World of Sport (British TV programme)

World of Sport
Company type	Television series
Industry	Sports broadcasting
Founded	January 2, 1965; 61 years ago
Defunct	September 28, 1985
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom
Key people	Eamonn Andrews, Dickie Davies, Fred Dinenage, Steve Rider, Jim Rosenthal, Bob Colston, John Tyrrel, Elton Welsby
Products	Sports television programming

World of Sport was a British sports television series broadcast on ITV from 2 January 1965 until 28 September 1985, serving as a rival to the BBC's Grandstand. Airing on Saturday afternoons, it benefited from exemptions to broadcasting hour limitations up to 1972, establishing itself as a cornerstone of ITV’s weekend lineup with an annual sports quota of 350 hours.

Early years

The original broadcasts were hosted by Eamonn Andrews and produced by ABC Weekend TV at Teddington Studios, with contributions from various regional ITV stations. Before the launch of World of Sport, ITV aired Saturday sports as separate individual programmes. Following ABC’s franchise loss in 1968, production responsibilities transferred to London Weekend Television (LWT), operating under the ITV Sport brand, with Dickie Davies taking over as principal presenter until the programme concluded in 1985. Other prominent hosts included Fred Dinenage, Steve Rider, and Jim Rosenthal. Continuity was maintained by results announcers such as Bob Colston and John Tyrrel, with Elton Welsby joining the team from 1983 onwards.

Since LWT held rights only for weekend broadcasts, bank holiday editions were produced by Thames Television under titles like Bank Holiday Sport or Bank Holiday Sports Special, typically presented by Davies or occasionally by Rider.

Regional programming variations occurred: for example, STV and Grampian sometimes aired the Scotsport Special, fronted by Arthur Montford from Glasgow. This edition combined live English coverage with adjusted scheduling during events such as the Scottish Cup Final to cater to local audiences.

Key milestones included airing the 500th episode on 7 September 1974 and reaching the 1000th broadcast on 16 June 1984.

Features

The programme primarily revolved around three main components – On the Ball (football previews), the ITV Seven (horse racing), and wrestling, featuring commentator Kent Walton – concluding with a comprehensive results segment. Coverage of additional sports was mainly concentrated in the first hour and around the 3pm slot. With many established events secured by the BBC, ITV often highlighted less conventional sports such as women’s hockey, netball, lacrosse, water skiing, and stock car racing, alongside niche activities like NASCAR and ice speedway. The show also showcased unusual competitions including the World Barrel Jumping Championships and daring stunt performances. Early editions featured disciplines like show jumping and other equestrian sports, while later years placed greater emphasis on extensive snooker coverage.

Sports such as ten-pin bowling and kart racing gained notable visibility through this platform, contributing significantly to their popularity within the UK. Initially focusing on regional ten-pin bowling leagues starting in 1965, by the mid-1970s international events like the WTBA World Tenpin Bowling Championships and US-based Professional Bowlers Tour were incorporated, highlighted by memorable moments such as Mark Roth’s televised conversion of a 7–10 split in 1980. British stock car racers, including figures like Barry Lee, also enjoyed increased exposure.

Occasionally, World of Sport acquired broadcasting rights for major competitions such as the Tour de France and the Ryder Cup. The annual FA Cup Final was a consistent feature, with ITV competing against BBC through early kick-offs and distinctive coverage styles to attract viewers. Live football matches were limited mainly to England versus Scotland fixtures within the Home International Championship—shared with BBC from 1971 to 1982—and exclusive Schoolboy England Internationals held at Wembley. When ITV televised World Cup or European Championship matches during World of Sport’’’s time slot, broadcasts were sometimes extended; notable instances include games from UEFA Euro 1972 and the FIFA World Cups of 1974 and 1982.

A standard edition typically ran from 12:15 to 17:10 following this structure:

12:20 On The Ball – football preview segment featuring commentators such as Brian Moore, later joined by analysts like Ian St. John and Jimmy Greaves.

13:00 Sports Special 1 – diverse sports coverage including footage sourced from US Wide World of Sports. Regularly featured disciplines included major sports like Motor Racing, Show Jumping, Tennis, Motorcycle Racing, and Cycling. Lesser-known sports covered were darts, snooker, bowls, water skiing, speedway, and rallying. Occasionally, boxing was included in this slot.

13:15 ITN News

13:20 ITV Racing

15:00 Sports Special 2 – continuation of varied sporting content.

15:45 Half-Time Scores – updates on football half-time scores along with recent horse racing results.

16:00 Wrestling – a fixture throughout from 1965 until conclusion, showcasing renowned personalities such as Big Daddy (Shirley Crabtree) and Giant Haystacks.

16:45 Results Service – comprehensive full-time football scores, match summaries, league standings, plus final horse racing outcomes.

Conclusion

By the mid-1980s, ITV Sport redirected its attention towards broadcasting live sporting events instead of a combination of highlights and horse racing coverage. This strategic shift resulted in the conclusion of World of Sport after two decades, with its final episode airing on 28 September 1985.

Opening sequence and theme music

World of Sport was recognized for its unique theme music and opening visuals that aligned with ITV Sport’s branding. Between 1968 and 1983, the program used Don Harper’s "World of Sport March," which was refreshed in the early 1980s to include a new title sequence depicting the Earth moving in front of the sun. In 1983, these were replaced by a computer-generated introduction accompanied by a modern theme composed by Jeff Wayne, which remained until the show's conclusion in 1985.

Jeff Wayne also created themes for the separate Results Service (1985–1992), which had previously featured only brief musical cues during World of Sport broadcasts.

Notable events

On 11 May 1985, during live transmission, World of Sport switched coverage to Valley Parade stadium as commentator John Helm reported on the Bradford City stadium fire.
Comedian Eric Morecambe made an appearance on the Christmas Eve edition in 1977, delivering memorable moments alongside presenter Dickie Davies.
The show's format included rows of typists working behind the presenter to prepare content, a feature later humorously parodied by French and Saunders.

Enduring impact

Following the end of World of Sport, ITV continued to provide extensive Saturday afternoon sports programming, with football remaining predominant until 1992. Presenters Ian St. John and Jimmy Greaves moved on to host the dedicated football show Saint and Greavsie, which enjoyed success until Sky Sports acquired exclusive rights to English top-tier football in 1992.

Wrestling persisted briefly after Saint and Greavsie, but was discontinued in December 1988 due to changing audience demographics and increased competition from American promotions such as WWE, which gained UK exposure through Sky Television. Matches from Joint Promotions were supplemented by All Star Wrestling content; however, regular broadcasts of American wrestling were limited to just six occasions over two years. The shift to lunchtime scheduling negatively affected wrestling’s viewership, as its core audience was primarily working-class.

Between 1992 and 1995, certain ITV regions aired World Championship Wrestling's WCW Worldwide during the traditional Saturday slot. In the mid-2000s, The Wrestling Channel acquired rights to air archival footage from World of Sport's wrestling segments until it ceased operations; these archives later appeared on the UK satellite channel Men and Movies. Joint Promotions closed in 1995 following promoter Max Crabtree’s retirement, though All Star Wrestling continues to operate at a grassroots level despite founder Brian Dixon’s passing in 2023.

To avoid scheduling conflicts with horse racing—which had moved to Channel 4—non-sporting programs were introduced on Saturdays. Live broadcasts featuring athletics, darts, ice skating, and snooker gradually diminished until they were phased out entirely.

Saturday sports coverage concluded with the brief Results Service, lasting fifteen minutes and presented mainly by Elton Welsby (with occasional appearances by Jim Rosenthal). This ended after the 1991/92 season. Football results continued on ITV within the ITN Early Evening News until 2003.

In September 2005, ITV celebrated World of Sport’s fiftieth anniversary with commemorative programming supported by related publications such as annuals and companion books.

Revival of wrestling segment

On 17 October 2016, ITV announced plans to bring back professional wrestling by reviving the beloved World of Sport segment. A pilot episode was filmed on 1 November 2016 at MediaCityUK in Salford, showcasing independent wrestlers including El Ligero, Grado, and Sha Samuels. Former WWE commentator Jim Ross provided commentary for the pilot, which aired on New Year's Eve with Grado capturing the World of Sport Championship.

In March 2017, Impact Wrestling partnered with ITV to produce a ten-episode series under executive producer Jeff Jarrett. The planned tapings at Preston Guild Hall scheduled for May featured wrestlers such as Grado, Magnus, along with returning independent stars. However, these recordings were indefinitely postponed due to unresolved contract negotiations.

In April 2018, ITV confirmed a ten-part World of Sport Wrestling series set for Saturday afternoon broadcasts. Filmed in Norwich during May, this series aired from 28 July through 29 September 2018 without involvement from Jim Ross or Impact Wrestling. A subsequent six-date live tour took place in January and February 2019.

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