Oxford Utd Commentary

The view from the press box

I had an absolutely brilliant time commentating on Oxford United's pre-season friendly versus Mansfield Town for BBC Radio Oxford. A career ambition achieved commentating on a 90 minute match and on the team I support! To top it off, Oxford United won. It was a pleasure to be alongside Jack Shoemark, from The Manor Podcast, who was my summariser and did a top job. Here's the short highlights of the match...

markansell · Mansfield v Oxford 22nd July 2025 Highlights

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Floods Live

I reported on the floods in South Yorkshire all day and night on Thursday. The rain was relentless. I did radio lives on 5 Live and Radio Sheffield and a live on the late Look North bulletin.



Here's one of my live reports on BBC Radio 5 Live...


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This Is Me

I've been filming a story on BBC Radio Sheffield's 'This Is Me' competition offering a year's contract working for them. They've whittled it down to the final 3...



All three of them were really impressive and I'm sure would have done a good job. The winner was Sile Sibanda and I look forward to working with her at BBC Sheffield.

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This Is Me

I've been filming a story on a BBC Radio Sheffield competition called 'This Is Me' where someone will win a contract to work there for a year. A hundred and fifty hopefuls took part in auditions. They've now been whittled down to a shortlist of fifteen.



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Doncaster Crash: Multi-Media Reporting

I've been reporting in Doncaster where two people died after the car they were travelling in crashed into a garden wall and burst into flames. As well as doing a live for BBC Look North, I was tweeting the story and reported live for the BBC News Channel...


...and 5 Live...



This is a good example of how BBC journalists are now more than ever called on to report for TV, radio and online and not stuck in a pigeonhole of only providing for their primary medium. Personally, I enjoy the challenge of being a multi-skilled, multi-media journalist and feel it's a good way of making the most of our limited resources as long as our work-load is well managed.

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Tour de France 2014

Covering the Tour de France in Yorkshire and out in the Pyrenees and Paris has to be the highlight of my career so far. This time last year we were on the eve of the Tour arriving here in Yorkshire.
Hope you don't mind indulging me - to reminisce here's 5 minutes of highlights made up of some of my favourite stories on the Tour...

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Rony Robinson, Radio Superstar!

BBC Radio Sheffield's Rony Robinson won three awards at the Gillards. One was for Rony's outstanding contribution to radio - he has been presenting a midweek show on BBC Radio Sheffield for 30 years uninterrupted, that's a record in the BBC!

I had the great pleasure of working with Rony a lot during the Tour de France and his mischievous humour and passion for and knowledge of Sheffield is truly inspiring.

I was asked to film, script and edit a short film about Rony that was played at the awards ceremony before he received his outstanding contribution award. When I was making the video, he thought I was filming him for a BBC training video!

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Outdoor Gym

Outdoor gyms are being installed in more and more parks. One of the latest to open is in Penistone, near Barnsley, and I've been to have a go...

World Cup Podcasts

There's quite a few daily World Cup podcasts on offer and I've had a good listen. Expect to hear discussion on the Jabulani match ball and the noisy vuvuzelas mentioned in every podcast at least once. Here are a few in order of my preference:

1. Top spot has to go to BBC Radio 5 Live's World Cup Daily. Mark Chapman or Mark Pougatch present the day's highlights from South Africa. The podcast includes clips of the commentary of the goals and the summarisers' post match analysis and interviews with players and managers. It's my favourite of these podcasts because they have the best World Cup commentators, summarisers and interviewees on the radio and it's only 15 minutes long, instead of thirty plus like the rest of them.

2. The ITV Football Podcast, like 5 Live's, is short and sweet. Former 5 Live presenter Matt Smith and the very able Ned Boulting go through the day's match action and news from the tournament with the ITV Sport commentators and summarisers including Peter Drury, Chris Coleman and Andy Townsend. I like the podcast because they have a good knowledge of football and throw in facts and figures you didn't know.

3. Alan Davies' Armchair World Cup unlike all the other podcasts reviewed here, this one's also broadcast on the radio and is weekly, not daily. It's an amusing, quirky take on the events in South Africa in front of a studio audience. Davies' presents it along with guests Ian Stone and DJ Tayo and it's actually very funny, not that I'm normally a fan of Alan Davies. It's broadcast first on BBC Radio 5 Live on Sundays at 11am.

4. Former Channel 4 Football Italia presenter James Richardson presents the Guardian's offering, World Cup Daily with a few friends. Lively, jokey and decent summaries of the day's matches. Richardson interviews newspaper journalists based abroad about the different countries' performances. But at 35 minutes or more, it's only going to be regularly listened to by the most keen World Cup followers.

5. ESPN's Fifa World Cup Today is hilarious but for all the wrong reasons. It's an American podcast mainly focused on the fate of the USA team presented by a man named Chuck Wilson! Think Fox News meets the World Cup. It's awful. The ESPN match highlights are so bad you do wonder if it's the first "soccer match" the commentators have ever been to, for example, one commentator pronounced Gerrard (as in Steven) with a hard G! Worth listening to just once for the experience.

So plenty of World cup podcasts to get your teeth into. Have you found any other decent ones?

BLOG UPDATE 22.06.10

I've since come across ‘The Game’ World Cup podcast from The Times through reading the paper (if you search 'World Cup' in iTunes it doesn't come up - sort your search engine optimisation out The Times!). Gabriele Marcotti presents the podcast on a dodgy line from South Africa. He speaks to The Times sports journalists, including Oliver Kay, Matt Dickinson and Patrick Barclay, over the phone in the UK. Marcotti's strengths are his football knowledge and strong opinions, an Italian/American Alan Green if you will but this podcast suffers from two drawbacks. Firstly, the sound quality is awful which hardly makes it an enjoyable listen and then there’s the fact that it’s made up of phone conversations with journalists in the UK – it simply doesn't give you the atmosphere of the tournament. You can subscribe to it here.

My Top Podcasts - Part 2

Unlike the podcasts I went through in my previous post, the following aren't broadcast on the radio and are only accessible through the internet.

John Pienaar's Political Review podcast. The week's events in Westminster are mulled over by 5 Live's Chief Political Correspondent and a guest (often a political reporter for a national paper). It's informal yet informative and best of all, concise - normally 15 minutes.

The Guardian's Media Talk podcast is a round table discussion on the week's events in the media. This is the commercial rival of BBC Radio 4's The Media Show. There's much more banter, gossip and rumours in this podcast which makes it an easy listen. The presenter and guests are Guardian and Observer journalists and occasionally they'll have interviews with some of the industry heavy weights.

The Guardian's Politics Weekly podcast undoubtedly has centre-left leanings, as you'd expect from a political discussion by Guardian journalists. Well worth listening to if politics is your thing - an intelligent insight into politics from some of the Guardian comment writers including Polly Tonybee. It also has a BBC Radio 4 equivalent, The Weekly Political Review.

Prayer from Taizé podcast. Taizé is a Christian community in France which I've blogged about in the past. It comprises of highlights of the past week's prayer services from the church Taizé. I'm often reminded of the amazing times I've had by the beautiful singing.

I also enjoy the BBC Match Of The Day Magazine podcast, even though it's aimed at children. They're expertly produced by a good friend of mine.

So as the above shows, it's not just the BBC who produce superb podcasts. Give them a go and let me know what you think.

My Top Podcasts - Part 1

BBC Radio Podcasts

I've been regularly listening to podcasts since I finally bought an iPod over a year ago. I think I've got my commitment to listening to radio programmes from my Dad - since I was a young lad I've seen him recording numerous radio programmes on cassette and then listening to them at his pleasure. And he still does so to this day. Podcasts are my equivalent.

I thought I'd pick out some of my favourite podcasts. The following are programmes on BBC Radio 4 that you can listen to as a podcast:

The Media Show - Covers the week's big media stories. Presented by Guardian Journalist Steve Hewlett who's very knowledgeable on the media but not a natural broadcaster, he often stumbling over his words! It tends to focus more on journalism than any other area of the media. Unsurprisingly it attracts some of the industries big hitters as guests e.g. BBC Director General Mark Thompson. A must listen for anyone in, or wanting to break into, the media.

From Our Own Correspondent - The BBC is the largest broadcasting organisation in the world and so it has an unparalleled network of journalists. This programme is made up of monologues by these correspondents on newsworthy events from the countries they're based in. I find the programme more hit than miss but it can be a little dry at times. It's at its best when the correspondents provide a personal insight into the news stories.

The Weekly Political Review - While Parliament is sitting, one of a number of leading political commentators reflect on the week's political events with MPs, Peers and others involved in politics. I prefer when the Parliament is in recess and the programme explores a political issue instead. They normally go out into the country (ie. out of London!) and speak to people affected by government policy. Well worth listening to if like me, politics is your thing.

Analysis - A topical question is posed at the start of the programme and then explored for thirty minutes. Brilliantly put together and very informative.

The Bottom Line - I'm not really into business news yet I always enjoy listening to this programme. Each week three leading businessmen/women from one industry are interviewed by Evan Davis. He (and his guests) always make what appear to be dry issues interesting.

Beyond Belief - The presenter Ernie Rea and three guests discuss the role religon plays in today's world. Rea's knowledge, ability to ask the right question and background (he grew up in Belfast and was a Presbyterian Minister on the Shankill Road) often makes it a very good listen.

Best of Today - Unlike the above this podcast isn't the full programme, but what the editor decides is the best interview/report from the day's Today programme. Probably my favourite podcast from the best programme on the radio.

You don't have to have an iPod to listen to podcasts, as you can do so on the relevant websites but it's easier with an iPod as you can listen on the move and they automatically upload to the iPod when you attach it to your computer. One day soon, I think my dad will make the move from recording his favourite programmes on cassette to downloading them on an iPod as there's no need to be around to press record!

I'll write another blog soon on my favourite podcasts that, unlike the above, are not broadcast on BBC radio.

Please add a comment to this blog with your favourite podcasts. I've found out about many of the above through recommendations from friends.

'Anatomy of a Car Crash' - incredible radio

This has to be the best piece of radio I've ever heard. Listen to it, I bet it'll make you drive differently.

The programme is called Anatomy of a Car Crash and was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 yesterday.

It tells the story of a fatal car crash through the voices of the different people involved. There's no voice over which is a really hard technique to pull off in radio and in this case, really works. You won't notice the subtle music but it holds the piece together expertly and is very powerful.

Click HERE to listen to the programme.

The Daily Mail wrote an article on the programme when it was first broadcast in October last year that's worth a read.

Please, No More Clichés!

I've been taught that the key to good news writing for broadcast is: 'If you don't say it at home, don't use it in your scripts'. And yet you'll hear clichés not used by the masses in many news bulletins. Here's a couple of scripts I've invented:

- Jack is being hailed a hero after his friend Tom was scorched in a blazing inferno. It's left Tom fighting for his life in hospital.

- Hundreds of jobs in the motor industry are being axed in a matter of days but in a bold bid to boost productivity the Prime Minister has made a plea to safeguard thousands of jobs across the country. Opposition leaders have struck out at the plan and say a probe should be launched and are calling on MPs to oust the Prime Minister.

Newspapers are full of clichés but what broadcast journalists need to remember is that newspaper English is not the language of all journalism. Scripts for TV and radio should be written for the ear - simple, clear and natural writing.

Journalists who over use clichés think they make stories sound more urgent and have more of an impact with the viewer/listener, but I'd argue that the facts of the story itself should be interesting enough to engage them in the story. If the facts aren't interesting, the story shouldn't go in the bulletin.

I feel an obligation to rid any script I come across of these hackneyed phrases. If and when I'm ever in charge of a newsroom, I'll insist they don't feature: It's lazy journalism and detracts from the meaning of a story.

The best document I've found on this subject is the BBC's Style Guide, which you can download here. Anyone with ambitions to work in broadcast journalism should read it.

RADIO WILL... My Thoughts on the Future of Radio

Having immersed myself in all things radio for the last few years, I thought I'd write about what I think the future holds for the medium once affectionately known as the wireless.

RADIO WILL ADAPT

Radio has already had to adjust to the converging media world. All credible stations provide a listen live, podcast and other online extras that add value such as video, webcams and blogs.

Radio will have to adapt further if it is to survive. On demand will inevitably expand, with more material available as podcasts. On demand could end up as more popular than live broadcasting. If so, the BBC’s pledge to do fewer television programmes and do them better will be replicated. Radio stations would plough more resources into fewer programmes and repeat them in the schedules. Crucially these programmes will soon be available to download on your mobile phone in seconds.

Even when video is truly ubiquitous online and on mobile, there will still be a demand in one form or another for live radio. Media users more than ever crave live news and sport, and the medium of radio will exist to provide this for years to come.

RADIO WILL INTERACT

I believe radio stations will have to further interact with their listeners (or should it be advocates?) through new techniques such as ‘watch live’ where they will be able to watch the presenters presenting their show on mini video screens on their radios and on their mobile phones. This will also mean more advocate-led programming – they will be further empowered to produce their own radio features and shows, and stations will have to tap into this by empowering them. The BBC, amongst others, already does this through projects like Video Nation and Capture Wales. I believe this will expand through new concepts like giving listeners the chance to create their own radio content by recording material on their mobiles then editing it on free, downloadable audio editing software.

I believe that as long as radio continues to adapt, it'll survive long into the future.

Derby 2 - 6 Arsenal, BBC Radio Derby

Pride Park, Mon 28th April.

I'm coming to the end of a two week placement at BBC Radio Derby as a Broadcast Journalist. The highlight has been contributing to the coverage of the Derby Arsenal game on Monday night. The atmosphere was superb. The Rams have amazing fans - they've already sold 19,000 season tickets for next year's campaign in the Championship, even though they've only won once in 12 months!

Before the match, I 'voxed' a few fans:

TO LISTEN, CLICK HERE THEN CLICK PLAY

I was delighted to be part of the coverage on a Premier League match for a very professional BBC Radio Derby sports team.

Headway, BBC Radio Oxford

The most moving interview I have done was with Richard and his mum Jan at a charity which supports people who have suffered head injuries.

Whilst Richard was an animal trainer in the USA, he was attacked by one of his tigers. He suffered severe injuries including a stroke. Thanks to Headway, a charity based in Kennington, his condition has improved.

The Oxford Mail covered the story a few days after my package was played on the breakfast show on Radio Oxford.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN AND THEN CLICK PLAY

I also did another package on Headway for earlier on in the breakfast show that day:

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN AND THEN CLICK PLAY

Chancellor, You're Barred! BBC Radio Oxford

A pub in rural Oxfordshire joined the campaign to bar the Chancellor Alistair Darling after tax rises on alcohol.

I went to the Plough Inn, in Kennington to speak to the landlord and check out the posters.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN AND THEN CLICK PLAY

Rude to be on the phone? BBC Radio Oxford

I've just finished a two-week work placement at BBC Radio Oxford. I worked as a broadcast journalist for the breakfast show and learnt absolutely loads about how to successfully cover stories. I'll put my stories on this blog so if you missed it on 95.2FM you can listen to them here!

The first one I covered was on whether it's rude to be on your mobile whilst being served in a shop! What do you think?

I spoke to the people of Oxford : )

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN AND THEN CLICK PLAY

Today's top story on BBC Radio Oxford...

I'm coming to the end of a two week placement at BBC Radio Oxford which has been superb. Getting my hands dirty, covering stories for breakfast.

Today I had the top story in the bulletins thanks to an unusual source - my Dad!

He found a small story in the Guardian (I've since learnt he reads the finance pages of the Guardian every morning!) about Toyzone, a toy shop retailer, going into administration. This morning he suggested it as a possible story as one of the company's toy shops is Pied Pedaller in Thame (Oxfordshire). It later transpired that Toyzone's HQ is in Wallingford, Oxfordshire. Definitely a story. Fortunately my fellow journalists agreed, and it led the bulletins...

CLICK HERE AND THEN CLICK PLAY

The demise of digital radio?

It's sad to hear and read about the potential demise of digital radio. I've always been a fan and much prefer listening to digital because of the range of stations on offer, and even the scrolling text which tells me which (Radio 4!) programme I'm listening.

A set of radio ads on commercial radio that I voiced last year may soon be defunct.

Take a listen:

CLICK HERE Ad 1

CLICK HERE Ad 2

But I think it's too early to say digital radio's on its way out. Apparently Ford is thinking of making digital radio standard in their new cars and Ofcom has reaffirmed its support for digital (see FT article).