Inside the Box: My Life with Test Match Special

by Peter Baxter

A celebration of three decades of cricket and a unique insight into the world of radio and broadcasting.

Genres: Biography

365 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 16, 2009

Reviews

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Test Match Special is one of the great things about an English summer. From an early age I found that switching off the television commentary and putting on the radio made the cricket better. It was later in life that I realised that it got better still if you got rid of the television altogether. Cricket is best enjoyed at the ground but if you cannot manage this then Test Match Special is the next best thing. Actually its probably better. They've always had commentators that you don't care much for but they've always had the gems of whom the two best have been Brian Johnstone and Jonathan Agnew. Though I'm not enthralled by Peter Baxter's telling of the story of the programme I am indebted to him for being the guiding light of one of the genuine crown jewels of British broadcasting.

[Jeff Howells · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love TMS. Even more so now that test cricket is no longer on terrestrial TV. This is the memoir of the man who produced it for a large chunk of it's history. Although it's not particularly well written (the anecdotes do jump all over the place) it does make me wish I started listening years earlier. What I would give to hear Johnners, Arlott, Trueman and Bailey in their pomp...