Johnners: The Life of Brian

With his schoolboy humour and distinctive, cheerful voice, "Johnners" was a friend to millions of radio listeners and when he died in 1994 at the age of 81, the "Daily Telegraph" described him as "the greatest natural broadcaster of them all". Born in 1912, Brian had an idyllic childhood in Hertfordshire until he was ten years old, when his father drowned on a seaside holiday. After going to Eton and Oxford he wanted to be an actor, but was persuaded to join the family coffee business in the City. When war broke out he served with the 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards in Normandy and was awarded the Military Cross. After being demobbed Brian joined the BBC in January 1946. His remarkable broadcasting career spanned 48 years and made him a household name as a cricket commentator and on programmes such as In Town Tonight and Down Your Way. Barry Johnston has had exclusive access to his father's letters and has interviewed dozens of his friends and colleagues to offer the full story of the man behind the microphone. It includes his controversial sacking from television and his re-emergence as a much-loved figure on Test Match Special.