Dickie Davies dies aged 94 as tributes paid to legendary former World of Sport presenter
manchestereveningnews.co.ukFormer World of Sport presenter Dickie Davies has died at the age of 94. The news of his passing was broken by his former colleague Jim Rosenthal, who posted on social media: "With huge sadness, we announce Dickie Davies passed away this morning.
So proud of his 20 years of World of Sport, 3 Olympic Games and a brilliant career on the telly. "He is survived by a loving wife, two adoring sons, four grandkids and two beloved dogs." Subject of a Benny Hill skit and immortalised in the song ‘Dickie Davies’ Eyes’ by the satirical rock band ‘Half Man Half Biscuit’, Dickie Davies transcended his role as anchorman of ITV’s ‘World of Sport’ to become one of the most enduringly popular faces on 1980s television. READ MORE: Meet the Manchester United takeover hopefuls Davies’ deadpan introductions of fringe sports from tenpin bowling to stock car racing played a major part in helping the programme rise from its inauspicious beginnings to become a genuine challenger to the Saturday afternoon dominance of the BBC’s rival ‘Grandstand’.
But it was his association with wrestling, and its motley collection of out-of-shape stars, including Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks, for which Davies and the programme would become best known, despite the presenter admitting in later years that he was never its greatest supporter. “I was never a great wrestling fan,” Davies told The Guardian in 2006. “I never thought of it as a sport, but we used to get six to 10 million people watching it every Saturday, so the success of it can’t be denied.” Born Richard Davies in 1928, the legendary broadcaster only changed his name to Dickie in 1968, after landing his role on World of Sport, at the behest of his friend, the footballer and pundit Jimmy Hill, who
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