Will Buckley (journalist)

Will Buckley is senior sports writer at The Observer, author of The Man Who Hated Football, and a frequent radio and television sport commentator in the United Kingdom.[1]

For other people with similar names, see William Buckley (disambiguation).

Career

Buckley was educated at Eton College and has written as a journalist about the school on a number of occasions since.[2]

Buckley has appeared numerous times on BBC Radio 5 Live show Fighting Talk, where he has won eight games in eight seasons, at an average of 1 win per year. He also hosted American football-themed gameshow Quizbowl on Channel 4 in the 80s, and has appeared on Newsnight and The Last Word.[3]

Buckley has also worked for the Express, and has had work published in GQ, Maxim, FHM, the Sunday Times and the Guardian.[3]

In 1995, he wrote The Trial of Aaron Sherwood, a comedy in 3 parts for BBC Radio 4 about an inept lawyer's efforts to save his client from multiple fraud charges.[4] Buckley's debut novel, The Man Who Hated Football was also well received. In its review, The Independent said, "Buckley's bitingly funny portrait of East Anglian society make up for the laddish commentary."[5] The Times commented briefly that the novel was "prescient", "showing great understanding of the world of professional football",[6] while it was characterized in The Telegraph as "hugely entertaining and acute".[7]

In December 2010, Buckley (a qualified barrister) joined Norwich law firm Leathes Prior as a consultant.[8]

Controversy

In August 2009, Buckley accused Test Match Special presenter Jonathan Agnew of being "pervy" towards Lily Allen, who Agnew was interviewing for a segment on the BBC Radio 4 show,[9] and was criticised by both Agnew and Allen – who described her interviewer as being "kind and gentlemanly"[9] – as well as by many readers who left comments on his article.[9] Buckley eventually apologised.[9]

Selected publications
  • Buckley, Will (2004). The Man Who Hated Football. London: Fourth Estate. ISBN 0-00-717554-X.
  • Will Buckley, ed. (2008). Fighting Talk: Flimsy Facts, Sweeping Statements and Inspired Sporting Hunches. London: Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-0-340-97755-2.

References
  1. "Will Buckley Profile". The Guardian. London. 10 October 2007. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
  2. How the new Old Etonians are different (The Observer, 23 October 2005); The big Eton con trick will run and run – don’t let it fool you (The Guardian, 5 September 2016)
  3. "Will Buckley". David Welch Sport and Media Management. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  4. http://www.onepaper.co.uk/barristers/will-buckley Archived 14 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Hagestadt, Emma (16 July 2004). "Paperbacks: The Man Who Hated Football". The Independent. London. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  6. Slot, Owen (8 May 2004). "Let's hear it for Sid, a forgotten victim of Iffley Roadgate". The Times. London. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  7. Reason, Mark (30 May 2004). "Alliss takes a casual swing at the obsessed". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  8. "Will Buckley – Consultant". Leathes Prior. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  9. Buckley, Will (23 August 2009). "When Aggers met Lily: an unrequited love affair for the middle-aged". The Observer. London. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
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