Jim Rosenthal
Born
Jim Rosenthal

(1947-11-06) 6 November 1947
Oxford, England
OccupationRadio/Television presenter
Years active1972–present
SpouseChrissy Smith
ChildrenTom (b. 1988)

Jim Rosenthal (born 6 November 1947) is an English sports presenter and commentator. In a long broadcasting career, Rosenthal has presented coverage of many sports including football, rugby, automotive racing, boxing and athletics. He has covered eight FIFA World Cups, three Rugby World Cups, two Olympic Games and 150 Formula One races.[1]

Early life

Rosenthal grew up in Oxford, the son of Maud Ruth (née Levy) and Albrecht Gabriel "Albi" Rosenthal, a music scholar and antiquarian book seller who was from an academic family.[2][3] His father was born in Munich, Germany. His paternal great-grandfather, Leo Olschki, founded the Leo S. Olschki Editore publishing house, and his maternal grandfather was German Jewish physician and writer Oscar Levy.[4]

Rosenthal attended Josca's Preparatory School before going to Magdalen College School. He then joined the staff of the Oxford Mail and went on to work for BBC local and national radio.[5]

Rosenthal (left) with boxer Errol Christie, some time in the 1980s

Rosenthal worked for Snooker Scene magazine in the early 1970s where his editor was Clive Everton, and Rosenthal, a keen amateur hockey player, edited the short-lived Hockey Scene magazine, also owned by Everton.[6]

Broadcasting career

Rosenthal worked for BBC Radio WM before moving to BBC Radio 2. He worked for the BBC Radio Sports Unit between 1976 and 1980.[7] His television career began when he joined ITV in 1980.[5] He was part of the ITV team covering the FIFA World Cup since 1982.[8]

In the 1980s, Rosenthal commentated on boxing matches for ITV when first-choice commentator Reg Gutteridge was otherwise engaged or unable to travel. In the 1990s, Rosenthal was a presenter of ITV's The Big Fight Live, which reached huge nationwide audiences for boxing contests involving the likes of Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank and Naseem Hamed, then the likes of Amir Khan and Joe Calzaghe when it returned in 2005.[1]

Rosenthal covered three Rugby World Cup campaigns for ITV, including anchoring coverage of England's victory in the 2003 final. He was the presenter of Formula One (F1) motor racing on ITV for eight years and presented 152 Formula One races from 1997.[8] He agreed terms with ITV to present its coverage of the sport in early 1997.[9] In October 2005, it was announced that Steve Rider had been re-recruited by ITV from BBC Sport, to assume Rosenthal's former role for the 2006 Formula One season.[10]

Rosenthal presented ITV's Champions League football coverage, as well as their boxing output. He presented ITV4's Champions League Live show and the channel's live match coverage, until he was dropped in 2008 from his exclusive contract with ITV after 28 years with the channel as the network sought new presenters.[11][12] ITV's head of news and sport, Mark Sharman, said at the time:

Jim Rosenthal has made a magnificent contribution to ITV Sport over a long period of time but we will no longer tie him to an exclusive contract. He will be free to explore other challenges while ITV Sport will have the opportunity to make on-air changes.[12]

Internationally, Rosenthal regularly hosted the UEFA Gala Dinner in Monaco, a football spectacular that is broadcast across the world. He has presented the live FA Cup draws for ITV,[13][14] and editions of BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek show.[15]

In 2010, Rosenthal took on announcing duties on game show The Whole 19 Yards and reported for ITV Sport during the opening ceremony of the World Cup in South Africa.[16] In September of that year, he joined Channel 5 to front their Europa League football coverage.[17] Rosenthal said: "I've covered many different sports throughout my career, but football has always been my first love. It's tremendous to be back covering the game at the highest level."[18] His first appearance was on 16 September 2010 covering the game between Liverpool and Steaua Bucharest from Anfield.[17]

In 2011, Rosenthal became the lead presenter on the boxing channel BoxNation.[11] Since 2014, Rosenthal has provided commentary for Channel 4's coverage of Crufts.[11]

In November 2019, Rosenthal became the new "Voice of JACK", replacing and following the death of actor Paul Darrow as the new on-air voice of Oxfordshire's local JACK branded radio stations and their national radio station Union JACK.[19] He is the lead presenter of matchday coverage on Manchester United's in-house channel MUTV and is one of the presenters of Amazon Prime's Premier League coverage.[20]

On 10 May 2021, Rosenthal began broadcasting on the JACK Group’s new breakfast show "JACK's Wake Up Call" together with Trevor Marshall from JACKFM Oxford. The show is broadcast from the Oxford studios where Trevor Marshall was previously presenter of the "JACK's Morning Glory" breakfast show.[21][22]

Acting

Rosenthal has appeared in Renford Rejects and Footballers' Wives.[23]

Awards

He has twice been named as the Royal Television Society's Sports Presenter of the Year. He was the main anchor of ITV's BAFTA winning coverage of the 2003 Rugby World Cup, which took him to Australia for the final.[24]

Personal life

Rosenthal has always been a supporter of his childhood home team of Oxford United. He once wore an Oxford United hat whilst hosting the ITV coverage of the 1986 Football League Cup Final from Wembley Stadium.[25] From 2010 to 2012, Rosenthal was a member of the Oxford United board of directors.[26][27]

He is married to his wife Chrissy.[28] His son, Tom, is a comedian who has starred in Friday Night Dinner on Channel 4 and Plebs on ITV2. Jim Rosenthal made a guest appearance as a commentator on a chariot race at the start of Plebs Series 2 and made a guest voice appearance as a Grand Prix Commentator in the Friday Night Dinner Series 4 episode "The Funeral".[29][30]

References

  1. 1 2 "Jim Rosenthal chats with Glynn Evans". BoxNation. 9 January 2013. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  2. ↑ Long links with city life Archived 2 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine, blankgenealogy.com; accessed 6 November 2015.
  3. ↑ Portnoi, Graham (11 July 2021). "Jim Rosenthal: 'Formula One paid really well, but I could have made £5m from Betfair'". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  4. ↑ Rubinstein, William; Jolles, Michael A.; Rubinstein, Hilary L., eds. (2011). "Rosenthal, Albrecht Gabriel (Albi)". The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History (1st ed.). New York, United States: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 817. ISBN 978-0-230-30466-6. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Jim Rosenthal on His Career, Progress of BoxNation". Boxingscene.com. 16 November 2012. Archived from the original on 22 May 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  6. ↑ Everton, Clive (2007). Black Farce and Cue Ball Wizards: The Inside Story of the Snooker World. Edinburgh, Scotland: Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78057-399-1. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  7. ↑ "Debrett's People of Today, Jim Rosenthal, Esq Profile". Debretts.com. 6 November 1947. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Jim Rosenthal – One of the most familiar faces in television sport". Performingartistes.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  9. ↑ Lewis, Roz (27 May 2018). "Jim Rosenthal: 'Stock market? I'd have been better off trying to pick the winner of the 2.20 at Kempton'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  10. ↑ "Rider opts for some driver practice Archived 8 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine" The Times, 4 March 2006; Retrieved 2 April 2006
  11. 1 2 3 Hubbard, Alan (30 March 2014). "Rosenthal still has bite". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  12. 1 2 "Rosenthal latest casualty in ITV Sport cuts". Sports Journalists' Association. 26 January 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  13. ↑ "Football: Third round draw". Oxford Mail. 28 November 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  14. ↑ Bourne, Dianne (18 April 2010). "Diary: Fergie saves ITV's Jim". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  15. ↑ "Sportsweek". Radio Times. 4449: 123. 2 August 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2020 – via BBC Genome Project.
  16. ↑ "ITV's World Cup 2010 Plans – News". TV Newsroom. 27 May 2010. Archived from the original on 5 June 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  17. 1 2 Plunkett, John (15 September 2010). "Jim Rosenthal to front Channel 5 football coverage". The Guardian. London, UK. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  18. ↑ "Jim Rosenthal to helm Channel 5 football". Digital Spy. 15 September 2010. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  19. ↑ "Legendary broadcaster Jim Rosenthal becomes the voice of Union JACK Radio". Union JACK. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  20. ↑ "Hero of the Week: The much-loved voice of football and everything else…". Football365. 29 February 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  21. ↑ "JACK starts new breakfast show across the group". Radio Today. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  22. ↑ Rice, Liam (21 May 2021). "TV legend Jim Rosenthal talks about new job, career and Oxford United". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  23. ↑ "Jim Rosenthal – Ask A Silly Question – Interviews". FourFourTwo. 31 July 2009. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  24. ↑ "Jim Rosenthal – Sporting TV Presenter". Speakerscorner.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 April 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  25. ↑ Pritchard, David (11 September 2012). "Rosenthal quits in Oxford United bombshell". Oxford Mail. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  26. ↑ "Fans Forum". Oxford United FC. 15 July 2010. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  27. ↑ "Jim Rosenthal quits as Oxford United director". BBC Sport. 11 September 2012. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  28. ↑ Scott, Danny (26 January 2020). "Relative Values: sports broadcaster Jim Rosenthal and his comedian son, Tom". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  29. ↑ "Jim Rosenthal goes back in time to commentate on son Tom's comedy Plebs". RadioTimes. 5 September 2014. Archived from the original on 30 December 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  30. ↑ Dennis, Martin (19 August 2016), The Funeral (Comedy), Tamsin Greig, Simon Bird, Paul Ritter, Tom Rosenthal, Big Talk Productions, Popper Pictures, archived from the original on 13 February 2017, retrieved 8 September 2020
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