Test Match Special

Test Match Special is a BBC cricket radio programme that has provided ball-by-ball commentary of Test matches involving the England cricket team since its first broadcast on May 30, 1957, a concept proposed the previous year by BBC producer Robert Hudson. It was the first broadcaster anywhere to commit to covering every ball of a Test match, at a time when many in British broadcasting believed the slow pace of Test cricket made continuous commentary impractical, and it built a devoted following for its blend of technical commentary and discursive conversation between commentators during quiet passages of play. Long carried on BBC Radio 3's medium wave frequency, the programme now airs on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds and has expanded to cover one-day and Twenty20 internationals alongside Test cricket.