110: Cornelius Lysaght - Severn Sound, Southern, BBC Racing Correspondent

The boarding school boy who helped out during the holidays at a commercial station and rose to head the BBC’s racing commentary.

In this hour of Radio Moments Conversations, Cornelius Lysaght tells of how he charmed his way through the door of Severn Sound in Gloucestershire to help out during the holidays - working his way quickly to handling some of the UK’s top stories of the time from the newsroom. In the snowiest of winters, he fondly remembers helping out on the famous Snow Lines and Flood Alerts.

After a brief spell at the National Broadcasting School and in Brighton at Southern Sound, he gravitated to one of the most famous racecourses in the World. At Cheltenham, he helped out with Race Call and spearheaded the course’s own radio station.

Tempted then to join the new BBC Radio 5 at launch, he stayed with the station as it evolved into BBC 5 Live, eventually becoming horse racing correspondent, with his voice and unforgettable name becoming a key part of all the great fixtures of his age.

Cornelius talks about the art of the commentator, identifies the greats and shares the things he might have done differently.

In his own words, this is the Cornelius Lysaght story.


Hear the whole ‘Radio Moments Conversations’ series here – and sign up for the regular podcast for this ongoing series. Music by Larry Bryant.