Henry Blofeld Interviewed by Alex Preston

The voice of test-match cricket on BBC radio Henry Blofeld talks about his half century of commentating on the sport he loves.

Blofeld, or ‘Blowers’ as he is affectionately known by co-commentators and listeners, retires from the Test Match Special team this summer. His rambling cricket commentary, with its observations about pigeons, passing buses and trains and butterflies, has endeared him to generations of listeners and set the tone for the popular broadcast. Here he talks about some of his favourite and funniest moments on and off air.

After a short spell in banking, Blofeld started a career as a sports journalist at the Guardian. He joined the Test Match Special team in 1972 and has been almost a permanent fixture since then. He is author of a number of books including an autobiography, Squeezing the Orange.

Here he talks to Alex Preston, novelist, keen cricketer, author of In Love and War, and contributor to The Authors XI: A Season of English Cricket from Hackney to Hambledon – a collection of writings on the team he plays for.

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