Test Match Special: Tall Tales – The Good The Bad and The Hilarious from the Commentary Box

by Jonathan Agnew

Who played the best pranks on his fellow team-mates? Which member of the TMS team terrorised his teachers in the annual staff-pupil game? And the truth behind 'the greatest sporting commentary of all time'...

Between them, Jonathan Agnew and Phil Tufnell have probably watched more cricket than anyone alive, and they have many stories to tell, both as players and as commentators for Test Match Special. From their days as schoolboy cricketers, learning the ropes, to the shenanigans of the county circuit, and now their careers as commentators, they have seen it all.

Joined by colleagues from TMS such as Isa Guha, Ebony Rainford Brent, Alison Mitchell, Carlos Brathwaite and Aatif Nawaz, Aggers and Tuffers share the highlights, mishaps and moments of brilliance and emotion that they have witnessed and experienced on pitches around the world.
 

320 pages, Paperback

Published July 27, 2023

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the stories from Aggers and Tuffers but felt that the other TMS commentators contributions were not really necessary or as entertaining.

[Kexx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apologies to my usual readers who probably don’t have a scubby (scubby do / clue) about cricket but it is an English (and other countries) obsession. Silly stories from the commentary box. Fun for those in the know.

[Richard Dryburgh · Rating 4 out of 5]

TMS has been the soundtrack of my summers for a long time now and this was an enjoyable collection of stories from Aggers and Tuffers.

[Jerry Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I now live in the US, I was recently traveling to the UK which is my country of birth, and where I developed my deep and abiding love for the game of cricket. It was also during the pulsating Ashes series that took place in England during the early to mid summer of 2023. I don't get much chance to listen to TMS these days, but I have always loved the coverage and the gentle humor that goes along with it. I remember the great days of The Alderman, Blowers, FST, Johnners etc., all of whom are given some coverage here.

It is also, always good to talk and read about cricket, so there are some anecdotes here that I enjoyed, as well as some that were somewhat new to me since I have been away from England so long. However, although I am glad I read the book, I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped for several reasons.

Although there are contributions from more than Agnew and Tufnell, it is their stories that dominate and I wonder why they just didn't call is stories from Aggers and Tuffers? Also, the way it is structured means that the stories are often repeated, not always sequentially, from different viewpoints which is not altogether a bad thing, but the way they are presented means the narrative is disjointed and doesn't hang together well. There are also side articles asking such cricketing opinions as "who was the best tailender you ever saw?" or "Who was the best bowler you faced?" and these, too, are apt to be repetitious and appear at places in the text that don't always make sense.

Also, one is apt to ask: "What's the point?" It's not a horrible idea to present anecdotes of one’s time in the commentary box but apart from touching on a few scandals and the threat they posed to the game we all (authors and readers) love, this is really just a blokey book about folks getting paid to watch cricket and reminisce about their careers. There's nothing wrong with that but after a while it's somewhat vapid entertainment without much meat. Maybe am asking, or expected too much from a book whose title makes it pretty clear what was contained therein.

[Clive Grewcock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yes, I know Test Match Special is an institution and a national treasure, but for me its golden period is behind it. I’ve rather tired of Phil Tufnell’s jack the lad act (which as he is now 56 is somewhat tired), if he returns Michael Vaughan’s giggling is annoying and even Aggers has repeated his ‘tail ender who is scared of fast bowling’ routine once too often. I do miss Vic Marks who seemed to focus on the game in front of him, Now just Isa Gul and Ebony Rainford-Brent are left to try and drag the programme out of its ‘public schoolboy meets laddish oik’ mire although thankfully the tedious Graeme Swann has moved on, but it still lacks the magic of old. So, what do they offer in book form. Well in short, repetition of the same old stories and Gul and Rainsford-Brent, along with Alison Mitchell, Carlos Brathwaite and Aatif Nawaz are given only a cameo role so cannot lift this from, well, a ‘public schoolboy meets laddish oik’ mire. Expect lots of ‘tail enders who are scared of fast bowling’ stories and if that is your thing, you won’t be disappointed.
It is okay to dip into, so long as you don’t expect any huge insights. However, it is hard not to reach the conclusion that the motivation for this book was that the grand children's school fees were due.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whilst I do enjoy listening to TMS commentary of England cricket matches, this book was extremely disappointing. Who was the editor? Whoever it was has not done their job! It is badly structured with much repetition, and weak contributions from the TMS team, apart from Aggers and Tuffers. It jumps about chronologically and the stories recounted are disjointed and confusing. It is also clear that this edition was put together in a hurry to eliminate the contributions from Michael Vaughan - presumably during the period when he was being investigated, accused of racism at Yorkshire. Surely there must be more material from the TMS archives that could have been used to give greater variety and interest?

[James Fountain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on an excellent radio program which has given so many so much joy down the years. There’s some brilliant storytelling - my only gripe is that sections are often repeated (often whole paragraphs) in the sub-sections which follow these tales told by the likes of Aggers, Tuffers, Alison and Ebony. The women’s contributions are fascinating analyses of the challenge Alison and co faced when entering the program, which has not often been revealed. Some hilarious revelations, but I would have liked a few more anecdotes about Fred Trueman, Trevor Bailey, Vic Marks and John Arlott (the latter hardly gets a look in which seems to me very bizarre and a great shame). But - an interesting and engrossing read, nonetheless. The sections by Agnew are very well written.

[Malcolm Schaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 would have been a more realistic mark . I have huge affection for the institution of TMS based not least in some of the characters of the past - Arlott , Johnson , Bailey etc . They had a gravitas which as this book confirms many of the current contributors lack although there is hope founded on the female contributors who bring sense to slightly shadow the antics of such as Phil Tufnell . The book contains many anecdotes most of which you will have heard before and which in any case are better heard rather than read . It reinforces that some major surgery is required to restore TMS to full glory but perhaps too late with the competition of Sky .

[Talia B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initially when I picked up this book I thought it had a lot of potential to be a really great read. I was a little disappointed to see repeated stories used again at the end of chapters - a couple would be fine but unfortunately it comes across as if beyond aggers and tuffers, nobody else was interviewed enough to compile the amount of material you need for a book. Especially when the repeated sections are verbatim. There is a lot of enjoyment to be found, Aggers is a particular high point throughout, however, having seen his live show I’d already heard 90% of his stories first hand. I think the concept was really great but the execution wasn’t quite up to snuff.

[Olly Colluphid · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good editor could have made this into a good book of its type. There is enough material that it should have been entertaining, and by the end was.

But... Getting the same story three times in a few pages is a bit annoying. Too often the same story reappears in quick succession. Moving the top lists around the book might have made it less jarring.

The worst editing is shown on p85 of my edition. The "top list" of what I presume is meant to be "worst night Watchmen" is headed "worst 15 Feb 2022". Am I missing something?

Ok. Could have been better.

[Tom Frost · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a very lightweight collection of cricket commentator stories that have probably featured in other books and columns but are pulled together under a new heading. If you're relatively new to the sport then why not start here but otherwise I'm sure there's plenty of better books on cricket or other topics to spend your money on.
And the book is just lazy. Lots of stories appear almost verbatim in 2 or even 3 different sections. It made me feeling this was exploiting the buyer's interest not a book that really needed publishing

[Sam Dyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.4) Good, fun book relating experiences and funny TMS stories from predominantly Tuffers and Aggers.

I’ve always enjoyed following test cricket and listening to TMS so it was nice to see a bit behind the scenes.

The format does feel a bit clunky over all with brief and often repetitive interludes from other TMS commentators and you do get the sense that a lot of the stories and jokes told would pay off much better in an interview than in a book.

[john r s baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lazy book seemingly put together in a hurry so that the authors can make a quick buck from the TMS brand. It is not even the whole team it is just Agnew and Tuffnell telling a few tales. The rest of the team chip in but often only for half a page or so in stories which are then repeated elsewhere in the book.
Yes some of it is funny but you expect better, especially from Jonathan Agnew.
Disappointing and there are many better cricket books out there.

[Peter Howrth · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a strange book. The editing is peculiar with the same brief anecdotes being repeated by contributors several times. It feels like Tufnell and Agnew have genuinely sat down and written their bits. But everyone else? Have they had a 10 minute interview with an editor who has cobbled their answers together with little thought for the end product?

[Liam Binfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good
Like aggers
Like tuffers
Don’t like the format
Don’t like the needless repetition
Don’t like ebony rainford Brent her contributions were like someone had a gun to her head and forced her to right something.

Just a money spinner. Churn a book out. Lucky aggers and tuffers can save it with some good stories

[Gary B Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

TMS Delight

Good, old fashioned fun book about cricket. Doesn't take itself seriously, nor does it dwell too much on anything. Only annoying bits are repetition of key points at end of chapters like a lesson plenary

[Leslie Compton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Test match special

A very funny and highly entertaining book. Written by 2 doyens of English cricket,Phil Tufnell and Jonathon Agnew,, great reading.

[Alan Isaac · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s a lot of repeated material in this book. For example from Tuffers book on how not to be a cricketer

[Mike Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very disappointing. I expected a lot more humour. A very straight analysis of various test matches and series from different points of view. It didn’t make me laugh.

[Tim Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining and enjoyable read, slightly spoilt by the repetition of some stories for no apparent reason, often only a few pages later.

[Mr S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

A worthy read for all cricket aficionados. Stories that will bring back happy memories of commentators sadly no longer with us.

[Desmond Hegarty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been a lot shorter if they'd only kept Aggers and Tuffers' parts.

[Gary Harden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyable read, though the same stories are repeated throughout the book. Sometimes a few pages after each other. Seems to have missed a thorough proof read.

[Ian Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite readable for fans of TMS, probably less so if you don’t follow it. There are 5 more contributors, non of whom are Michael Vaughan.

[Loudon McAndrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brought back many memories of cricket - both good and bad.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Test Match Special: Tall Tales is a decent read for any fans of the long-running radio programme, or of fans of cricket in general. The contributions are largely made by Jonathan Agnew and Phil Tufnell, with only occasional and shorter offerings made by others such as Ebony Rainford-Brent and Isa Guha. It definitely feels like the whole thing has been cobbled together by an editor who's said "Look, I'll give you a few prompts, you give me a handful of anecdotes, and we can easily get a new book out of it". Indeed, from perusing some of the other reviews here, it seems as if many of those anecdotes already appear in the autobiographies of Agnew and Tufnell, so if you've already read those you might not find anything new here. Nonetheless, as someone who hasn't read those before, I found this an interesting and worthwhile read. 6/10

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5