Murray Walker: Unless I’m Very Much Mistaken

by Murray Walker

The voice of motor racing and much loved public figure – and the man responsible for introducing millions of viewers to the previously inaccessible world of Formula 1 – tells the story of his incident-packed life, with a brand new chapter on his globetrotting adventures since retirement.

Murray Walker is a national treasure. When the man who made famous the catch phrase 'Unless I'm very much mistaken… I AM very much mistaken!!!' announced that he was retiring as ITV's Grand Prix commentator, the media reacted as if the sport itself was losing one of its biggest stars.

His reputation for mistakes was the making of Walker. He was the fan who happened to be given the keys to the commentary box – and never wanted to give them back. His high-octane delivery kept viewers on the edge of their seats, while his passion for talking about the sport he loved was matched by an all-encompassing knowledge gained through hours of painstaking research before every race.

In his book he writes about his childhood and the influence that his father, British motorcycle champion Graham Walker, had on his career. Failing to match his father's achievements on the track after active service in World War II, he made a successful career for himself in advertising which catapulted him to the top of his profession.

An offer from the BBC to take over the commentary seat for their F1 broadcasts was too good to turn down, and it wasn't long before the infamous 'Murrayisms' enlivened a sport which until then had been shrouded in a cloak of unfathomable technical jargon and mind-numbing statistics.

He also talks about the biggest changes in the sport over the last 50 years, in particular the safety issues which came to the fore after the tragic death of Ayrton Senna, which he witnessed first hand. His partnership with James Hunt behind the microphone is the subject of some hilarious anecdotes, while his views on drivers past and present such as Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher make for fascinating reading.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Sports, Audiobook, Racing, Memoir

440 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Graeme Murray Walker is a semi-retired English Formula One motorsport commentator and journalist. For most of his career he worked for the BBC, but when it lost the contract for Formula One coverage to ITV, he continued commentating after the change of broadcaster.

Reviews

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unless I'm very much mistaken, this is one of the best books I have had the pleasure of reading in a while. Murray Walker is a legend amongst the F1 community - known for his "Murrayisms" - he will quite often say the most stupid things in the most endearing way!

This is an excellent biography of his life and very impressive commentating career - lasting nearly 50 years. As an F1 fan it is his time commentating on F1 that I was most interested in, especially his discussions regarding his working relationships with co-commentators James Hunt and Martin Brundle. But his life pre-F1 was also very interesting, his time in the army during the war being a particular highlight.

One of the nicest bits of this book for me was his description of the great Michael Schumacher - sadly now in a poor state after his awful accident a few years back. Murray has an obvious great admiration for this man who many see as an arrogant German - in fact Murray even retells him telling off a fan who dared to disrespect Michael in such a way. He describes Michael as a loving family man, a nice guy and someone always willing to turn up at parties and recognize the achievements of others.He describes plenty of other racing drivers in similar nice terms but this was particularly nice to read - especially now in this modern age of racing drivers who care more about celebrity parties than being a nice guy. *cough Lewis Hamilton*.

I cannot say that this book would appeal to a non F1 fan - or indeed to anyone who is not aware of Murray as a personality but for those who are I highly recommend it. An open, honest account of his life and times as a commentator. Well worth a read.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a gift for a motor racing enthusiast. It was well received as a book of memories of a great commentator.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Throughout my formative years watching Formula 1 two things bring it all flooding back, that music by Fleetwood Mac and the voice of Murray Walker.

When reading this autobiography you hear in that distinctive tone, and the madcap, infectious enthusiasm that he has for all that he has done.

It was a much better book than I thought it would be, and he has done a lot of amazing things and met a lot of famous racers and others in the two careers that he had.

[Annie Whittenham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it! Murray Walker has lead a fabulous & fascinating life, much of which is recounted in this book, his autobiography from 2002.
Although there isn't a great deal written about his childhood, what there is paints a picture of a comfortable & happy family & it's clear that Murray adored both of his parents & they him.
Murray's life story really starts to get going after he finishes school & immediately joins the army so he can serve King & country during the second world war. The memories shared from his training through to his time in battle on the continent & his eventual return to civvy street are incredible.
He goes on to recount his career, detailing a surprisingly interesting variety of different roles, plus all the ups & downs of what he refers to as his 'proper job' in advertising. Alongside this, after a brief time motorcycle racing, he then spent every spare weekend perfecting his 'hobby' of motorcycle race commentating, encouraged & mentored by his father who was a very successful motorcycle racer & then commentator himself.
As the years progress, receiving continual support from his amazing wife Elizabeth, Murray's public profile develops with him taking on more & more commitments for his beloved 'hobby' and moving into four wheeled motorsports commentary.
Just before he is due to turn 60, at an age when plenty of people would think about starting to slow down, Murray decides to 'retire' from his 'proper job' so he can devote himself full time to his 'hobby' of motorsports broadcasting & journalism, relishing all the hard work & tiring overseas travel it would entail.
His career from this point on is already well documented since much of it was spent in the public eye with him gracing our television screens whilst presenting Formula 1 races from across the globe. His energetic, enthusiastic & unique style of commentary, including what became known as his 'Murrayisms', coupled with his friendly, down to earth interview technique endeared him to millions of people around the world. With some great 'behind the scenes' detail Murray shares many of his personal insights & recalls his time in Formula 1 with genuine fondness. He regales the reader with very amusing anecdotes involving several high profile members of the F1 paddock plus some of the more well known members of the media. When the time came for him to take a step back from the media limelight Murray was lauded throughout the broadcasting & motorsports industries for his achievements & contributions to both. The humble emotion he felt at having so many people celebrate & commend him, for what he had considered a very enjoyable 'hobby', shines through in his words & only makes him all the more likeable in my opinion.
He finishes by promising us we haven't seen or heard the last of him yet & that he will continue to be involved with motorsports to some degree, which was of course true.
From my perspective this book is a must read for motorsports enthusiasts & autobiography/memoir fans alike. I highly recommend it.

[James Reyome · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply brilliant. This book is entertainment from cover to cover, whether you're a race fan or just love interesting bios, Murray Walker's story fills the bill. Part of the charm is that he writes much like he always commentated--which is to say, on the fly, and it makes the read that much more entertaining. Seriously, you want to learn of a life well-lived, this is the man. Tank pilot, ad man, trials rider, commentator for just about everything you could imagine on TV...it's all here. Some folk didn't like Murray's style, but to me he was just perfect. Like the man himself, this book is a keeper and should be on the bookshelf of every serious fan of auto racing.

[Wyktor Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent autobiography as well as a chronicle of British motorsport from the end of the First World War to the present.
It covers early motorcycle racing, especially the Isle of Man TT races, motorcycle trials (in which Murray was a competitor), the beginnings of motocross, all types of car racing, including the formation of rally-cross, and, of course, Formula One.
All the greats in motorsport are mentioned, an awful lot of them as friends.
Really well written and an absolute joy to read.

[Anthony Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this out of a Covid-19 Free-on-the-Street box.

When I was teaching, I used to channel-hop before going to bed, and rather liked Formula 1 Highlights and Murray Walker’s enthusiastic commentary. I muted him once and thought how boring it all was without him, so I thought I’d see what he had to say for himself.

And he had quite a lot to say, mainly because his life has been packed with doing things he has, seemingly, always hugely enjoyed. Taking his autobiography totally at face value, he comes across as immensely affable, clubbable, friendly, ingenuously and unashamedly motor-fixated, life-embracing and grateful man. Even if in reality he is all different, I’m happy to believe what he says as I find it cheeringly joyful, and I like that.

I confess that I found the motor-cycling sections pretty dull, as I have small interest in and even less knowledge of the sport and its characters. I have no interest in conversations that go along the lines of ‘Do you remember the 1957 Silverstone 500cc 2.30 race over 25 laps with So-and-So on his own Wankel bike? – Oh yeah and the Suzuki superdrive turbo entry that went off at the end of lap 17 – But nothing to be compared with a crash on Ham Corner in the final race of the 1950 motocross nationals when X, Y and Z all broke bones and their machines were wrecked – No, the Nortons had a really bad year...’ and so on.

Nor was the Formula 1 stuff, in all honesty, much better, but I did recognize a lot of the names of drivers, designers, owners and commentators, and the character analyses were more individual.

The part I found most engaging was Walker’s description of his time in tanks with the Scots Greys during the war, and then his entry into and career with advertising. His time in the army allowed him to show he had an excellent engineer’s capacity for technical and administrative detail, and this, in combination with his friendliness enabled him to do well in high-pressured advertising teams running campaigns for Mars Confectionery and Petfoods, Colgate, Wilkinson Sword, Weetabix, Vauxhall, Brooke Bond, Golden Wonder Crisps, and the Co-op for whom the agency produced the memorable tag ‘Your caring, sharing Co-op!’ Once again, his enormous enthusiasm for taking on new challenges and finding solutions by hard work and fostering good relations with those he worked with and for is evident.

For me the best anecdote in the book comes from this period of his life when giving an account of why a particular USP for a commercial for Minx catfood – a splendid combination, heavy on cod and cod-liver oil – failed:
‘[So we came up with the] USP, “Minx gives your cat inside satisfaction plus outside protection”. The commercial researched well and the next step was to sell the product to a limited-area test market. Bill Rudd was the Regional Sales Manager and off he went to the big buyers, starting with one of the major Co-operative Societies. His contact there was a grizzled old-timer, and when Bill had gone through all the details including the advertising and the brand’s USP the buyer rang for his secretary.
“Maisie, I want you to do something for me. Go to the chemist and get me some outside protection and then I’ll give you some inside satisfaction.”
Consternation in court. In all the time we had been working to develop the claim its double entendre had never struck us... So we had to start again and think of something else.’

And this illustrates another aspect of Walker’s likeable personality, his capacity to take things on the chin and to laugh at himself. He picks himself up, dusts himself down, and starts all over again. Anyone whose enthusiasm and emotional excitement can produced those very enjoyable bloopers known as Murrayisms, has to have a good sense of humour and some personal resilience.

If you want a fast-moving autobiography about life lived in the metaphorical fast lane and, occasionally, in the literal one as well, and you can handle the technical and factual detail, this is for you. Left me with a smile, anyway.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Completed several months ago but I didn't remember to update on Goodreads.)
This book is the autobiography of legendary motorsport commentator Murray Walker. The book starts off by detailing his early life. He writes about his family (mostly father — who was a successful motorcycle racer) and early education before going into detail about his experience training to be and serving as a tank commander in World War 2 with the Royal Scots Greys. A substantial portion of the book is dedicated to Walker’s day job as an advertiser and the travel that went with it, managing the advertising for clients including Mars, Dunlop, Vauxhall and the Co-op. Simultaneously, he launches his broadcasting career: we get to know about how he obtained his first commentary position and the doors which that opened. We later learn about his exploits commentating alongside his father for the BBC at the Isle of Man’s TT events, and how he fit in broadcasting scrambling and other motorsports for both the BBC and ITV around his day job. Throughout the book, Walker enlightens readers on some of the star figures of the motorsports he’s commentated on.

At some point, the reader reaches the Formula 1 (F1) section, which is what I am personally most passionate about. Walker talks about the beginnings of F1 on the BBC, the early days of *Grand Prix* and his commentating partnerships with James Hunt, Jonathan Palmer and Martin Brundle. The reader also gets a glimpse behind-the-scenes of *Grand Prix,* including the difficulties of pretending to broadcast live from the track when you aren’t actually there. At this point, he retires from his day job as an advertiser, which frees up his time to commentate on many motorsports: he says he commentated on as many as 5 motorsports simultaneously from 1980-1985. Walker recalls his relationships with F1 drivers and his particular support for British drivers like Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill — though he stoutly defends Michael Schumacher’s character from detractors. He talks about some of his ‘Murrayisms’, and categorises them, while trying to explain to the reader why he makes the mistakes he does. He makes one too many and a newspaper article is written, criticising his mistakes — Walker retires a year later. He looks forward to the things he can do in the future, now being retired from broadcasting as well (he says he’s not completely done with broadcasting, though).

MY OPINIONS
Good - Plenty of insight into life at war; I've heard of a lot of Murrayisms and the section at the back contained several that I was previously unaware of; Some real gems into his life as BBC F1 commentator; The bits about some non-motorsport broadcasting he's done; The very end contains an appendix with what is basically his 'final CV' and many captioned photographs throughout his life; Many anecdotes

Could be better - Walker's not a natural writer and I struggled with his usage of punctuation and sentence structure at times; Too much emphasis on his advertising career and motorcycle racing in my personal view; What was included on F1 was good but more could have been included.

I rate this book 7/10.

[Jacques Hollands · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been a huge Murray Walker fan, but didn't enjoy this book all that much. It was meh. I was expecting more anecdotes, especially from a F1 point of view.

He seemed more excited about motorcycling raceing than F1 and that perhaps put me off as I was expecting something more F1 related experiences. The book was nothing more than a rather brief summary of F1 and Murray Walker. E.g. I would have loved to have heard his views on rule changes over the years, best races, characters in the paddock.

Other than a few fleeting references to these topics, there was nothing to pique my interest. I felt that I didn't get to see F1 the way he did. It was a very shallow dissection of his experiences in F1 and I feel disappointed that I know nothing more of F1 than before reading the book. A shame, as I believe he could've told that story very eloquently.

The autobiography also jumped back and forth in time and it was difficult to always keep track where we were in his life story.

For now, I'd much rather savour his Murrayisms than get excited about his biography.... That is unless I'm very much mistaken.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

At one point in this book, Murray references being annoyed by people who told him cars were his thing rather than motorcycles, and I must confess to finding myself in the group of people that thought he had always been a F1 guy.

Most of these pages were told in a conversational sort of way, which had the great bonus of being able to imagine vividly his famous voice narrating.

My one criticism would be that this tone means that sometimes his story feels scattered. Nothing too serious, though. I understood his reasons for not doing so, but I really wish he had given us a few insights into his more personal relationships.

[W H Nicholls · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read many autobiography's but I was given Murray's book a while ago put it aside I found it while clearing out some things and thought I would read it. Well I was pleased I did for it is one one of the best autobiography's I have read, entertaining , full of interest and best of all Murray wrote it with the same excitement he shows when he commentates and it come across you you as you read.
Having seen Murray at some motor racing events and finally getting to meet him at Bovington where I shared a table at Lunch with him I can honestly say I felt I was sat beside him as I read.

[Soho_Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you watched any motor sport on British television between about 1960 and 2001, there's a good chance you'll have heard of Murray Walker. If you haven't heard OF him, you'll definitely have heard him. Like Sid Waddell with darts and Peter Alliss for golf, Murray Walker is one of those commentators who are instantly recognisable by their voices but who you may well not look twice at if you saw them in the street.

As someone who came to Formula 1 racing in the early 1980s, it was twenty years before I saw a race that didn't have Murray Walker's over excited vocal delivery over the top of it. For many of my generation and generations past, he WAS motor racing. However, despite having had him in my home on many a Sunday afternoon for all these years, I knew very little about Murray Walker as a person, save for what was in the newspapers on a Monday morning, which usually involved some kind of howler on his part.

As is traditional in autobiographies, Murray takes us through his life, introducing us to his parents, including the father whose love for motorcycling and gift for commentary he takes after. He tells us of his experiences in the Second World War, both his training and driving a tank and his first career in advertising, which he first combined with and then exchanged for commentating.

Regardless of what else he did with his life, motor sport was Murray's passion from a young age and once he'd realised he wasn't good enough to compete at the top level, he threw himself into commentating with enthusiasm. From his first race, as a late replacement as the Public Address announcer for a hill trial - something rarely seen these days - through his time working along side his father on the Isle of Man motorcycle TT races and ending with his final Formula 1 race, more than forty years later.

Whilst this is all very well for fans of motor sport, there's very little to appeal to those who read biographies in the hope of getting an insight into the life of the writer. Murray says very little about his home life and only seems to mention his wife in passing. His school days and his war recollections seem to be largely glossed over and although his advertising career gets more of a mention, it gets little attention compared to his commentary career, despite lasting for roughly the same amount of time.

Even the sections on motor sport seem a little hurried. The problem with summarising a fifty year career in book form is how much to leave out. Murray has seemingly negated this problem by mentioning pretty much everything, but this has resulted in little being mentioned in great detail. Whilst he covers most of the events and sports he worked on, he seems to skim over them and there's very little opinion given, merely a recounting of what happened. This will disappoint the gossip hunters, who might have hoped that Murray would burn a few bridges, but you can count the number of negative things Murray says about people on one hand.

Much of what Murray has said could have been gained from reading newspaper reports and magazines of the time. Even when Murray mentions things that happened behind the scenes in various places, I suspect that much of the information would be available elsewhere, should you know exactly where to look at it. Murray merely collects the information into a single, more accessible place, without ever seeming to say anything new. There's a lack of depth generally throughout the book which is a little disappointing.

Unsurprisingly for someone who has made a living from using words, it's a very well written autobiography, certainly better than most. In a similar way to his style of commentary, he keeps the memories coming one after the other. This is helped by many of his recollections being only brief ones, but he moves from one to the next so quickly and with enough style that the pacing of the book is not dissimilar to that in a decent thriller.

As someone who has a great love of motor racing in general and Formula 1 in particular, I did enjoy reading this. I'd have liked to have come out of it knowing a little more about Murray Walker than I do, but his memories of five decades in all forms of motor sport were numerous enough and varied enough to have me enjoying the ride. There are biographies that offer more insight into the character and more detailed account of their lives, but very few are as well written and as well paced as Murray's. It may not be a good source of information, but it is a good read.

For those who read biographies to find out more about the personality, or for the potential of gossip, this will disappoint. There is little of either here and anyone with no interest in motor sport will be bored very quickly and about three quarters of the book will mean absolutely nothing to you, and even the quarter that doesn't mention cars won't give you what you seek.

However, if wheels are a passion, this shouldn't be missed. I'd not hesitate to recommend "Unless I'm Very Much Mistaken" to any fan of any kind of motor sport, as it covers them all and from all over the world. If you're that much of a fan, you'll have heard of Murray Walker and whilst this won't provide any surprises, it's a fine memory of him, now that he's retired from the front line of commentary.

This review may also appear under my name at any or all of www.ciao.co.uk, www.thebookbag.co.uk, www.goodreads.com, www.amazon.co.uk and www.dooyoo.co.uk

[Sam]

A worthwhile read for any Formula 1 fan, and properly laugh-out-loud funny at times. He does spend a long time talking about how lucky he is to do things and how tremendously privileged his life was- all of which is perfectly reasonable in an autobiography. I read the whole thing in his voice, but the one thing that kind of felt a bit off is that imagining someone who never got to experience his commentary, I don't think the book really conveys just how good it was.

[Ibrar Malik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful research for my upcoming book www.1994f1.com as this book.
would be entertaining for all types as well as the expected Motor Racing fans.

Classic stories from Murray, including his varied life prior to being a full time commentator for radio, TV and circuit.He has lived a full and interesting life and it shows in this book.

[Ewan Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable autobiography. I really knew nothing of Murray Walker other than his F1 commentary before reading this and this really was packed full of tales from a massively packed life! An autobiography full of humbleness, gratitude and candidness. Slow in places but never long until the topic changes and he is on to another exciting chapter of his life.

[Joti Stratton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, witty, entertaining and very much brought the history of F1 to life. One of those people I wished I had met in person!! The only saying he did NOT mention was “Through the chicane he comes!!” What a legend!!

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

[2.5]

A not terribly interesting man who nonetheless led a quite interesting life. The sections about his career in advertising in the 50s and 60s and his wartime experience as a tank commander were more interesting, at least to me, than most of his writing about motorsports commentary.

[Philip Weyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful book, the story of one of the great sports commentators of our time. Insightful, informative and entertaining, a most worthwhile read. Highly recommended, even for non-motorsport followers.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favourite biography

[Frieda · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can hear it's been copied from a CD so sound isn't always great. I laughed and cried at these great reminders from when I started following F1 and his Murrayisms

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murray has had a great life and his enthusiasm really comes through in this. Some brilliant and funny stories.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get the audiobook if you can, wonderfully read by the man himself.

[Luke Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good read and you can hear Murray’s voice throughout. A fascinating life led by an incredible man. I wish I could have heard his commentaries live

[Andrew Straiton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonable but he comes across quite arrogant which can be grating

[Nezumidoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming life story read by a wonderfully enthusiastic man. Just a pleasure to read.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Alasdair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd read this years ago, but listened to the abridged audio book this time. Read by the brilliant man himself. Fantastic!

[Brad Goulding · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very good read. informative, in particular his early years.

[Kevin Pease · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, I enjoyed it.

[Nan Manton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting read.

Typical Murray, not shy to admit his mistakes. I Also never realized his Dad was so involved in Motor Sport.