Dickie Davies
TV presenter Dickie Davies, who was the face of ITV sports coverage for more than two decades, has died.
The star presented the Saturday afternoon show World of Sport from the 1960s until it ended in 1985.
The show, a mix of live sport including racing, wrestling and football scores, rivaled the BBC Tribune.
Former ITV colleague Jim Rosenthal announced deathwho said Davies’ family are “so proud” of his “brilliant career in television”.
“Dickie was a wonderful friend and colleague. RIP DD,” he added.
Fellow sportsman Simon Thomas paid tribute to Davies, calling him an “absolute giant” in the industry.
Originally from Cheshire, Davies began his television career in 1960 as an announcer for Southern Television, having previously worked as a purser for the Cunard Line cruise line for seven years.
He joined ITV’s new show World Of Sport and was initially an understudy to Eamonn Andrews before becoming the main presenter in 1968.
He spearheaded a five-hour television marathon every Saturday, anchoring coverage of a variety of sports, including many minority events not previously seen on television screens.
His bushy mustache and black, puffy hair with a distinctive white streak down the front made him one of the most recognizable – and impersonated – stars of the era on ITV.
He also worked on ITV’s coverage of three Olympic Games.
After World of Sport ended in 1985, Davies stayed on as a presenter at ITV for another four years, but later moved into a new role as sports editor at Classic FM.
However, a stroke in 1995 severely affected his speech, forcing him to walk off the air while he slowly recovered.
He later returned to screen intermittently for a number of specials including the 50th anniversary of ITV World of Sport in 2005 as well as a few shows for Sky Sports.
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