Millions of people worldwide know Ian as the BBC’s “voice of rugby”. He is always in demand to commentate on rugby international matches worldwide. By day, Ian Robertson is the BBC’s Rugby Correspondent covering both Radio and TV. In the evenings and at lunchtimes, he is a very entertaining after lunch and after dinner speaker where his blend of humour, charm, wit and his vast fund of stories and professional knowledge (not only about rugby) are much appreciated by audiences.Ian is a very keen golfer and is often invited to take part in Pro-Am and fundraising events. We describe him as an “unsung hero” as he continues to raise significant funds for sporting charities.
Ian’s rugby career ended with a bad knee injury at the age of 25. By then, he had won “Blues” at both Aberdeen and Cambridge Universities, and had played for London Scottish and the Barbarians. He was vice-captain of Scotland and won 8 international caps for Scotland.
Ian joined the BBC as a rugby commentator in 1972 and has covered almost every major match worldwide since then. Rugby Correspondent for The Sunday Times for three years from 1980-1983, he returned to the microphone to become the BBC Rugby Correspondent in 1983. He is regularly on television, for over 23 years, as a member of the BBC2 “Rugby Special” team and for the last twenty years has presented rugby previews and features on BBC1’s Grandstand before all major internationals. He commentated on the Rugby World Cup in 1999 and attracted millions of new fans when he commentated on the World Cup in Australia in 2003 – which England won.
Ian has reported on most sports at one time or another and has a wealth of anecdotes and humorous stories covering a wide range of sports and broadcasting.
A prolific writer, Ian is author or co-author of 26 books including several bestsellers with Gareth Edwards, Bill Beaumont and Andy Irvine. He also helped to write the official biography of Richard Burton with Burton’s younger brother Graham, with a foreword written by Elizabeth Taylor. This book was a bestseller in over twenty countries.
Ian also masquerades as an expert on horse-racing for the BBC and has had shares in a succession of horses that seem remarkably unsuccessful (!).