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Brian Alexander Johnston (24 June 1912 – 5 January 1994), nicknamed Johnners, was a British

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

commentator, author, and television presenter. He was most prominently associated with the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

during a career which lasted from 1946 until his death in January 1994.

Early life

Brian Alexander Johnston was born on Monday, 24 June 1912 at the Old Rectory, Little Berkhamsted,

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

, the youngest of four children (elder siblings were Anne, Michael and Christopher). His paternal grandfather, Reginald Eden Johnston, had been Governor of the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...

between 1909 and 1911. The

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

airborne division commander Frederick 'Boy' Browning was his first cousin. On 27 August 1922, his father,

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

Charles Evelyn Johnston, DSO, MC, who managed the family coffee business, drowned at Widemouth Sands near

Bude Bude (; kw, Porthbud) is a seaside town in north east Cornwall, England, in the civil parish of Bude-Stratton and at the mouth of the River Neet (also known locally as the River Strat). It was sometimes formerly known as Bude Haven.''Corn ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

at the age of 44. In 1924, his mother married one of her husband's military colleagues, Captain Marcus Scully, who became his stepfather. After the marriage ended in divorce, she reverted to her original married name.

Education

Johnston was educated at Temple Grove Preparatory School (1920–25) and then at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

(1925–31), where he played cricket for the school's 2nd XI. He subsequently went on to

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...

(1931–34), where he graduated with a third in History in 1934. At Oxford he was a keen cricketer, keeping wicket for his college team, Oxford Authentics, and also for the Eton Ramblers and

I Zingari I Zingari (from dialectalized Italian , meaning "the Gypsies"; corresponding to standard Italian ') are English and Australian amateur cricket clubs, founded in 1845 and 1888 respectively. It is the oldest and perhaps the most famous of the ' ...

, but he never managed to progress to the Varsity side.

Pre-war employment

After Oxford Johnston joined the family's coffee business, where he worked until 1939, but admitted years later that he had little interest or liking for the work. After a year at head office in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

, he was transferred to the

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

office in 1935, as

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

was an important market for

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian coffee. The following year, he travelled to Santos,

, where he worked in the company office for 18 months. However, in 1938, he was struck down with an acute neurological condition and had to return to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. After several months' convalescence he returned to the City office in October but resigned the following year to join the army on the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Second World War

In September 1939, Johnston joined the 2nd

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

, and was sent for officer training to the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

. Following this, he was posted to the Grenadiers Training Battalion, based at

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

, in the spring of 1940, where he served as a Technical Adjutant. His unit was due to join the British Expeditionary Force in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

during May, but these plans were overtaken by the retreat from Dunkirk. He remained stationed in the United Kingdom until the invasion of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

in the summer of 1944, when his battalion landed at

Arromanches Arromanches-les-Bains (; or simply Arromanches) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region of north-western France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arromanchais'' or ''Arromanchaises''. Geography Arromanches-le ...

on the

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

coast some three weeks after

D Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

. In the winter of 1944 and early spring of 1945, Johnston and his armoured division were in the thick of the allied advance, crossing the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

and fighting their way up to

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

and

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. He was later awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

in 1946 for his actions as technical adjutant after the battalion crossed the Rhine. Tanks were frequently stranded in the marshy ground and he was responsible for recovering these, and battle-damaged tanks, often under fire.

BBC career

Brian Johnston joined the

...
in January 1946 and began his cricket commentating career at

Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...

for BBC Television in June 1946 at the England v India Test match.

General light entertainment

In these early years, Johnston was an occasional presenter of other BBC shows, including ''

Come Dancing ''Come Dancing'' is a British ballroom dancing competition show that ran on and off on the BBC from 1949 to 1998. Unlike its follow-up show, ''Strictly Come Dancing'', contestants were not celebrities. The show was created by Eric Morley, the ...

'' and ''

All Your Own ''All Your Own'' is a BBC children's television programme broadcast from 1952 until 1961. The show provided the first television appearances for Jimmy Page, John Williams and the King Brothers. Commissioned by Freda Lingstrom and produced by C ...

''. Between 1948 and 1952, Johnston presented a live broadcast segment ''Let's Go Somewhere'' as part of the Saturday night radio series ''

In Town Tonight ''In Town Tonight'' is a BBC radio programme that was broadcast on Saturday evening from 1933 to 1960 (except for a period of 26 weeks in 1937 when ''The BBC presents the ABC'' was broadcast instead). It was an early example of a chat show, ...

''. In some he stayed alone in the Chamber of Horrors, rode a circus horse, lay under a passing train, was hauled out of the sea by a helicopter and was attacked by a police dog. He was also part of the radio commentating team for major state occasions such as the funeral of King George VI in 1952, the

Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...

in 1953, the Sovereign's annual birthday parade, the annual El Alamein reunion and in due course the royal weddings of Princess Margaret,

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...

and the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

. He also appeared on other radio programmes such as ''Sporting Chance'', ''Treble Chance'', '' Twenty Questions'', ''Married To Fame'', ''

Hancock's Half Hour ''Hancock's Half Hour'' was a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy series, broadcast from 1954 to 1961 and written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The series starred Tony Hancock, with Sidney James; the radio version also co-starred, ...

'' and occasionally as an outside broadcast interviewer for the ''Today'' programme.

Cricket commentator

Johnston became a regular member of the TV commentary team and, in addition, became BBC cricket correspondent in 1963. In that year he also met and mentored his future TMS colleague the late

Christopher Martin-Jenkins Christopher Dennis Alexander Martin-Jenkins, MBE (20 January 1945 – 1 January 2013), also known as CMJ, was a British cricket journalist and a President of MCC. He was also the longest serving commentator for ''Test Match Special'' (TMS) on ...

, who sought his advice about how to become a cricket commentator while still at school. From 1965 onwards Johnston split his commentary duties between television (three Tests) and radio (two Tests) each summer. In 1970 Johnston was dropped from the TV commentary team and he retired from the BBC two years later on his sixtieth birthday. However, he continued to appear in a freelance capacity as a member of the team for the radio broadcasts, ''

Test Match Special ''Test Match Special'' (also known as ''TMS'') is a British sports radio programme, originally, as its name implies, dealing exclusively with Test cricket matches, but currently covering any professional cricket. It broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 LW ...

'' (TMS) for the next 22 years. Johnston was responsible for a number of the TMS traditions, including the creation, often using the so-called

Oxford "-er" The Oxford "-er", or often "-ers", is a colloquial and sometimes facetious suffix prevalent at Oxford University from about 1875, which is thought to have been borrowed from the slang of Rugby School. The term was defined by the lexicographer E ...

, of the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

s of fellow commentators (for example,

Jonathan Agnew Jonathan Philip Agnew, (born 4 April 1960) is an English cricket broadcaster and a former professional cricketer. He was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and educated at Uppingham School. He is nicknamed "Aggers", and, less commonly, "Spiro" � ...

is still known as "Aggers",

Henry Blofeld Henry Calthorpe Blofeld, OBE (born 23 September 1939) nicknamed Blowers by Brian Johnston, is an English retired sports journalist, broadcaster and amateur ornithologist best known as a cricket commentator for ''Test Match Special'' on BBC Ra ...

as "Blowers", and the late

Bill Frindall William Howard Frindall, (3 March 1939 – 29 January 2009) was an English cricket scorer and statistician, who was familiar to cricket followers as a member of the Test Match Special commentary team on BBC radio. He was nicknamed the Bearded ...

("the Bearded Wonder") as "Bearders"). He once complained on air that he had missed his cake at tea during one match, and he was subsequently inundated with cakes from listeners. Even decades after Johnston's death, the ''TMS'' team has continued to receive cakes from listeners ever since.

''Down Your Way''

In 1972, he was asked to stand in as the host of the long-running Sunday evening radio programme ''

Down Your Way ''Down Your Way'' was a BBC radio series which ran from 29 December 1946 to 1992, originally on the Home Service, later on BBC Radio 4, usually being broadcast on Sunday afternoons. It visited towns and villages around the United Kingdom, spoke to ...

'' (first broadcast in 1946) when

Franklin Engelmann Henry Franklin Engelmann (4 March 1908 – 2 March 1972) was a radio personality popular in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly as the host of ''Down Your Way'' and ''Gardeners' Question Time''. Life and career Franklin Engelmann was bor ...

, who had hosted the programme since 1953, died very suddenly. He went on to host a further ten editions before leaving to commence his last full-time summer as the BBC cricket correspondent. He was compulsorily retired from the BBC in September of that year having reached his 60th birthday. He was then contracted in a freelance capacity to host ''Down Your Way'' on a permanent basis since four other hosts trialled over the summer had proved to be less popular than him. He went on to present this programme for 15 years before bowing out on his 733rd show (equalling Engelmann's tenure) in May 1987 just before his 75th birthday. The final show featured Lord's Cricket Ground and included an interview with his old friend Denis Compton. A valedictory photograph was taken showing Johnston standing in front of the Lord's scoreboard, which showed 733 under the icon of Last Man to commemorate the event. Thereafter the programme continued to be broadcast for a further five years, with a different celebrity host every week, before it was finally taken off the air in 1992.

Commentary humour

Johnston was renowned for his on-air schoolboy humour and puns. In one incident during a

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

match at

the Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...

in 1991,

suggested that when Ian Botham was out

hit wicket Hit wicket is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is governed by Law 35 of the Laws of Cricket. The striker is out "hit wicket" if, after the bowler has entered his delivery stride and while the ball is in pla ...

, trying to hurdle the stumps, it was because he had failed to "get his leg over" (a British slang term meaning to have sex; Botham's sexual exploits had attracted national attention). Johnston carried on commentating and giggling for 30 seconds before dissolving into helpless laughter. Johnston's love for practical jokes was routinely evident. Due to the near-endless supply of cakes, his favourite one was to ask people questions on-air before shoving a slab of cake in their mouth before they could reply. In one broadcast, Johnston stated of South African cricketer

Peter Pollock Peter Maclean Pollock (born 30 June 1941) is a retired South African cricketer. He has played a continuing role in the South Africa cricket team as a player and selector. He was voted a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1966. He was primarily a f ...

, who had broken his ankle: "He’s obviously in great pain. It’s especially bad luck as he is here on his honeymoon with his pretty young wife. Still, he’ll probably be all right tomorrow if he sticks it up tonight." "Sticks it up" could either be interpreted as using

crutches A crutch is a mobility aid that transfers weight from the legs to the upper body. It is often used by people who cannot use their legs to support their weight, for reasons ranging from short-term injuries to lifelong disabilities. History Crutc ...

or having

sex Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones ( ova, of ...

. Among his other gaffes were: "There's

Neil Harvey Robert Neil Harvey (born 8 October 1928) is an Australian former cricketer who was a member of the Australian cricket team between 1948 and 1963, playing in 79 Test matches. He was the vice-captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement. ...

standing at leg slip with his legs wide apart, waiting for a tickle", which he uttered when

Harvey Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

was representing

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

at the

Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingle ...

Test in 1961. The oft-cited quote "The bowler's Holding; the batsman's Willey" supposedly occurred when

Michael Holding Michael Anthony Holding (born 16 February 1954) is a Jamaican former cricketer and commentator who played for the West Indies cricket team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pace bowlers in cricket history, he was nicknamed "Whispering Dea ...

of the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

was bowling to

Peter Willey Peter Willey (born 6 December 1949) is a former English cricketer, who played as a right-handed batsman and right-arm offbreak bowler. In and out of the England team, he interrupted his international career for three years by taking part in the ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in a

Test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

The Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...

in 1976. Johnston claimed not to have noticed saying anything odd during the match, and that he was only alerted to his gaffe by a letter from "a lady" named "Miss Mainpiece". According to

, his Cricinfo biography, and the biography by Johnston's son Barry, Johnston never actually made the remark. Barry Johnston says "It was too good a pun to resist ... but Brian never actually said that he had spoken the words on air." Holding himself has expressed his doubt about the phrase ever being said, pointing out that no recording of it exists.

and former TMS Producer Peter Baxter said that Johnston did not come up with the phrase and did not say it during commentary.

Apartheid in South Africa

During 1970 and 1983, Johnston said that he disapproved of the boycotts of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

by England cricket teams as he believed that sport and politics should not be mixed. He had disagreements with

John Arlott Leslie Thomas John Arlott, OBE (25 February 1914 – 14 December 1991) was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's ''Test Match Special''. He was also a poet and wine connoisseur. With his poetic phraseology, he bec ...

who backed the boycotts. Apartheid was ended shortly after Johnston's death.

Other TV and film work

Johnston variously presented and participated in a wide range of BBC radio and television programmes. These included the

Royal Command Performance A Royal Command Performance is any performance by actors or musicians that occurs at the direction or request of a reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. Although English monarchs have long sponsored their own theatrical companies and commis ...

of '' The Good Life'' in 1978. Johnston was also one of the presenters of the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

magazine programme for the over sixties for several years ''Years Ahead'' along with

Robert Dougall Robert Dougall, MBE (27 November 1913 – 18 December 1999) was an English broadcaster and ornithologist, mainly known as a newsreader and announcer. Early life and radio broadcasting Dougall was born and educated in Croydon, Surrey. He a ...

Zena Skinner Zena Skinner (27 February 1927 – 6 March 2018) was a British chef, writer, and cookery expert on television and radio. Early life Skinner was from Luton, Bedfordshire. Her father owned an electroplating company. Career Skinner served in ...

and Paul Lewis. He appeared as himself in the 1952 British film '' Derby Day''. In 1989 he lent his famous voice in the tenth episode of ''

Inspector Morse Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series '' Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...

''. He was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' in 1982 when he was surprised by

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...

in London's Sloane Square.

One-man live performances

Johnston was a great fan of the British

Music Hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

and revelled in its often mildly risqué "schoolboy humour". ''An Evening with Johnners'', a one-man show that he performed towards the end of his life, was recorded and released, and reached number 46 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

in March 1994, two months after his death.

Personal life

On 22 April 1948 Johnston married Pauline Tozer, sister of his former army colleague Gordon. They had five children:

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...

, Clare, Andrew, Ian and Joanna. His youngest daughter, Joanna, was born with

Down's syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual disa ...

. Pauline died in Sonning, Berkshire in September 2013 at the age of 90. Johnston was appointed OBE in 1983 and

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1991.

Death

In the autumn of 1993 Johnston undertook a series of UK theatre tours, entertaining live audiences as a

raconteur A humorist (American) or humourist ( British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business ...

. On the morning of 2 December 1993, whilst in a taxi going to

Paddington station Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great ...

en route to Bristol where he was due to fill a speaking engagement, he suffered a massive

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. The taxi driver drove him straight to the nearest

Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is also the name of its main road, on the continuous Edgware Road. Maida Vale is ...

hospital, where he was revived. He was then transferred to St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, where he remained until 14 December. He was then transferred to the

King Edward VII Hospital for Officers King Edward VII's Hospital (formal name: King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes) is a private hospital located on Beaumont Street in the Marylebone district of central London. Agnes Keyser, later known as Sister Agnes, established the hospit ...

until he was discharged on 23 December. The following week, Johnston was reunited with the taxi driver at his home who drove him to hospital. Brian Johnston died at 6.40 on the morning of Wednesday, 5 January 1994, at the King Edward VII Hospital for Officers in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

, having been admitted the previous day. ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' described him as "the greatest natural broadcaster of them all", and British Prime Minister and cricket fan

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...

said that "Summers simply won't be the same without him". A memorial service was held in a packed

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

on 16 May 1994 with over 2,000 people present.

The Johnners Trust

As a memorial to Johnston, his family—together with some eminent members from cricket and broadcasting—established a trust fund to further causes close to Johnston's heart. The Johnners Trust (originally the Brian Johnston Memorial Trust) was established in 1995 to promote cricket in schools and youth clubs, to help young cricketers requiring financial support and to promote disabled cricket. The trust is now part of the

Lord's Taverners The Lord's Taverners is the UK's leading youth cricket and disability sports charity. Its charitable objective is to empower and positively impact the lives of young people facing the challenges of inequality.'. It was founded in 1950 by a group ...

. The Johnners Club was also established in his memory at the same time and currently has over 350 members, plus a further 100 regular supporters. The trust's income is boosted significantly from the proceeds of the annual Johnners Club Dinner in the Long Room at Lord's Cricket Ground, member subscriptions, and general donations.

Bibliography

*Autobiography: ''It's Been a Lot of Fun'' (published by WH Allen in 1974, with an updated version appearing in 1985) *Autobiography: ''Someone who was: reflections on a life of happiness and fun'' (first published by Methuen in 1992 with reprints in the same year) * ''Let's Go Somewhere'' * ''Stumped for a Tale'' * ''The Wit of Cricket'' * ''Armchair Cricket'' (co-authored with

Roy Webber Roy Webber (died 14 November 1962 aged 48) was a British cricket scorer and statistician. After World War II, in which he served with the Royal Air Force, he decided to turn what had been his hobby into his profession. He had the necessary profi ...

) * ''It's a Funny Game'' * ''Rain Stops Play'' * ''Brian Johnston's Guide to Cricket'' * ''Chatterboxes'' * ''Now Here's a Funny Thing'' * ''It's Been a Piece of Cake'' * ''The Tale of Billy Bouncer'' (with

Tony Hart Norman Antony Hart (15 October 1925 – 18 January 2009),Debrett's People of Today 2008, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, 2007. known professionally as Tony Hart, was an English artist best known for his work in educating children in art through his role ...

) * ''Brian Johnston's Down Your Way'' * ''Forty-Five Summers'' * ''I Say, I Say, I Say'' * ''Views from the Boundary'' (edited by Peter Baxter) * ''More Views From the Boundary: Celebrity Interviews from the Commentary Box'' (edited by Peter Baxter) * ''Summers Will Never Be The Same: A Tribute to Brian Johnston'' (edited by Christopher Martin-Jenkins and Pat Gibson)First published by Partridge Press (UK) and reprinted several times in 1994

References

* Heald, Tim (1995). ''Brian Johnston: The Authorised Biography'', Methuen. .

External links

BBC Test Match Special LegendsOfficial Brian Johnston web siteBlind CricketThe Johnners Trust
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Brian 1912 births 1994 deaths Alumni of New College, Oxford British Army personnel of World War II British sports broadcasters British radio personalities British radio people Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Cricket historians and writers English cricket commentators Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Grenadier Guards officers People from Little Berkhamsted People educated at Eton College People educated at Temple Grove School Recipients of the Military Cross