About Ian
Ian Robertson is a Scottish-born broadcaster, writer and former international rugby player. He is best known as a rugby union commentator for BBC Radio; Robertson joined the BBC in 1972. Since April 1983 he is the Corporation's official rugby union correspondent, covering the sport not only on radio but also on television. Robertson is a prolific writer; he has written over 30 books and a number of autobiographies.
Sample Topics
Rugby;
Sport;
After Dinner
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As a day job Ian Robertson is the BBC Rugby Correspondent covering both Radio and T.V. In the evening he is an entertaining after-dinner speaker. His rugby career ended with a bad knee injury at the age of 25 but by that time he had won "Blues" at both Aberdeen University and Cambridge University, had played for London Scottish and the Barbarians and had won 8 international caps for Scotland. He was vice-captain of Scotland.
He joined the BBC as a rugby commentator in 1972 and has covered almost every major match all over the world for the past 20 years. He was Rugby Correspondent of the Sunday Times for three years between 1980 and 1983 but then returned to the microphone to become BBC Rugby Correspondent in 1983. He has appeared regularly on television for the past 20 years as a member of the "Rugby Special" team on BBC 2 and for the last 10 years he has presented rugby previews and features on Grandstand for BBC 1 before all major internationals.
A prolific writer he is author or co-author of 26 books including several best sellers - with Gareth Edwards, Bill Beaumont and Andy Irvine. He also helped to write the official biography of the actor Richard Burton for Burton's younger brother, Graham, with the forward written by Elizabeth Taylor. This book was a best seller in over twenty countries.
In the summer he masquerades as an expert on horse racing for the BBC and he has had numerous shares in a succession of very slow horses lacking in any sort of ambition.
Over the last 20 years he has reported on most sports at one time or another and has a fund of anecdotes covering a wide range of sports.
He very enthusiastically (for a Scott commentating on an English match) covered the Rugby World cup final in Australia the BBC.
