The Big Match

London Weekend's football hour which came to define Sunday afternoons in the 1970s, and could also be seen in the Border, Ulster and HTV regions. Presented by former BBC Radio commentator Brian Moore (1932-2001) who became network ITV's voice for big soccer occasions such as the FA Cup Final, and from 1986 to 1998, the World Cup Final. Launched in August 1968, the first match was QPR v Manchester City. The regular format was a main match featuring a London club at home, covered by Moore, and brief highlights of two others usually from the North and the Midlands ('The pictures are from ATV, the commentator is Hugh Johns'...). In 1980 ITV scored a major coup in stealing the Saturday night 10pm slot for their soccer programmes, which had been held since the late 60s by the BBC's Match Of The Day, forcing MOTD to go out at Sunday teatime - although the two shows reverted back to their traditional times the following season, before The Big Match again took Saturday nights for 1982-83. The show became networked in 1983 when ITV dropped their regionalised soccer policy, boosted by the arrival of live football in the form of five live ITV League matches a season (impossible to comprehend today in an era when it seems there are live games on every day). On 2 October 1983 the first Big Match Live saw Spurs beat Nottingham Forest 2-1. In 1988, after a period of blackouts and wrangling between the football authorities and the TV companies, ITV secured exclusive Football League rights - leaving the Beeb with only the FA Cup - and in addition to regular Big Match offerings the live show was rebranded as The Match, making its debut on 30 October 1988 with Everton drawing 1-1 with Manchester United. The most thrilling edition ever was on 26 May 1989, when Arsenal travelled to Anfield needing a two-goal victory to secure their first League title in 18 years and against all the odds achieved just that with Michael Thomas's last-gasp goal. In 1992 ITV failed to win the rights to cover the new Premier League, and the network returned to its previous regional system for covering football (both and live and recorded), concentrating on the Football League.