Murray Walker: Life in the Fast Lane

Is it worth watching for those who aren't fans?

I never really liked him or his commentating style, so I didn't watch it.
 
I will do that....

But only if someone can remind me, I have a bad habit of missing good programs :givemestrength:

EDIT: Reply to McZiderReid
 
Is it worth watching for those who aren't fans?

I never really liked him or his commentating style, so I didn't watch it.

I don't know if you'd like it as a non fan. I wouldn't say the program was sycophantic. It gave a good history of Murray and how he got into motor racing/commentary and what also touched otherwise, but mainly was about his motor-racing stuff, obviously.

I'm a fan, so no doubt I'm biased!
 
Is it worth watching for those who aren't fans?

I never really liked him or his commentating style, so I didn't watch it.
Probably not. It's not available on iPlayer either so you would have to really really want to watch it, it's going to take a bit of your time to find it.

I thought it was a pretty good program, it was interesting without ever being revelatory. There were a few nice bits behind the scenes of when he goes to races which I thought was interesting to see, the hijinks he gets up to - he seems to be surrounded by models wherever he goes - are quite fun, there are a couple of chats with current F1 drivers that would've been nice to see in further detail. There's one point in the Melbourne paddock where he asks Rubens Barrichello, who's just left the Williams motorhome, whether this year's car is any better, to which Rubens responds, "...yeah!" oh dear Rubens LOL
 
Twas alright, Some nice footage of F1 through the years and a couple of nice clips.

I still laugh at the way Walker and Hunt really couldn't stand each other but I think that made it work so well.

Not a bad way to spend an hour or so.
 
Not a great Murray fan - the documentary was a little too sycophantic for my liking - OK, he is 86 and he's done the commentary bit for yonks - but doesn't necessarily make him a master. Mastermind was a revelation, in that he didn't know most of the answers on his specialist subject of F1 - says it all really.
 
Shame i missed this. i was out, would of been an intresting watch.

Its funny has an f1 fan you think great names like Senna, Schumacher etc. would be my idol, for me it was Murray. Growing up listening to him, He sounded has i felt wacthing F1 (if you catch my drift, it doesn't look right when i type it)
 
I know what you mean Andrea Moda(awesome username) - When I was little Murray was my hero too - unfourtunatly it all got a bit tainted for me.

As a kid I used to video the highlights of every GP off the TV and keep them so I had whole seasons to go back an watch(geek I know) and our video player messed up and I miss the highlights of the 1990 Australian GP - I was only 9 and I was really upset. My Dad(mainly through guilt for his rubbish video player I think) came up with the idea of writing a fan letter to Murray asking if there was anyway I could get hold of the Highlights. So I wrote a real nice detailed fan letter about how I loved F1, how I'd read his book and how much I loved his commentry - and then of course explaing what had happened with the highlights before signing my name with my age afterwards (9 and a half). A few weeks later I got very excited when a letter from the BBC arrived back - much to my childhood despair all the letter said was

"Dear Richard: I do not have personal access to BBC recordings; please refrain from making request like this of me again. Murray Walker"

needs to say it tainted my hero a bit - I actually met Mr Walker when I was a bit older (15 I think) at the NEC motor show and he was nice to me then so I forgave him but unfourtunatly the grumpy letter will always stay with me - I was only 9!

He's still a legend though.
 
Poignant moment for me at the end of the programme watching Murray commentate of the cuff as a few cars nip round the track. Still there, still got it and legendary with it...still
a kid at heart and held in high esteem by everyone on a circuit from fans, drivers pundits etc.... That says something right there....a diamond in the twighlight of his life and when gone can never be replaced...
I don't know if Murrays wife has passed away, but I used to love her toddling along 10 paces behind him wherever they went. So to see him sitting on the train by himself during the programme gave me a little mixed feelings. Hopefully his good lady is fine and well and tired of following him all over the place...but sadly if she has gone, my heart goes out to this little man who gave me satisfaction guaranteed every time he picked up the mic and let rip with that contagious commentary...
No one like him....
 
Sky+ it and glad i did it was great.

Still don't know how he has the energy at his age to keep traveling around the world.

I laughed at the part where he poked Mansell in the head after Mansell had hurt himself.

You can't half tell that he had a brilliant relationship with Both Hill and Mansell.
 
Couldn't stand Murray when he was commentating but when James Allen took over I realised what I was missing. Thoroughly enjoyed the prog and his energy is unbelievable, especially for a bloke who's had two hip replacements. A superstar of the commentating world, up with Ted Lowe, Harry Carpenter and Reg Gutteridge - the voice of a sport.
 
I use to watch Murray in the 90's from a huge satellite dish that I had here in the states, tuned into the Canadian Broadcasting Company, then being moderated by Murray with James Hunt, and after James's death Jonathan Palmer. The thing which was so great about Murray was his love for the sport, in which he expressed with such excitement and passion, and a total joy which was contagious for the average fan to experience.

You guys across the big pond don't know how lucky that are to have the BBC, and the great Murray Walker.
 
It's sad that his wikipedia entry appears to have been written by someone with no journalistic ability and who knows very little about him.
 
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