An interview with…John Helm TV commentator
Hello John, thank you for agreeing to this interview. It is a real pleasure to interview the man with one of the most recognisable voices in football! I’d like to start by asking how you became a football commentator?
I started my journalistic career as a cub reporter on the Shipley Times & Express, a weekly newspaper in West Yorkshire. After seven years there covering anything and everything I moved to the Yorkshire Post. I was still a news reporter but often covering sports stories.
In 1970 I was approached by the BBC to become Sports Editor Radio Leeds and I did my first radio commentaries on the great Leeds United team of the time (Billy Bremner, Jack Charlton, Norman Hunter, Johnny Giles etc)
I joined Radio 2 based in London in 1975 and was Network Football Producer until 1981. I also commentated on the Third Place game between Brazil and Italy at the 1978 World Cup Finals.
My first television commentary was in 1981 when I commentated on Rotherham United vs Norwich City for Yorkshire Television.
You started in radio before moving into television; what differences are there between commentating on the radio to television?
Radio and television commentaries are two entirely different beasts apart from trying to get the facts right and entertaining the audience. Radio commentators are the eyes of the listener and therefore attempt to paint pictures. On television the pictures are already there so the commentator has to enhance the overall product with well-chosen words to match.
How much research goes into preparing for a game? Do you have to go and watch the teams play before you are due to cover them?
Every match requires a great amount of preparation whether it’s in the World Cup or Conference North.
Whenever possible you go to watch a team in a match prior to to commentating on them, or take in a training session. Sometimes it is just not possible especially when travelling between venues on the day of a game.
You were part of the ITV commentary team who went over to Spain for the 1982 World Cup. With information so readily available on the internet nowadays, how much research did you have have to do for the foreign teams?
The internet has transformed the way we approach our work. At the 1982 World Cup I was employed by ITV and based in the south of the country, but travelling either to Malaga or Seville for matches just about every day.
The research was done by the side of the hotel pool and via phone calls to trusted allies within the team camps or at the team hotels where opportunity arose.
You covered Scotland in that World Cup. They were a great team at the time and had some great players in their squad. Who would you say was the best player in that team?
I was assigned to Scotland in three successive World Cups (1978, 1982 and 1986) and they had some wonderful talent none better than Kenny Dalglish with Graeme Souness a close second.
You were in the commentary box at Valley Parade on the day of the awful tragedy where a fire engulfed the Main Stand. What are your memories of that terrible day? How much of an impact did it then have on you going to later matches?
The most awful day of my life was May 11th 1985. I have commentated on over 5,000 matches but I have to accept that the one that I will be best remembered for is the one at Bradford City’s Valley Parade ground when 56 people lost their lives.
I was conscious of not over-dramatising events while I was “live” on air and the pictures were so chilling too many words would have been superfluous anyway. I was unaware of the extent of the tragedy until later that evening.
The overall effect of the day had a marked impact on me and I am still wary of the poor state of a few stadiums today. The one good outcome was the upgrading of stadium facilities world-wide.
John at Valley Parade, home of Bradford City
During your career there were some fantastic commentators. ITV had Brian Moore and BBC had John Motson and Barry Davies. Who do you say was he best of those three?
The commentator I enjoyed listening to most was Brian Moore who seemed to have an effortless, friendly yet informative style.
You then commentated on the 1990 and 1994 World cup tournaments. How much research went into those tournaments? What are your memories?
My major memory of Italia ’90 was of Cameroon who kicked off the tournament by beating defending champions Argentina. I spent a day with the Cameroon players before the tournament and did all the commentaries on Roger Milla’s goals.
1994 was more disappointing to me. I did a lot of commentaries off-tube in Dallas and that’s not the same as being in the stadiums.
I was at the opening game in Chicago where Diana Ross provided the major talking point. That summed it up! (This will be featured in an upcoming Iconic Moments in Football. Chris)
John (right) with Jack Charlton, manager of Republic of Ireland, 1994
Which of the ten World Cups that you covered were your favourite and why?
My favourite World Cup was 1982 simply because I commentated all of the Brazil matches and fell in love with the aura of Zico, Socrates, Falcao and others. I could have cried when they got beaten by Italy!
When commentating on highlights of matches does this involve actually being at the game or can you watch the footage on TV?
Often recorded highlights are edited at base and taken from the original commentaries in the stadium. Many though are dubbed in recording suites and you have to be very disciplined in not talking over edit points as the game unfolds incident by incident.
FIFA selected you to commentate for them at the 2002 World Cup and you covered over half of the matches in the tournament. Which one was your favourite?
Although I only got to about four games of the 2002 World Cup because of distances between Korea and Japan, I actually commentated on almost half of the games from a small cubicle in Seoul! There was an intense rivalry between the two countries as to who would go the furthest.
The matches that I remember the most were South Korea’s semi final versus Germany and the final in Yokohama where a Ronaldo brace won it for Brazil.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a commentator?
The biggest piece of advice that I give to aspiring young commentators is to be themselves. We all have different personalities, so let that individualism shine through. Seek to emulate those that you admire by all means but don’t attempt to imitate.
What is your favourite match that you’ve commentated on?
Even though the Brazilian team that I fell in love with got beaten, I will always say that the most memorable match that I ever had the privilege of commentating on was the one where they got beaten 3-2 by Italy in the 1982 World Cup.
Who were the best players that you have seen when you were commentating?
Older folk will know who I mean when I say that the greatest player I ever saw was John Charles of Leeds and Wales. Even the great Pele said that if Big John hadn’t been injured before the quarter-finals of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, Wales would have won the World Cup. Imagine that!
I never saw Pele in the flesh and I’ve marvelled at the skills of Messi and Maradona, but they couldn’t play centre forward and centre half as John Charles did.
Has there ever been a moment in your career when you have commentating and you’ve become completely stuck for words? If so, how did you cope in the situation?
I can’t say that I’ve ever dried up on air, but I have commentated on almost 30 different sports so when it comes to the ones with which I’m less familiar the words are fewer and further between.
I understand that you are a Bradford Park Avenue fan? They’ve not had a great start to the season but have risen up the non-league pyramid over the last few years. Do you get to go and see them at all?
I’ve been involved with Bradford (Park Avenue) as a fan since the early 1950’s and a proud vice-president for over 20 years.
We play in a tough league and haven’t had the best of starts but since the return of Mark Bower as manager, I’m confident that we can turn this season around.
You are now a commentator in the Indian Premier League; how did that opportunity come about? What is the standard of the football like?
Some 15 years ago I was asked to go to India to commentate on some domestic matches and loved the experience. When the Indian Super League was inaugurated six years ago somebody remembered my connection, invited me back and I’ve been covering the league ever since.
Why don’t you think that there aren’t many Indian players in the Football League? Do you think that India will qualify for the World Cup anytime soon?
Internationally India are still a long way off being ready to play in a World Cup finals but they are producing better players with ISL (Indian Super League) the catalyst.
Even if only one player came over to play in the Premier League, it would spark enormous interest and that day may not be far away as good young players are emerging with every season.
Thank you very much for your time John and I hope you have a good season with the Indian Super League.
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