Ski Sunday

Ski Sunday
Genre	Winter sports
Presented by	Ed Leigh Chemmy Alcott
Opening theme	"Pop Looks Bach" bySam Fonteyn
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No.of series	37
Production
Production company	BBC
Original release
Network	BBC Two
Release	15 January 1978(15 January 1978)– present
Related
Sunday Grandstand

Ski Sundayis a weekly magazine-styletelevision showcoveringwinter sports,broadcast onBBC Twoin the United Kingdom on Sundays in a late afternoon or an early evening timeslot. It began in 1978 and is currently presented byEd LeighandChemmy Alcottwith reportersGraham Bell,Tim Warwood,Jenny Jones,Aimee FullerandPhil Young.

History

Originally launched in 1978 following the1976 Winter Olympics,later forming part ofSunday Grandstandand presented and commentated on by British broadcasters includingRon PickeringandDavid Vine(who presented the show for twenty years until he took semi-retirement in 1996), the show focused primarily on theblue ribandevents ofdownhill skiingandSpecial Slalom.Following the final edition ofGrandstandin early 2007,Ski Sundaybecame one of the longest-running BBC Sports television programmes still being broadcast; the 2008 series was the 30th.

Format

As the British appetite foralpine skiingchanged over time, the programme experimented with different formats and timeslots. In recent years the show has been presented by, amongst others,Hazel Irvine,Matt Chilton,former British Olympic skierGraham BellandEd Leigh.The 2008 season started on 20 January in an extendedprime timeslot (Sundays 19:00 to 20:00) and was broadcast weekly on BBC Two for eight weeks. The 2008 revised format covered most forms of competition skiing andsnowboardingas well as coveringtravelogueand entertainment features.The series also offeredinteractivefeatures via theBBC Red Buttonservice.

The 2009 series began on 10 January with a special preview programme presented by Graham Bell covering a summer trek in theAlps.The 2009 series-proper started on 18 January, and was again broadcast on BBC2 and BBC Red Button.Prior to the launch of the 2009 season, it was reported that the more generalwinter sportscontent of the 2008 format was not popular with viewers,and the BBC acknowledged: "we didn't get things quite right last year. Ski racing fans wanted more of the action and our new viewers wanted more adventure."Consequently, for 2009 the show was divided into two programmes:Ski SundayandHigh Altitude;the former covering ski racing and the latter, "mountain adventure".

For the 2010 season,High Altitudewas dropped, and a stand-aloneSki Sundaycomprised one half-hour programme weekly, shown around 17:00 on BBC Two on Sunday evenings. It consisted largely of events coverage, plus a new clothing, equipment and technology slot, with further events covered and a worldwide skiing weather report accessible afterwards via the Red Button digital services. Bell and Leigh continued to present.

For the 2011 season, Ski Sunday returned on 9 January 2011 on BBC Two and ran until 2 February 2011, withSki Sunday Extraavailable via the BBC Red Button interactive services.The show's format continued the 2010 approach, focusing on coverage of the unfolding alpine ski racing season interspersed with occasional featured segments on alternative winter sports such asCrashed Icedownhill skating and snowboard events. The format for the 2012 series remained largely unaltered, continuing to focus on the key alpine ski racing events with extended (and sometime live) coverage via the BBC's interactive service. Short magazine pieces also focused on winter sport personalities (such asJenny Jones), events (such asSlopestyle) and travelogues.

In 2013 for its 35th series, former OlympicskeletonchampionAmy Williamsjoined the team.

Theme tune

Thetheme musicto the programme is "Pop Looks Bach" bySam Fonteyn,which was also used as the theme tune for the BBC's coverage of theWinter Olympicsuntil the2006Games.In the U.S., the religion-oriented radio showThe World Tomorrowused 'Pop Looks Bach' "as its opening music during the 1980s. It was first recorded for theBoosey & HawkesMusic Library in 1970, and was not written for the BBC. It has similarities to the opening of Bach'sFugue in D minor,which is referenced to by a churchorganin the background instrumentation of the original recording.

The song was used in British supermarketSainsbury's' Christmas advert in 2023.

External links

• Ski SundayatIMDb
• Ski SundayatBBC Online