Manchester United v Tottenham and the evolution of live football on TV

There was very little hype. No cheerleaders on the pitch, no fireworks, no whole new ball game as Sky sold it when they started broadcasting the Premier League. The first league match shown live on the BBC – Manchester United v Tottenham on Friday 16 December 1983, nearly a decade before the birth of the Premier League – was in many ways the complete opposite to what we experience now. The product was undersold and it very much exceeded expectations.

The BBC started its TV service in 1936 and it showed a specially arranged friendly between Arsenal and Arsenal Reserves at Highbury the following year. That broadcast only went out to a few homes in north London, but it was a start. The corporation soon moved into coverage of the FA Cup, international games and highlights shows, but it took nearly half a century before they broadcast a league match live.

The First Division game between Manchester United and Tottenham was an ideal beginning, not that everyone was excited. Clubs were already concerned about declining attendances and worried that fans would stay at home if more matches were screened live. With just nine games to be shown that season between ITV and the BBC, there seemed little chance of overkill, but the fact that just 33,616 turned up for the game – the lowest league gate of the season at Old Trafford – seemed to justify the stance of club chairmen.

There was very little in the way of build-up and analysis of the match. The coverage started just 10 minutes before the 7:15pm kick-off and it ended shortly after the final whistle. Jimmy Hill was busy on the night. He appeared as the main presenter, with Bobby Charlton as the expert beside him, before making a dash to fulfil his role as the co-commentator during