Murray Walker: Unless I'm Very Much Mistaken

Whether he's talking about his first experiences of motor sport as a competitor, his time in the army, his career in advertising, his transition from media part-timer to media legend or his retirement from frontline F1 broadcasts at the end of the 2001 season, Walker has a fascinating story to tell--and he retains his journalist's sense of what the people really want to know. He shares his face-to-face knowledge of motor sport gods like Fangio and Enzo Ferrari and recalls his less daunting encounters with British luminaries such as Nigel Mansell, the Hills, Jackie Stewart and James Hunt, including the occasion when the latter pair sniped at each other in a memorable commentary box match-up. There's also a good selection of the best Murrayisms, such as "And the battle is well and truly on if it wasn't before, and it certainly was!", "There's nothing wrong with the car except it's on fire!" and "I just stopped my startwatch".

Tremendous admiration for the skills and courage of the stars of his sport epitomises the Walker approach. This is no doubt fuelled by his own slightly fraught attempt at piloting a Formula One car in 1983 and by his experience at less pedestrian speed 15 years later when he was strapped into a two-seater McLaren behind co-commentator Martin Brundle. But he also gently settles one or two scores along the way. Elsewhere he reflects on the itinerary of affection so peculiar to the life of a British celebrity--This Is Your Life, Desert Island Discs and an OBE--and on his private life, his hugely influential parents, his late and happy marriage and what he hopes retirement will bring. It's a tribute to the man's singular voice that so much of the tone of this book is unmistakably Murray. It's not high-octane blunder-speckled race vintage, but the scripted television style he has made his own, a more measured bombast that makes this generously illustrated tome very easy to like. --Alex Hankin

I was hoping Murray would perhaps be a bit more candid in his memoirs; reading carefully between the lines you can see where he's less than generous with praise for some people, some circuits, but the tone is resolutely upbeat for most of the book.

There are some very moving passages; his wartime encounter with his father, the description of the effect James Hunt's death had on him, and how Murray had to keep going through Senna's fatal accident - all of these bring home just how human he is.

The insights into broadcasting - how F1 gets from the circuits to the TV screen - are probably the best parts of the book after the non-racing material. Given how precarious and ramshackle some of the arrangements were no wonder his commentaries were often on the wild side!

It's all written with Murray's inevitable charm, enthusiasm and good humour - plenty of it, there are laughs throughout - and perhaps that's why I can't give it five stars; despite the piles of anecdotes, the little insights behind the scenes, I was hoping that one of F1's elder statesmen might share some more of what he's seen...

Ultimately Murray Walker is a great enthusiast and this is an enthusiast's book. It's never less than readable, and the style is just as recognisable and friendly as the voice that made hundreds of Sunday afternoons special. I think almost all of his fans will find something to enjoy here.


Unique (except for other copies which are totally identical)   June 23, 2003
Touring Mars (London, UK)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful

From front to back, this book is a joy to read, and is pervaded by the kind of charm and humour that Murray Walker brought to F1 over his many years of service. In hardback format, you really have a book to treasure. They say you should never judge a book by it's cover, but there is always an exception to the rule. The cover of this book is a warm invitation into the life and times of one of Britain's most well-loved broadcasters, and is guaranteed to make you smile.

Far more than a series of recollections about cars, drivers and great races, this book gives a fasciniating insight into the long and varied life of a great man, everything an (auto)biography should be. It is easy to read and doesn't get bogged down in boring detail. Of course, my favourite section is the chapter in which Murray discusses his greatest claim to fame... his gaffs. He starts by pointing out (accurately) that many of these 'gaffs' were not as daft as they might have first appeared, like his classic line 'Damon Hill's Williams is absolutely unique, except for the car behind which is absolutely identical'. We all knew what he meant!... Also, many things he said were, at the time of saying them, correct, only for him to be proved wrong moments later... (remember the classic Murray Walker 'Kiss Of Death'?)

The humour, humility and obvious pride that Murray demonstrates throughout this book make it a real pleasure to own, and seems to be a fitting memoir for one of Britain's greatest ever sports broadcasters. A joy to read.


Excellenty written book about the MAN not the sport.   May 13, 2003
C. Thomas (London)
Murray Walker has had a great life, serving in the army, having a regular career and well as his 'hobby' of TV and Radio commentary. This book details all the highs and lows of that life. Those who lament the lack of detailed histories of F1 and it's drivers miss the point: it's not an F1 book, it's a book about Murray Walker and his life. F1, it turns out, has only been a tiny portion of his life and the rest of it is both absorbing and plentiful. Sure, Murray has few bad words to say about anyone but that seems to be his nature. He loves people and people love him. This is one of the most beautifully written autobiographies I have ever read. Murray has a fantastically simple way with words which makes the book an absolute joy to read. Not only this but the many many insights into his life away from the microphone paint a very different picture to the man we're used to on the telly.


Somewhat interesting, but entirely predictable   February 19, 2003
Colm P Doherty (Dublin)
3 out of 6 found this review helpful

Let be start by saying that Murray is a man I admire enormously. His retirement was a real setback for F1, and the 'show' continues to suffer as a result. I had the pleasure of receiving a signed copy of his book at one of his black-tie dinners, courtesy of a sponsor, so I do feel reluctant to record my disappointment with the book.

However, Murray is a journalist, and I feel he owes something to his readers in the matter of honesty. After many years of treating F1 drivers and team managers with polite deference and awe, this book was a one-off opportunity to "take the gloves off" ... at least to some extent. F1 today is a corrupt self-interested business run by corrupt self-interested people, bearing little or no relation to the sports' origins. Murray was in a unique position to lift the lid on the real goings on in F1, given his 50 years in the 'sport'.

In the end, the book is a shopping list of interesting but well rehearsed and familiar anecdotes - few of them fresh. It lacks spontanaety and reveals little of the man or his sport. Sadly it smacks of the 'contractual obligation' autobiography. It reminds me that Murray is very much part of the F1 establishment now, and he has opted to respect F1's code of 'Omerta'. There IS a fascinating story to be told about the past 50 years of F1. This isn't it.