The Boat Race (partially found television coverage of rowing races; 1938-present)
The Boat Race logo.
Status: Partially Found
The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing event that pits crews representing the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. First held as a one-off in 1829, it became an annual event typically held at the River Thames' Championship Course from 1856 onwards. It has since become among Britain's most popular yearly sporting occasions, alongside other examples like the FA Cup Final and the Grand National. The race has received live television coverage since 1938. However, a lack of home media releases and a reluctance to share any races online until the 2006 edition means a large majority of race broadcasts have become fully or partially lost. This article will document the availability of every race broadcast from 1938 to the present day. It additionally lists all known televised Women's Boat Races prior to the event receiving full live coverage in 2015.
Background
The Boat Race's origins centred around a friendly rivalry between Charles Merivale and Charles Wordsworth.[1][2] Both studied Classics, but Merivale opted to enrol at St John's College, Cambridge, while Wordsworth chose Christ Church, Oxford.[3][4][1] The pair were school friends at Harrow School and they both partook in sporting events held at their respective universities.[1] The pair are in fact credited for kickstarting the now-annual University Match between each university's respective cricket clubs.[5] Wordsworth notably took seven wickets during the inaugural game on 4th June 1827, which ended in a rain-affected draw.[6][5] During a vacation in Cambridge, Wordsworth decided to partake in rowing on the River Cam alongside Merivale.[1][2] It subsequently gave them an idea similar to the University Match: an annual side-by-side rowing event pitting crews representing the two universities.[7][2][1]
The concept appealed greatly to the Cambridge University Boat Club, who encouraged W Snow to formally challenge Oxford.[7][1][2] Snow's letter was received on 12th March 1829, which challenged Oxford to an eight-crewman rowing race within or just outside the confounds of London.[7][1] Oxford's Thomas Staniforth readily agreed and a race was soon set for 10th June 1829.[8][1][7] Among the competitors included Snow and Staniforth as the captains, with Merivale and Wordsworth also among the pioneers.[2] The first Boat Race occurred at Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire and saw Oxford win "easily".[1][8] The next race was held in 1836, though the event was irregularly held until it finally became an annual spectacle at the 1856 edition.[8][7][1] By that point, the race was moved to London and would eventually be held at the 4.2 mile Championship Course between Putney and Mortlake.[9][1][7]
The Boat Race intrigued the London population, prompting thousands to prop themselves at the Thames' banks to see the spectacle unfold.[10][11] Though the typical spectator was not actually affiliated with either side, most still nevertheless passionately supported either Oxford (the Dark Blues) or Cambridge (Light Blues).[12][11][10] It has now become the biggest and arguably most important sporting event for both universities.[13] Over the centuries, numerous memorable incidents and highlights have emerged.[14][15] For instance, a few races were won by the barest of margins, including 1949 (a quarter length) and 2003 (a foot).[8][14] Amazingly, one race ended in a draw; in 1877, despite the protests from the Oxford crew, the boats were considered so close together that a "dead heat" was declared.[8][14] Multiple sinkings have occurred; Oxford suffered this in 1912, 1925 and 1951, forcing a restart for the latter.[14][15] Cambridge was first victimised by this in 1859, with the most famous sinking having occurred in the 1978 edition.[16][14] In 2012, an Australian anti-elitist protester by the name of Trenton Oldfield swam amid the oncoming boats, forcing a restart.[17][18] The restart saw a collision between the boats, which broke one of Oxford's oars and essentially ended the race at that point.[17]
The 1895 edition is also historic from a British filmmaking perspective, as it became the first sports event filmed in the country courtesy of pioneer filmmakers Birt Acres and Robert W. Paul.[19][20] By the 1900s, the event was among the most prestigious in Britain, alongside the FA Cup Final and the Grand National.[11] Thus, when the BBC finally became a Royal Charter in 1927,[21] it immediately sought to cover that year's race live on radio.[19][15][11] After the BBC previewed the 1937 race,[22] the 1938 edition became the first to be televised live.[19][15] Initially, the BBC was stuck simply providing live coverage of the race's start and finish.[23][19] However, technological advances allowed them to fully cover the event from 1949 onwards.[23][19][15] Since then, with the exception of ITV holding the television rights from 2005 to 2009,[24] and when the 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[25] the BBC has consistently televised the whole event live.[15][19] The Boat Race has since received international television coverage, with the Olympic Channel transmitting the race to all countries bar those with exclusive arrangements.[26]
List of Televised Men's Boat Races
The 1949 edition is also cited as among the first British broadcasts to receive a telerecording.[27][28] Because of this, one can deduce that the 1938-1948 broadcasts are permanently lost, as the BBC lacked viable means to preserve them in a period where most television output was live and left unrecorded.[29] Thanks to Radio Times listings provided by BBC Genome, it appears the majority of races since 1949 were partially or fully preserved via telefilms.[30] For example, television coverage of Oxford's 1951 sinking was preserved and included in a BBC Sport video of famous Boat Race incidents.[15] The recordings were potentially vulnerable to the BBC's infamous tape-wiping practices,[31] but it should be noted its recordings of major sporting events, like the 1953 FA Cup Final and the 1960 Grand National, were typically preserved.[32][33]
But a key difference is that the majority of earlier Boat Race broadcasts are inaccessible to the public. The FA Cup Final and Grand National's popularity has meant that home media releases are common,[34][32] with dedicated fans filling in any gaps on YouTube. The same does not apply to the Boat Race, with recordings having become lost to the public because of non-existent home media releases and an overall reluctance to publicly share them in any capacity. The official The Boat Race YouTube channel began uploading some race broadcasts in 2009, though it acknowledged that the BBC and ITV held copyright for the actual airings.[35] All ITV-aired races have been made publicly available again, as have most BBC broadcasts since 1985. Since the 2014 edition, the broadcasts have been promptly uploaded to YouTube by The Boat Race within a year of their occurrence, meaning they were never lost to begin with. Some international broadcasts have also publicly resurfaced.[36]
The table below lists the availability of all race broadcasts since the 1938 edition. It should be noted earlier races were also partially recorded by newsreel companies like British Pathé, Gaumont British News and Associated Press. Any listings that are italicised originate from these sources.
| Year | Winner | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Oxford | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (British Paramount News) Partially Found (Huntley Film Archives) |
| 1939 | Cambridge | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (British Paramount News) Partially Found (Gaumont British News) Partially Found (British Movietone News) |
| 1940-1945 | N/A | N/A. The event and BBC Television Service were suspended during the Second World War. |
| 1946 | Oxford | N/A. Race occurred on 30th March 1946, but BBC Television Service did not resume until 7th June 1946.[37] British Pathé footage can be found here. |
| 1947 | Cambridge | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (Gaumont British News) Partially Found (Filmoteca Española) |
| 1948 | Cambridge | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (Gaumont British News Part 1) Partially Found (Gaumont British News Part 2) Partially Found (Filmoteca Española) |
| 1949 | Cambridge | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (British Pathé "Selected Originals") Partially Found (Gaumont British News) Partially Found (Kinolibrary) |
| 1950 | Cambridge | Partially Found Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (Filmoteca Española) |
| 1951 | Cambridge | Partially Found Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (British Pathé "Selected Originals") Partially Found (Gaumont British News Race 1) Partially Found (Gaumont British News Race 2) |
| 1952 | Oxford | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (Gaumont British News) Partially Found (British Paramount News) |
| 1953 | Cambridge | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (British Pathé "Selected Originals") Partially Found (British Pathé More "Selected Originals") Partially Found (Filmoteca Española) |
| 1954 | Oxford | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (British Pathé "Selected Originals") Partially Found (British Movietone News) Partially Found (John Hopkins) |
| 1955 | Cambridge | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (British Pathé "Selected Originals") Partially Found (British Movietone News) |
| 1956 | Cambridge | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (British Pathé "Selected Originals") Partially Found (British Movietone News) Partially Found (Gaumont British News) |
| 1957 | Cambridge | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (Gaumont British News) |
| 1958 | Cambridge | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (British Movietone News) |
| 1959 | Oxford | Partially Found |
| 1960 | Oxford | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (British Movietone News) Partially Found (Adrian Stokes) |
| 1961 | Cambridge | Partially Found (some footage of the race may have been included in a spoof newsreel video used to advertise Consulate cigarettes. This remains unconfirmed though). |
| 1962 | Cambridge | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (British Movietone News) |
| 1963 | Oxford | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (PSB Sports Rough Cut) |
| 1964 | Cambridge | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (Universal-International; video title claims 1961 but the commentator states it was the 110th running of the race, which would mean the 1964 edition).[8] |
| 1965 | Oxford | Partially Found (British Pathé) Partially Found (British Movietone News) |
| 1966 | Oxford | Partially Found (Associated Press) |
| 1967-1969 | Oxford (1967) Cambridge (1968 and 1969) |
Lost (However, British Pathé claims this video may have originated sometime between 1965 and 1969). |
| 1970 | Cambridge | Partially Found (British Movietone News) |
| 1971 | Cambridge | Partially Found (British Movietone News) |
| 1972 | Cambridge | Partially Found (British Movietone News) Partially Found (Associated Press) |
| 1973 | Cambridge | Partially Found (British Movietone News) Partially Found (Associated Press) |
| 1974 | Oxford | Partially Found (British Movietone News) Partially Found (Associated Press) Partially Found (8mm film acquired by GuildfordGhost) |
| 1975 | Cambridge | Partially Found (Associated Press) Partially Found (John McCready) |
| 1976 | Oxford | Lost |
| 1977 | Oxford | Partially Found (British Movietone News) Partially Found (Associated Press) |
| 1978 | Oxford | Partially Found Partially Found Partially Found Partially Found Partially Found (British Movietone News) Partially Found (Associated Press) |
| 1979 | Oxford | Partially Found (British Movietone News) Partially Found (British Movietone News extra footage) (additionally, British Pathé claims this video contains footage sometime between 1970 and 1979). |
| 1980 | Oxford | Partially Found Partially Found Partially Found |
| 1981 | Oxford | Lost |
| 1982 | Oxford | Lost |
| 1983 | Oxford | Found |
| 1984 | Oxford | Partially Found |
| 1985 | Oxford | Partially Lost (uploader MostynARC decided to edit the footage down to under 10 minutes)]. |
| 1986 | Cambridge | Lost |
| 1987 | Oxford | Found |
| 1988 | Oxford | Found |
| 1989 | Oxford | Found |
| 1990 | Oxford | Partially Found (from a TMC report). |
| 1991 | Oxford | Lost |
| 1992 | Oxford | Found |
| 1993 | Cambridge | Found |
| 1994 | Cambridge | Found |
| 1995 | Cambridge | Found |
| 1996 | Cambridge | Found |
| 1997 | Cambridge | Found |
| 1998 | Cambridge | Found |
| 1999 | Cambridge | Found |
| 2000 | Oxford | Found |
| 2001 | Cambridge | Found |
| 2002 | Oxford | Found |
| 2003 | Oxford | Found |
| 2004 | Cambridge | Found |
| 2005 | Oxford | Found (start of ITV's coverage). |
| 2006 | Oxford | Found |
| 2007 | Cambridge | Found |
| 2008 | Oxford | Found |
| 2009 | Oxford | Found (end of ITV's coverage). |
| 2010 | Cambridge | Found |
| 2011 | Oxford | Found |
| 2012 | Cambridge | Partially Lost Partially Lost Partially Lost (University of Oxford documentary also containing BBC footage). |
| 2013 | Oxford | Found |
| 2014-present | N/A | N/A. Promptly uploaded to YouTube by the official The Boat Race channel, meaning they were never lost to begin with. All broadcasts can be found in this YouTube playlist. |
List of Known Televised Women's Boat Races
Documentation of the Women's Boat Races and its television coverage is substantially harder. The first event began on 15th March 1927 amidst intense negotiations between the Principals of Newham College, Cambridge and Somerville College, Oxford, and Dr. Salisbury Woods of Downing College, Cambridge.[38][39][40][41][1] The main objection was whether the contest could inflict long-term damage to the competitors' internals.[40] Dr Woods consulted Cambridge's Margaret Teify Rhys, who responded that she experienced no issues as she was the crew's coxswain.[40] Additionally, the Somerville College principal was reluctant to let the women compete, especially considering how "unladylike" rowing appeared to be.[42][40] Thus, when the 1927 event was held, it was originally supposed to be a private event with no media engagement.[40] Thousands ultimately showed up at the Isis and the event was even covered by British Pathé and Gaumont British News.[43][44][39]
However, there were still a few catches: Firstly, the event was not a race per se due to supposed "health concerns".[42][40] Because side-by-side rowing was deemed "unladylike", the crews were instructed to enter the waters at different intervals.[39][40][42][1] Secondly, a few judges determined the victor based on whoever scored the most in terms of "style" down the stream, and "speed" back up it.[39][40][42][1] In this case, because of a lack of consensus regarding what "style" precisely meant, Oxford achieved victory by posting the fastest time of 3:36.[42][40][41] According to Rhys, the decision to judge entirely on the speed factor was made at the last moment, but nobody decided to inform the crews to avoid them getting all "hysterical" at the abrupt change of plan.[40] Rhys recalled that as the Light Blues were fixated on style, it clearly explained why they lost.[40]
It was not until the 1935 event that an actual side-by-side rowing race emerged, with the event usually transpiring at either the River Cam or Isis.[45][39] But in 1953, Oxford were forbidden to compete at Isis after it was involved in an incident where they rowed over an Isis weir.[39][45] They quickly suffered a double blow when the Oxford University Women's Boat Club collapsed because of financial problems.[39][45] It was not until 1964 that the race re-emerged on an annual basis despite some intense resistance.[46][39][45] By 1977, the race was exclusively held at Henley-on-Thames.[46][45] While advancements had been made, the sport encountered several key challenges over the decades, including limited financial backing and publicity, as well as its crews facing blatant sexism on their respective campuses.[47][39] Nevertheless, primarily thanks to ambitious competitors who reportedly trained as intensely as their male counterparts, the sport developed more rapidly by the early 1990s.[47]
However, because of the barriers that limited the Women's Boat Race's growth for many years, the BBC were considerably less interested in televising the race.[48][42] Upon analysing BBC Genome's archive of Radio Times listings, it appears the Women's Boat Race was not covered on television until 1990.[48] It followed the premise of the early Women's FA Cup coverage; brief highlights would be shown in the run-up to the considerably more popular men's equivalent that received live transmissions.[49][48] Coverage somewhat improved over time before three key changes were made in 2015 for equality purposes.[42][39] Not only would the Women's Boat Race be contended at the Championship Course for the first time, but it would also be fully televised live.[42][39][46][45] It was also decided that both races and their respective crews would receive equal funding.[39] These changes have remained ever since.[46][45]
Some of the BBC's reports have publicly resurfaced courtesy of YouTube user MostynARC. However, the broadcasts reveal another issue: Even though the Henley-on-Thames races typically lasted fewer than eight minutes, the BBC still opted to edit out some footage from the final cut.[41][47] Consequently, a few minutes from each event remain inaccessible to the public, with the survival status of the raw tapes remaining unknown. Hence, the below table lists the availability of each known televised Women's Boat Race, with italicised items originating from other sources. Please note that because of the limited documentation of the event, not all televised races may be listed below. As of the 2015 edition, all races are promptly uploaded to YouTube by The Boat Race, meaning their availability was never in doubt.[50]
| Year | Winner | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Cambridge | Lost |
| 1993 | Cambridge | Partially Found (2:20 shown of 6:10 race) |
| 1994 | Cambridge | Partially Found (neilhindle1) |
| 1995 | Cambridge | Partially Lost (3:25 shown of 6:02 race) |
| 1996 | Cambridge | Partially Found (2:49 shown of 6:12 race) |
| 1997 | Cambridge | Partially Found (1:47 shown of 6:26 race) |
| 1998 | Cambridge | Partially Found (1:50 shown of 6:25 race) |
| 1999 | Cambridge | Partially Lost (3:15 shown of 6:01 race) |
| 2008 | Oxford | Found (Interestingly, this full broadcast occurred not on ITV but via Sportsuk.tv, whose remit was to cover sports generally ignored by the mainstream media).[51] |
| 2012 | Cambridge | Partially Found (0:23 shown of 6:38 race) |
| 2013 | Oxford | Found (Video), Lost (Audio) Found |
| 2015-Present | N/A | N/A. Promptly uploaded to YouTube by the official The Boat Race channel, meaning they were never lost to begin with. All broadcasts can be found in this YouTube playlist. |
See Also
- The Boat Race 1927 (lost radio coverage of rowing race; 1927)
- The Boat Race 1938 (partially found footage of rowing race; 1938)
- The Boat Race 1949 (partially found footage of rowing race; 1949)
- The Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race (lost footage of rowing race; 1895)
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 The Boat Race summarising the origins of the Men's and Women's Boat Races. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Where Thames Smooth Waters Glide providing a thorough documentation of the 1829 race. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ A Cambridge Alumni Database entry for Merivale. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Encyclopedia Britannica biography on Wordsworth (found on The Odora). Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Oxford University Cricket Club summarising the origins of the University Match (also known as the Varsity Match). Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Lord's Cricket Ground summarising the first University Match. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Cambridge University Boat Club summarising how the first Boat Race was agreed upon. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 The Boat Race providing a list of Boat Race results. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ The Boat Race detailing the Championship Course. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Telegraph summarising the history and prestige of the Boat Race. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Issue 182 of Radio Times previewing the 1927 race and its radio coverage. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Arcadia Abroad summarising the extensive casual interest in the Boat Race. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Cambridgeshire Live summarising the importance of the race for both universities. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Inside the Games detailing the most memorable races and moments of the Boat Race. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 BBC summarising the history and milestones its coverage of the Boat Race. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ The Guardian recalling the famous 1978 Cambridge sinking. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Independent reporting on the controversial 2012 event. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ The Guardian reporting on Oldfield's motivation for disrupting the 2012 race. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 Science and Media Museum summarising the media milestones of the Boat Race. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Silent Era listing of The Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Encyclopedia of Radio 3-Volume Set detailing how the BBC became a Royal Charter and subsequently was able to provide live coverage of sports. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Issue 703 of Radio Times detailing the broadcast that previewed the 1937 race (found on BBC Genome). Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 TV Outside Broadcast History detailing how the 1949 Boat Race broadcast was achieved. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Cherwell noting ITV covered the race from 2005 to 2009. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Varsity reporting on the 2020 race's cancellation. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ The Boat Race listing its television partners. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Restoring Baird's Image noting the race broadcast was one of the first subject to a telerecording by the BBC. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ The History of Broadcasting in the United Kingdom: Volume IV: Sound and Vision noting that the broadcast was subject to a telerecording shown later that evening. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Web Archive article discussing how most early television is missing due to the lack of directly recording television. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ BBC Genome archive of Radio Times issues listing all television coverage of the Boat Race. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ The Sundae detailing the BBC's tape-wiping practices. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 Amazon listing of the BBC's 1953 FA Cup Final coverage, its earliest Final broadcast to be fully preserved. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ The BBC's coverage of the 1960 Grand National, the first to be televised live. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Amazon listing for "The Twelve Greatest Ever Grand Nationals". Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ The first broadcast The Boat Race uploaded in 2009, where it acknowledged ITV held the copyright for it. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Eurosport Russian broadcast of the 2013 race. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ BBC on the revival of the BBC Television Service on 7th June 1946 Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ richardrhysobriencomblogs noting the first Women's Boat Race occurred on 15th March 1927. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 39.00 39.01 39.02 39.03 39.04 39.05 39.06 39.07 39.08 39.09 39.10 39.11 Cambridge Alumni Magazine Issue 74 documenting the turbulent rise of the Women's Boat Race. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 40.00 40.01 40.02 40.03 40.04 40.05 40.06 40.07 40.08 40.09 40.10 Women's Hour 1989 interview with Margaret Teify Rhys on how the first women's Boat Race came to be. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 The Boat Race detailing the results of the Women's Boat Race. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 42.3 42.4 42.5 42.6 42.7 The Guardian documenting the history of the Women's Boat Race, including how the 2015 event was the first to receive full live television coverage at the Championship Course. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ British Pathé newsreel of the 1927 Women's Boat Race. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Gaumont British News newsreel of the 1927 Women's Boat Race. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 45.3 45.4 45.5 45.6 Where Thames Smooth Waters Glide summarising the Women's Boat Races and key highlights. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 46.0 46.1 46.2 46.3 University of Cambridge summarising the Women's Boat Race's foundation and how it eventually got to be held at the Championship Course. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 The 1993 Women's Boat Race BBC broadcast, which also discussed some challenges the sport faced. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 BBC Genome archive of Radio Times listings detailing BBC coverage of the Women's Boat Race from 1990 onwards. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Issue 2,738 of Radio Times detailing the BBC's coverage of the 1976 WFA Cup Final, whose highlights were televised before the 1976 FA Cup Final's live transmission. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ The 2015 Women's Boat Race. Retrieved 24th Jan '24
- ↑ Archived Sportsuk.tv About Us page. Retrieved 24th Jan '24