BBC’s TV coverage of first London Marathon almost turned into disaster as horse racing cameraman nearly got run over

BBC’s TV coverage of the first London Marathon almost turned into a disaster – as a cameraman came close to getting run over.

On March 29, 1981, the first 26.2-mile race was staged on the streets of the capital and American Dick Beardsley and Norwegian Inge Simonsen held hands as they crossed the finish line.

A cameraman was close to being run over during the first ever London marathonCredit: Getty The 1981 race was won by Dick Beardsley and Inge SimonsenCredit: Getty

Over the past 44 years, hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in the annual event, while tens of millions of pounds have been raised for .

Yet according to Michael R. Payne – who was involved in the sponsorship of the inaugural day – there could have been a serious injury among the production staff at the halfway point on Tower Bridge.

In his new book Fast Tracks and Dark Deals, Payne said: “We pleaded, begged, and cajoled (the BBC) to cover the race live.

“We didn’t want a rights fee, just exposure. But the had no experience broadcasting a live event like this.

“Their only frame of reference for sport on the move was , where an old Citroën estate, with a cameraman bolted to the roof, followed the action.

“On race day, the BBC camera car arrived at the start line in Greenwich, the cameraman gamely clambering onto the roof, for what he assumed would be a fairly standard shift.

“He could count on a few minutes’ work in horse racing, followed by a cup of tea and a bun.

“He didn’t know that he was signed up for two and a half hours without tea, a bun, or a toilet break.

“To make matters worse, there was only one camera car. It had just returned from the races in Doncaster and hadn’t joined us for the rehearsal drive the day before.

“The convoy protocol was simple – a car in front, followed by the BBC camera car, then a flatbed truck with photographers hanging on for dear life.

“When we approached the last roundabout before Tower Bridge, the police car peeled ahead to clear the crowds.

“As the BBC camera car reached the roundabout, the driver, who had missed the rehearsal and hadn’t memorised the route, hesitated.

“Then, disastrously, he took the wrong turn. I watched in horror from the correct side of the roundabout, as the BBC car disappeared in the wrong direction.

“Without the camera car, the BBC would be left with only its helicopter shot and a few static roadside cameras. Our grand live TV broadcast was about to implode.

“Realising the mistake, the BBC driver floored it, desperate to catch up. That might have worked, except for one small problem – a human strapped to the roof.

“As the car lurched forward, the laws of physics took over. The cameraman was whipped into a high-speed orbital spin, clinging for dear life as the seat bolts groaned but miraculously held.

“Somehow, after several agonising moments, and likely a few silent prayers, the signal was recovered on the far side of Tower Bridge.

“All of this, of course, happened long before the UK’s and Safety ayatollahs took control and banned all the fun.”