Ron Atkinson Nominated for Two Rts Sports Awards
Three years after he was sacked by ITV, Ron Atkinson has been nominated for two RTS sports awards. By John Plunkett.
Three years after he was sacked by ITV for making racist comments live on air, Ron Atkinson has been nominated for two prestigious Royal Television Society sports awards.
The former Manchester United manager and football pundit left ITV in disgrace after he referred to French footballer Marcel Desailly in racially abusive terms after a Champions League match in 2004, when he thought the mike was off. But his comments were broadcast around the world.
Now Atkinson is in line for two RTS sports awards for his comeback show on Sky One, Big Ron Manager, in which he tried to turn the tide at struggling League Two football club, Peterborough United.
Made by independent producer North One Television, Big Ron Manager is nominated for sports show or series of the year, up against BBC2's Ski Sunday and ITV's Big Fight Live.
Big Ron Manager is also up for sports programme of the year, shortlisted with Channel 4 Racing's Cheltenham Gold Cup coverage and ITV's Big Fight Live between Joe Calzaghe and Jeff Lacy.
Atkinson made his small screen comeback on BBC2 with Parlez Vous, a Faking It-style show in which he tried to learn French.
He was also hired by Yorkshire-based Real Radio, part of the Guardian Media Group, to present a weeknight phone-in show.
Guardian TV sports columnist Martin Kelner, in a review of the Sky One show, said it was a "theatre of cruelty and you will hate yourself for watching, but it is cracking, compelling TV".
In other RTS sports awards nominations announced today, Olympic champion turned BBC athletics analyst Michael Johnson is in the running for sports pundit of the year, up against Cricket on Five's Simon Hughes and Martin Brundle of ITV's Formula One coverage.
Steve Rider, Mark Nicholas and Hazel Irvine will compete for the sports presenter award; while the sports commentator prize will go to either James Allen (ITV's Formula One), Simon Holt (Channel 4 racing) or Guardian boxing correspondent John Rawling (ITV's Big Fight Live).
The BBC's Open golf coverage will compete with the Big Fight Live and the Boat Race, both on ITV, for live outside broadcast coverage of the year.
The RTS sports awards will be presented by Clare Balding at London's Savoy hotel on May 29.
The former Manchester United manager and football pundit left ITV in disgrace after he referred to French footballer Marcel Desailly in racially abusive terms after a Champions League match in 2004, when he thought the mike was off. But his comments were broadcast around the world.
Now Atkinson is in line for two RTS sports awards for his comeback show on Sky One, Big Ron Manager, in which he tried to turn the tide at struggling League Two football club, Peterborough United.
Made by independent producer North One Television, Big Ron Manager is nominated for sports show or series of the year, up against BBC2's Ski Sunday and ITV's Big Fight Live.
Big Ron Manager is also up for sports programme of the year, shortlisted with Channel 4 Racing's Cheltenham Gold Cup coverage and ITV's Big Fight Live between Joe Calzaghe and Jeff Lacy.
Atkinson made his small screen comeback on BBC2 with Parlez Vous, a Faking It-style show in which he tried to learn French.
He was also hired by Yorkshire-based Real Radio, part of the Guardian Media Group, to present a weeknight phone-in show.
Guardian TV sports columnist Martin Kelner, in a review of the Sky One show, said it was a "theatre of cruelty and you will hate yourself for watching, but it is cracking, compelling TV".
In other RTS sports awards nominations announced today, Olympic champion turned BBC athletics analyst Michael Johnson is in the running for sports pundit of the year, up against Cricket on Five's Simon Hughes and Martin Brundle of ITV's Formula One coverage.
Steve Rider, Mark Nicholas and Hazel Irvine will compete for the sports presenter award; while the sports commentator prize will go to either James Allen (ITV's Formula One), Simon Holt (Channel 4 racing) or Guardian boxing correspondent John Rawling (ITV's Big Fight Live).
The BBC's Open golf coverage will compete with the Big Fight Live and the Boat Race, both on ITV, for live outside broadcast coverage of the year.
The RTS sports awards will be presented by Clare Balding at London's Savoy hotel on May 29.
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