Explore every episode of the podcast The Commentator's Curse with Ian Danter

Ian in joined today by legendary freelance commentator Kevin Keatings and BBC Radio Tees' Mark Drury to talk about their respective journeys into broadcasting. Includes

• How the "worst" demo showreel landed Kevin his first radio job
• Mark going from supporter to broadcaster despite no interest in that career path as a boy
• Kev's career as a footballer sadly cut short
• Boro's extraordinary spell of European drama at the Riverside
• The 'Night Of The Long Knives" at Radio City in Liverpool
• Taking over commentary duties from a Teeside icon
• Plus much more!

Ian chats with Match Of The Day regular Mark Scott and rising star of BBC London & Sky Emily Herbert about their commentary journeys to where they are today. Including:

• Commentating at primary school!
• How a broken ankle led to opportunity
• Student life and the dreaded student loan
• Emily & Mark compete for the "best first ever match commentary" title - you decide!
• Diversity & inclusivity in the broadcasting industry
• Plus much more!

Sky Sports' Rob Hawthorne and BBC WM's Steve Hermon join Ian for their stories of how they got to be where they are today in broadcasting

Includes:

• Rob taking the phrase "International Break" rather too literally
• THE Michael Jackson being driven around Brum in a Ford Cortina!
• Winning radio competitions
• Player identification panic
• Becoming Mr "Monday Night Football"
• Tony "Bomber" Brown and his excellent soup
• Sweets on the gantry

I'm joined by Jon Driscoll who's worked for 5 Live and talkSPORT as well as being a regular voice on Sky's Spanish football coverage amongst many other roles he's had and Chris Goreham, who has not long celebrated 25 years as commentator for Norwich City with BBC Norfolk. Topics discussed include;

- The difference between news journalists and sports journalists
- Working with the legendary manager Malcolm Allison on Teeside
- Dealing with and apologising for foul language in live matches
- The pressure of taking over from a commentator after they've done many years in a role
- The launch of talkSPORT
- The latest on rumoured changes to how BBC Local Radio operates in terms of covering their clubs

And much more...

We finally start Series 2 of my non-award winning show where I chat with fellow commentators about their career paths and stories of how they got their big breaks and their hard knocks.

BBC Leeds commentator Adam Pope and Match Of The Day regular James Fielden join me to talk to me about their individual journeys to where they are today. Including;

- Accent issues that needed resolving in early days
- The battle for the soul of football in West Yorkshire
- Commentating next to 4 other folk calling the same game in wildly different languages
- And much much more!

• Fantasy Football and the dedication required for it
• Working for Club TV channels
• Yet more tales of first commentary gigs coming out of nowhere!
• Another young man thrust into a Sports Editor role in his early 20’s
• Being shushed by a sporting legend 
• And much more besides

• Early careers advice at school…or the lack of it!
• An early disaster ‘driving the desk’
• The demise of TeamTalk252 and Setanta Sports
• Becoming a sports editor at 23 years old!
• The days before press officers and developing relationships with players/bosses!!
• Convincing Sir Alex you weren’t a wrong ‘un & the treble season of 98/99!
• Experiences on open top buses
• Press room grub!
• Plus much more...

• Broadcasting to absolutely nobody when you don't realise!
• The on-air genius of Des Lynham & we remember John Motson (RIP)
• The greatest/bravest job interview possibly ever against the odds...which worked!
• Working outside your commentary comfort zone & the '2 commentator' role
• Managers listening to your output and taking issue!
• Plus much more!

• Getting a HUGE game for what was a 2nd ever radio commentary
• The amazing growth of the Capital Gold brand in the 90’s
• Pre-prepared lines or being spontaneous…
• A transatlantic commentary lifestyle
• Difference between radio & TV work
• Plus much more…

• More tales of cassette-based commentary attempts as children!
• More degree courses that were of no use whatsoever to a career in the press box
• Steve's spell in Capital Gold London's halcyon days
• Joe on working at games with a fan rather than an ex-pro
• Commentating on other sports...including 'Sweat Racing'????
• Plus much more

• Raiding record shops to kill time on trips abroad 
• Using 'stringers' in local areas to cover games-with some odd results
• Sitting in Bert Millichip's posh seat!
• Contact with audiences in African villages who rely on radio commentary
• Many happy (and some less happy) memories of the late great Graham Taylor
• And much more!

• Development of the WSL and holding players to the appropriate standards
• Childhood commentary using something other than Subbuteo!
• Taking a mate who's come over from Australia to your first ever commentary
• Working in loads of TV roles to bring perspective to being a TV commentator
• Specialist Media Studies courses
• 'Spoof' commentaries and how to spot them
• Plus much more

• Getting a big break thanks either to missing spectacles or a court case
• Babysitting one Alan Bernard Brazil at Hampden Park (Includes classic clip!)
• Did Richard Keys & Andy Gary muck in for talkSPORT @ Euro 2012?
• Which England legend led a conga at a Madness gig?
• Being last (and indeed first) on Match Of The Day
• And much much more

• What he felt was his worst moment as a football commentator
• When his favourite moment came subsequently away from football!
• Voicing computer games and the Big Train 'staring competition' sketches
• The occasion he wishes he could have provided commentary for
• And much more

• Filing copy to attractive-sounding Scottish ladies
• More on the rise of Clubcall in the 90's
• Following a rugby club just at the right time
• Genuine & astonishing hate mail
• Going 'national' on Soccer AM
• A very funny story about a TV show taping!
• Plus so much more...

• More love for Subbuteo as a first attempt at commentary!
• Auditioning using 'FIFA' whilst drunk
• Shirt number horrors and the importance of the warm up
• Print Journalism & its benefits to commentary
• Plus much more!

• How a snowstorm accidentally launched a commentary career
• Joining a supposedly 'parochial radio station' at the perfect time sports-wise
• Dealing with spiky managers post-match
• The "best summariser" in football
• Not knowing Press Room food is meant for you!
• Accidentally swearing on air
• Plus much more!

• From suspended ceilings to the suspense of a Cloughie interview
• The panic of arriving late to a game
• Gary's 'job opportunities' scheme on social media
• Darren's move not only from radio to TV but also from UK to US sports
• Plus loads more besides

• Having to commentate from a nowhere near the pitch
• The Rock legends who wanted commentary on a song!
• Quitting your job, flat and relationship to pursue your ambitions
• Testing your commentary skills on things far removed from football
• The age-old 'best services' debate
• Plus much more!

• Learning editing skills with huge tape machines!
• How Trevor Francis helped Tom get his first break
• How Nigel welcomed a future megastar into Preston North End's reception area...and had to keep quiet about it!!
• Developing trust with clubs and avoiding compromising situations
• The differences between commentating at the BBC & talkSPORT
• And much more!

• Doing a match report from your bedroom using surround sound speakers!
• The classic 'hospital radio' route and how long it took to get a first paid gig!
• Angering Scottish bosses 
• Gadgets, gizmos and losing your notes to the 4 winds!
• More on the radio rights 'war' of the '90's/'00's
• England & Dancing On Ice

• Clive on cutting his teeth with Cloughie in Nottingham
• Denno on the challenge of calling greyhound racing!
• The '2 commentator format' and how it can be of benefit
• Life reporting on England
• Getting the team news for a Cup Final behind the boss' back!

• Was there a BBC/ILR ‘war’ over local football coverage?

• The owner who became a manager and tapped club phones to catch out reporters 

• What really happened with unofficial Euro 2000 commentaries in Amsterdam?

• Running commentaries NEXT TO the press box 

• Nick stuns us with a revelation on his prep work!

• And much more!

• Kev’s tape player that stopped him socialising at Uni!
• Useless stats and how to avoid them
• Robyn’s progress through a male-dominated industry 
• The joys of whistle-stop European football travel
• Being a ‘social ghost’
• And much more

• How a decent knock at a cricket match led to a 30+ year broadcasting career!
• Tough decisions at crucial points
• The vagaries of sporting rights and how to survive them
• Starting a new career in the USA
• Do Yorkshiremen approve of heaters in the press box? 
• Plus much more in an hour-long chinwag 

• The terror of the post-match interview!
• What did Crock do to inspire a fan’s tattoo?
• When was Guy’s brief, sweary encounter with a World Cup winner!
• Who may have caused a floodlight failure?
• Who needed a safety harness on a gantry?