Peter Harold Moss Dimmock (6 December 1920 – 20 November 2015) was a British sports broadcaster, television producer and television executive for the BBC. He began his career as a racing correspondent for the Press Association before joining the BBC as a producer and commentator at their Outside Broadcasts television department, working on almost 2,000 outside broadcasts. Dimmock was the first host of the BBC's long-running Grandstand and of the BBC Sports Review of the Year awards and the weekly live sports programme Sportsview from 1954 to 1964. He was assistant head of outside broadcasts from 1949 before becoming its head in 1954 until 1972, securing broadcast agreements for boxing, cricket, ice hockey, rugby, swimming and tennis and major state events. Dimmock worked at the American network American Broadcasting Company (ABC) as the vice-president of Worldwide Syndication and Marketing for ABC Sports and later as the director of the cable and satellite sports channel ESPN from 1984 to 1990. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and Commander of the Victorian Order (CVO).
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Early life and war service
Dimmock was born on 6 December 1920 in Brixton, London. He was the son of the electrical engineer Frederick Moss Dimmock and his wife Ruby Pauline Sterling (née Hudd). Dimmock attended Dulwich College in South West London and a finishing establishment in France. He was first employed by the BBC as a clerk in publications in 1937. When the Second World War broke out, Dimmock joined the Royal Army Service Corps, a territorial unit, and served as a driver. He was called up only two months later to serve in France during the retreat from Dunkirk. In March 1941 Dimmock was allowed to transfer into the Royal Air Force (RAF) after taking advantage of a scheme allowing Army personnel to transfer to the RAF to train as pilots. After finishing his training, he became a pilot officer and went to a flying instructor course. Then in 1943 Dimmock became a flying instructor on Tiger Moth and Miles Magister trainers with the rank of Flight Lieutenant. In February 1944 he was appointed as a staff officer at the Air Ministry's Directorate of Flying Training.
Television career
After demobilisation in January 1946, Dimmock briefly joined the Press Association as a racing correspondent because he realised he wanted to become a journalist. He returned to the BBC in May of that year as a producer and commentator at their Outside Broadcasts television department at Alexandra Palace, working on almost 2,000 outside broadcasts. His first job was on a golf match at Alexandra Palace, introduced the first television coverage of Royal Ascot in 1947, and helped to arrange 70 hours of television coverage of the 1948 London Olympics, which he also commented on. The following year he provided commentary on the University Boat Race between Cambridge and Oxford, but most of his commentaries were on horse racing. Dimmock was made deputy manager of outside broadcasts in 1947 and became assistant head of outside broadcasts in 1949. In 1950, he produced coverage of the BBC's first televised test cricket match at Trent Bridge. That August, Dimmock helped to organise the first live international television broadcast to Britain from Calais. He travelled to New York City to study American programmes and organising remote pick-ups on television.
Dimmock produced programmes such as Television Sports Magazine, a series of programmes for the Come Dancing series (he also compered editions of the programme) that were broadcast within the first three months of 1952, the monthly series Television Icetime in 1954. As assistant head of outside broadcasts, he was in charge of events such as the funeral of George V in February 1952, and the Coronation of Elizabeth II in June 1953, preparing for the job by studying the American television coverage of the first inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower. He provided commentary on the 1953 British Games at White City Stadium, London, the final races of the fourth match of the 1953 International Speedway series between England and Scotland at Motherwell Speedway, and an international swimming gala of continental champions against British champions in January 1954.
He launched a televisual coverage from April 1954 in front of the cameras as the regular presenter of a new live weekly sport news programme Sportsview (which became Sportsnight in 1968), with what would be a long-running Speedway series. In its first year the series featured Roger Bannister's record breaking four-minute mile run. The BBC Sports Review of the Year (today the Sports Personality of the Year) also started in 1954 – with Dimmock again taking the presenter role, which he was to continue for over a decade. Dimmock established the BBC Sportsview Unit in 1954, and was eager to publicise it by the installation of large placards fitted to the sides of commercial helicopters hired by the BBC to transport film to Lime Grove Studios. That November, he was appointed head of the Outside Broadcasts department (renamed to General Manager, Outside Broadcasts Television in June 1961), the youngest person to lead a BBC department at the time. He secured broadcast agreements for boxing, cricket, ice hockey, rugby, swimming and tennis.
Personal life
Dimmock was married three times. His first marriage was to the divorcee Pamela Gladys Brealey from 27 March 1951 until their divorce on 11 July 1958; the marriage was not mentioned in Dimmock's entry in Who's Who. His second marriage was to the BBC continuity announcer and What's My Line? panellist Polly Elwes on 12 March 1960. They remained married until Elwes's death from bone cancer in 1987. There were three children of the second marriage. On 8 June 1990 Dimmock married the widow Christabel Rosamund Bagge.
He died on 20 November 2015 of bronchopneumonia and cardiac failure at his home in Upton Grey, Hampshire. A memorial service for Dimmock took place at St Bride's Church, Fleet Street on the morning of 16 March 2016.
Awards
He received various awards during his lifetime. Dimmock received the Silver Medal of Calais in 1950, and the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal in 1953. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1961 New Year Honours, and made a Commander of the Victorian Order (CVO) in 1968 for easing relations between the Royal Family and the BBC. Dimmock was elected a Freeman of the City of London in 1977, and a fellow of the Royal Television Society (RTS) in 1978. He was admitted to the RTS' Hall of Fame in 1996, and received the Special Judges Award at the 2004 RTS Sports Awards.