INDOOR GAMES
Darts Different
Different sports seen on British TV over the years by Isla Campell
Many different sports have been shown on British television screens over the years. Many have undoubtedly proved themselves to be irreplaceable as
ratings winners. However, many sports have captured the nation’s collective attention at various periods of time, and whilst the popularity of some has
dwindled, some continue to draw in huge viewing numbers.
Football is undoubtedly the most popular sport in the UK, and as such, the number of viewers watching the biggest games of the year on their TVs are
consistently in their millions. Unbelievably, the first televised match in Britain was way back in 1937, when Arsenal played against their reserve team
in a specially arranged contest. The next year the first international game was screened, as England faced Scotland in a competitive match that the
Scots won 1-0. Unfortunately, games screened during this period were few and far between, and for technical reasons, could only take place in London.
However, the number of games being shown increased with the introduction of highlights programmes in the 1950s, and semi-regular fixtures were shown in
full from the 1960s onwards. Nowadays, the volume of matches shown from across the world is higher than ever, with viewers able to enjoy action from
competitions such as the World Cup, Champions League, FA Cup and leagues such as the Premiership and SPL from the comfort of their armchairs.
That said, it’s not necessarily the most traditionally popular sports that have proved television ratings winners. For instance, the invention of colour
television proved unbelievably crucial to the success of snooker. Mainly only popular amongst those that played it through the 1950s and 60s, and not
well-suited to black-and-white televisions (for the fairly obvious reasons), the game’s popularity went through the roof in 1969 when the snooker
tournament Pot Black (set up only to show off the capabilities of colour television) was transmitted on BBC2 and was a huge ratings success. The
popularity of the game soared, and reached a peak in 1985 when the final frame of the World Championship final between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor
attracted a mammoth audience of 18.5 million viewers, still one of the biggest audiences in British television history. Whilst the popularity of the
game never again reached those heights, viewing audiences remain strong and the game is still very popular.
Similarly, darts proved a surprise ratings success in the 1970s and 80s, when some of the games larger than life characters such as Jocky Wilson and
Eric Bristow struck a chord with the television audience. The game remains popular to this day with players like Phil “The Power” Taylor among the
biggest sports stars in the UK.
British wrestling was also a popular televised sport in the 70s and 80s, with characters such as Big Daddy and the mysterious Kendo Nagasaki household
names in their own right. The sport remains a popular television draw, but most now watch the US-based World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as opposed to
British grapplers.
With plenty of sport still on terrestrial television and dedicated coverage on channels such as Sky
Sports
a little more out there, chances are you’ll be able to watch coverage of it.
About the Author
Isla Campbell writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
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