Rugby Special

rdf:langString Rugby Special

rdf:langString Rugby Special was the main rugby union programme on the BBC in the UK. The show ran from 1966 and past presenters included David Vine, Keith Macklin, Cliff Morgan, Chris Rea, Nigel Starmer-Smith, Bill Beaumont and John Inverdale. The main commentators were Bill McLaren, Cliff Morgan, Nigel Starmer-Smith, David Parry-Jones, Martyn Williams, Lynn Davies, Jim Neilly and Eddie Butler In the early seventies, the theme tune was "Spinball" by Paddy Kingsland but this was later replaced by "Holy Mackerel" by The Shadows' drummer, Brian Bennett which was replaced for one season 1988–89 by the Kenny G version of "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" from the 1986 Duotones album replaced from 1989–90 to 1993–94 by a specially commissioned theme. From 1994-95 the programme was contracted out to an independent production company Chrysalis after 28 years as an in-house BBC production. The programme ended its original run in 1997 after losing the rights to cover English domestic games, the Heineken Cup and England home tests to SKY and Welsh domestic matches to HTV/S4C the S4C involvement was controversial as BBC Wales was providing much of S4C's Welsh Language sports coverage under the BBC Cymru brand and was along with Ski Sunday merged into Sunday Grandstand in November 1997 when Sunday Grandstand became a year-round programme the first edition of the all year round Sunday Grandstand on 16 November 1997 featured live coverage of Wales v Tonga. Though in 1992 and 1993 the programme was integrated into special editions of Sunday Grandstand featuring the Formula 1 South African Grand Prix and European Grand Prix at Donington Park. The programme returned on late Thursday nights in 2002 but was discontinued in 2005, when it was a highlights programme of Autumn internationals and Six Nations with studio guests and an audience of fans from the Six Nations. But when the Premiership highlights rights were regained from the 2001–02 season highlights were shown on Sunday Grandstand. Also from the 1999-2000-2002-2003 seasons the Heineken Cup was regained though it was covered by the BBC in the 1996–97 season which was the only season in the original 1966–97 run that the BBC covered the competition