There's lots of material to be had from the history of sport. With football, aside from the live coverage of games, it's been the Rodney Marsh stories of leaving a turd in Peter Bonetti's gloves - or, the Nick Hancock arms akimbo isn't-football-dafft? angle.

There's precious little actual comedy/laughter in football. But that doesn't mean it isn't fun and enjoyable. I was heartened by The Damned United. That is only a small story within a small part of the history of a handful of clubs. There's plenty more stories where that came from and it was good to see a willingness to tell them.

U hadn't planned to watch the earlier tribute but caught it by chance early on and saw the rest.Än exemplary docümentary. Clearly ä good man, the comments from both of his sons were héärtfélt and toüching. They both Came äcross well and reflected well on Henry the man who måde them.

A television version of Cliff Morgan's old Radio 4 Show.

This would make me happy. Struggling to think of a presenter though, other than a slightly less dyspeptic Parkinson

.....though it doesn't help that Sky think football started in 1992.
The Henry Cooper programme was superb and, in his honour, there appeared to be a fight at the O2 last night that appeared to be more than exciting.

The British tend not to make decent sporting documentaries, while the Americans churn them out all the time. I suspect it's because American sports organisations work happily with the media, providing the kind of unfettered access British clubs invariably balk at, while this side of the pond clubs treat the media with suspicion and disdain. I also have a feeling that film-makers here, despite the coverage, don't really see sport as being a heavyweight subject worthy of proper documentary and analysis.

I may be wrong, but I can't think of a UK film that's as good as Hoop Dreams. Or Murderball. Or Beyond The Mat. Or Dogtown & The Z-Boys, When We Were Kings, Pumping Iron, Once In A Lifetime, Unforgivable Blackness, The Endless Summer, Ken Burns' Baseball, and many of the films from ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Is the very average One Night In Turin really the best we can do?

It should read "No alcohol to be taken past this point...."

They've paid somebody good money to make those signs.

is generally presented pretty badly, I'd say. The gravity of Hugh McIllvaney, Brian Glanville, John Rawling et al has been fading away for some time, as the Sky/WAGS/Football gossip monopoly has set up shop. FiveLive hasn't helped, with its breathless schtick rather than much in the way of reflective musings.
Sadly, maybe there's not much appetite for deeper stuff: Total Sport magazine, and the copycat Observer Sports Monthly, both folded.
Perhaps books are the natural home for such matters....

Trueman v Close v Boycott v Illingworth. I would love to see a documentary about all these surly intractable characters.

David Peace intends to write a book about Boycott after he's finished his Tokyo trilogy and his novel about Harold Wilson and Huddersfield Town.

You're right about the paucity of decent sports documentaries Chris, although cricket seems to be well-served. There was a BBC series on the history of cricket in each country and an excellent Basil d'Oliveira programme, Not Cricket.

1. re-run old versions of Sportsnight in the same way as ToTP. I only vaguely remember the one european football games or even some clasic Lendl v Mcenro, etc

2. one slot a month to the best sporting website I've seen to show up the simplicity of other analysis of football
http://www.zonalmarking.net/

3. a decent magazine show - but as people above say who to present? Maybe Richard Willaims - build on his Whistle Test experience and more recent sports journalism?

... I do agree that some great documentaries are waiting to be made.

As for the decent magazine show, Colin Murray and John Inverdale are the only sport broadcasters who spring to mind that I dont hate.

Nope. Absolutely would turn me off. He strikes me, from what I've heard of him on 't radio as being a particular kind of "sport" fan.

Ooooh, Steve Rider :) Hazel irvine?

Really, it has to be someone with a wide appreciation of sport. That doesn't just mean a walking anorak, but someone who actually loves Sport (deliberate Capital S). Someone as well who doesn't have to be the center of attention but can draw the story out of others.

Every month HBO do a monthly sports show (Real Sports) that has covered a huge number of very very different topics: what happens to no good race horses? Is college sport everything it should be? Concussion in football...

The boy Gumbel done good - this could be followed.

As I write - wasn't there an "investigative" sports show some years ago on BBC2? Back in the days when Britain only had 4 channels..."Between the Lines" or something

Just as an aside, I find the BBC's F1 coverage excellent. Certainly better than ITV. Jake Humphrey is a good anchorman and Martin Brundle is one of the finest sports commentators around.

Also, I'd recommend Motor Sport magazine for any motor racing enthusiasts. It's monthly, and strikes a good balance between the contemporary and the historical.

A sport magazine programme - like a music magazine programme - seems an attractive idea but it will always fail simply because of the great breadth of material out there to cover and the range of personal preferences.

I'd love to see an hour-long sport magazine on TV that featured (say) a report on the preparations for Le Tour, a retrospective look at the 1967 Formula 1 season, an interview with Murali and something about a minority Olympic sport; but as soon as (say) a soccer, snooker or darts feature came on, I'd turn it straight off.