Truly one of the great sports broadcasters, Alan Weeks was the voice and face that brought a whole new generation of fans to the game of ice hockey. His infectious enthusiasm coupled with knowledge and an understanding of the game was second to none.
Born in Bristol, Alan Weeks was raised in Brighton after his family moved there when he was just five years old. While still a schoolboy, he saw his first game of ice hockey - Brighton Tigers vs Streatham – in the 1936/37 when his elder sister took him along to the Sports Stadium as a reward for being a ‘good boy.’
Alan Weeks served his country through the Second World War in the Merchant Navy, eventually being demobilised in 1946 as a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve. Back in ‘Civvy Street,’ he quickly returned to his passion for ice hockey, joining the staff of the Brighton Sports Stadium in the roles of Publicity Manager and secretary of the Tigers. He retained those roles for almost twenty years until the building closed in 1965 and he often recalled his favourite moment as the night in 1958 when the Tigers defeated the might of the touring team from the then USSR.
Working at the Sports Stadium, he and the facility manager Benny Lee vied for the title of best dressed man in town and it was in 1951 that BBC commentator Peter Dimmock first overheard Weeks’ velvet tones over the public address system. Dimmock immediately asked him to test for a commentary position during the second period, and so began a 45-year relationship with the BBC, as barely forty minutes later Alan Weeks was live on air for the third period.
Alan Weeks became one of the BBC’s foremost sports commentators with his credits including seven Winter Olympics, five Summer Olympics, four football World Cups and five Commonwealth Games and he covered over thirty different sports. He also presented Pot Black, the television show that popularised snooker, presented Sportsview and was the first front man for Summer Grandstand when it came upon the small screen in 1959. He had an incredible knack for being present at historic sporting moments, so much so that he was nicknamed The Gold Medal Commentator. Amongst many such occasions were gold medal performances from figure skater John Curry and swimmer David Wilkie in 1976, and four years later in 1980 when Robin Cousins and Duncan Goodhew repeated the act. Alan Weeks was also on hand when Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean scooped the gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics. Fellow BBC commentator David Coleman paid tribute to him saying; “He’s not just been a close colleague for many years, but also a genuine friend. To listen to him, he thinks he’s never done anything right, but to sit alongside him, especially at a high speed Olympic ice hockey match was a humbling experience.”
Away from his commentating role with the BBC, Alan Weeks worked hard for sport. He was one of the driving forces behind the Sports Aid Foundation, which raised millions for British athletes. A director from its inception in 1976 until 1983, he was also a governor. He was also a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame committee and the BIHA Council; chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Ice Skating Association of Great Britain; life president of the Brighton and Hove Entertainment Managers; president of Brighton Ice Hockey Club and a member of the Lord’s Taverners.
In April 1996, Alan Weeks received a lifetime achievement award from the Sportswriters Association of Great Britain, the only broadcaster to be so honoured and he is the only broadcaster inducted into the ice hockey Hall of Fame.
His other involvements, particularly with ice hockey include being a director of the London Lions, the Detroit Red Wings farm team who played at Wembley in 1974/74 and for whom he worked tirelessly to promote. He was president of the English National League in 1981/82, the forerunner of the British League.
Alan Weeks retired from the BBC in March 1996 through illness and sadly died on June 11th the same year at the age of 72.
To anyone who ever met him or simply heard him commentating, Alan Weeks was “Mr Ice Hockey.”
Compiled with research, provided by Stewart Roberts, and with the grateful help of the Ice Hockey Annual.
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