered most forms of competition skiing and snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
as well as covering travelogue
Travel documentary
A travel documentary is a documentary film or television program that describes travel in general or tourist attractions in a non-commercial way....
and entertainment features. The series also offered interactive
Interactive television
Interactive television describes a number of techniques that allow viewers to interact with television content as they view it.- Definitions :...
features via the BBC Red Button service.
The 2009 series began on 10 January with a special preview programme presented by Graham Bell covering a summer trek in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
. The 2009 series-proper started on 18 January, and was again broadcast on BBC2 and BBC Red Button. Prior to the launch of the 2009 season, it was reported that the more general winter sports content of the 2008 format was not popular with viewers, and the BBC acknowledged: "we didn't get things quite right last year. Ski racing fans wanted more of the action and our new viewers wanted more adventure." Consequently for 2009 the show was divided into two programmes: Ski Sunday and High Altitude; the former covering ski racing and the latter, "mountain adventure".
For the 2010 season, High Altitude was dropped and a stand-alone Ski Sunday comprised one half-hour programme weekly, shown around 5pm on BBC2 on Sunday evenings. It consisted largely of events coverage, plus a new clothing, equipment and technology slot, with further events covered and a worldwide skiing weather report accessible afterwards, not always reliably, via the Red Button digital services. Bell and Leigh continued to present.
For the 2011 season, Ski Sunday returned on 9 January 2011 on BBC2 and ran until 2 February 2011 with Ski Sunday Extra available via the BBC Red Button interactive services. The show's format continued the 2010 approach, focusing on coverage of the unfolding alpine ski racing season interspersed with occasional featured segments on alternative winter sports such as Crashed Ice
Crashed Ice
Crashed Ice is a winter extreme sporting event, which involves downhill skating in an urban environment, on a track which includes steep turns and high vertical drops. It is sponsored by Red Bull....
downhill skating and snowboard events.
Theme tune
The iconic theme musicTheme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
to the programme, "Pop Looks Bach" by Sam Fonteyn
Sam Fonteyn
Sam Fonteyn was an English composer-pianist whose most significant output was for the Boosey & Hawkes Music Library, for which he composed and recorded countless works. Most are short character pieces for the piano with colorful titles indicating the images the pieces are meant to conjure. Others...
, has changed very little over the years and is well-known to the British public. It has been re-mixed and sampled many times over. The music has also become the theme tune for the BBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics. In the US, the religion-oriented radio show The World Tomorrow
The World Tomorrow
The World Tomorrow is a now-defunct radio and television half-hour program which had been sponsored by the Radio Church of God which ran from 1934 to 1994...
used the Ski Sunday theme as its opening music during the 1980s. It was first recorded for the Boosey & Hawkes
Boosey & Hawkes
Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and wind musical instruments....
Music Library in 1970, and was not written for the BBC. It has similarities to the opening of Bach's famous Fugue in D minor
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
The Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, is a piece of organ music attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach. It is one of the most famous works in the organ repertoire, and has been used in a variety of popular media ranging from film, video games, to rock music, and ringtones...
, which is referenced to by a hardly-noticeable church organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
in the background instrumentation of the original recording.
External links
- Ski Sunday at BBC Online
Audio clips
- Pop Looks Bach by the New Dance Orchestra
- Theme Tune performed by the Yorkshire Imperial BandYorkshire Imperial BandThe Yorkshire Imperial Band, also known as the Yorkshire Imperial Urquhart Travel Band and the Yorkshire Imps, is a brass band from West Yorkshire, England...