From Fern Britton asking if a guest’s great grandfather had any children, to Anthea Turner urging people to use cars as fridges, to Geoffrey Boycott saying Indian police have “atomic weapons”, 2010 has been a vintage year. Fantoni, Barry; Larry (1994). Private Eye's Colemanballs: No. 7. Private Eye Productions. ISBN 978-0-552-14279-3. He still reported on football for another two years, before concentrating on athletics, and also continued to present big occasions, such as the Grand National and the World Cup. More or less since the inception of the BBC's regular outside sports broadcasts, Coleman's was the voice that brought the event into the living room. He anchored Grandstand and Sportsnight long before anyone had ever heard of Frank Bough or Desmond Lynam. He was the first commentator whose voice proclaimed that he neither attended a public school nor pretended to have done.

Jonathan Edwards, Olympic gold medal triple jumper: "David was one of that rare breed who had the ability to say just a word and you knew who he was, like Sean Connery in acting and Bill McLaren in rugby." Fantoni, Barry; Larry (2002). Private Eye's Colemanballs: No. 11. Private Eye Productions. ISBN 978-1-901784-30-5. There was never a shortfall in drama when Coleman was at the microphone. Spitting Image caricatured him as a commentator who literally explodes at the merest hint of athletic action. In one sketch he reaches fever pitch as Seb Coe breaks for the line with 600 metres still to go. "And I've gone far far too early!" he screams with about a minute of commentating time to fill. "I'll never be able to keep up this level of excitement!!"

I just wonder if her dad, because he has obviously been the most influential person in her life, did say to her when she was 12, 13, 14 maybe: “Listen, you are never going to be, you know, a looker. You are never going to be somebody like a Sharapova, you’re never going to be 5ft 11in, you’re never going to be somebody with long legs, so you have to compensate for that. You are going to have to be the most dogged, determined fighter anyone has ever seen on the tennis court if you are going to make it,” and she kind of is. For those of you watching who do not have television sets, live commentary is on Radio 2. Ted Lowe (Snooker)

Fantoni, Barry; Larry (2000). Private Eye's Colemanballs: No. 10. Private Eye Productions. ISBN 978-1-901784-19-0. BBC broadcaster Barry Davies described Coleman's coverage as "just the right balance of authority and sensitivity". Colemanballs For example, Bill Bayliss sent us this gem from the Paralympics: 'They're making great strides with their swimming' Very few of us have any idea of what life is like living in a goldfish bowl, except, of course, for those of us who are goldfish.”In 1984, he won the Television and Radio Industries Club award as Sports Presenter of the Year and, in 1992, he was awarded an OBE. He finally retired from broadcasting in 2000. Tributes

I imagine he was a pretty uncomfortable guy to work with," wrote Moore. "His standards were high and his temper was pretty short." Moving on Born in Cheshire on 26 April 1926, although his family originally hailed from County Cork, Coleman went to a local grammar school and became a keen amateur runner, winning several national cross-country championships as well as the Manchester Mile. Coleman began presenting Grandstand in 1958Bayern will have the added advantage of playing in their own stadium – that’s like a home game for them. Rivals were never comfortable with Coleman. In the mid-1960s when ITV hired the popular, amiable Eamonn Andrews to launch its Saturday afternoon World of Sport magazine programme to take on the BBC's Grandstand, Coleman dismissively told Andrews: "I'll blow you out of the water!" To all intents, that was, mercilessly, what he did. Fantoni, Barry; Larry (1992). Private Eye's Colemanballs: No. 6. Private Eye Productions. ISBN 978-0-552-13996-0.

Some examples of the verbal gaffes made by David Coleman, include: "He is one of the great unknown champions because very little is known about him." Throughout his broadcasting career, he saw himself as the hard-nosed, everyman-journalist. He was no celebrity presenter, and could be scathingly dismissive about more starry, chummy screen performers chosen more for winsome looks and winning smiles. While Colemanballs are primarily associated with David Coleman's athletics commentaries, gaffes are to be found in most other sports, here some of Will and Guy's collection.

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He is accelerating all the time. That last lap was run in 64 seconds and the one before in 62. David Coleman Brendan Foster, Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist: "David Coleman was the greatest sports broadcaster that ever lived. He was a giant of sports broadcasting. It was a privilege to know him and it was a privilege to have him commentating on races during my career."