Harry Gration

[Rob]

A true icon of broadcasting. I first saw Harry on-screen when he did a stint at BBC South Today. He was a lovely man, and I'm very saddened to hear of his passing today.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FWDRjFNXgAET...name=large

[London Lite]

Harry made the running order of the 10.

[LukeHarrison]

Very sad news. I had tech'ed a number of private functions that he had compered over the last few years and he was a gentleman to work with. Easy going, professional, up for a laugh, and could keep an audience of increasingly drunken Northerners in the palm of his hand all night.

One of the greats.

[Rolling News]

I'm not from the region so never watched Harry Gration, but still a shock and terrible sad loss. I watched the end of the evening Look North bulletin and felt so bad for Amy having to deliver the heartbreaking news. RIP. ❤

[James Vertigan]

The front page of this morning’s Yorkshire Post: 

[Robertclark125]

I would hope rugby league pays tribute to him as well. He started his broadcasting career as a local BBC radio rugby league reporter, and his stint at South today followed a one year stint, as a director at the RFL. He quit that role, in 1994, as he wanted to return to broadcasting, hence he went to BBC South.

[Markymark]

I would hope rugby league pays tribute to him as well. He started his broadcasting career as a local BBC radio rugby league reporter, and his stint at South today followed a one year stint, as a director at the RFL. He quit that role, in 1994, as he wanted to return to broadcasting, hence he went to BBC South.

Yes, the piece on the BBC 10pm news failed to mention that, they just inferred he presented Look North from 1982 until a couple of years ago.

[harshy]

I am sure Harry also presented Grandstand too

[Steve Williams]

I am sure Harry also presented Grandstand too

Yes, he did - https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/se...9#at-14.45

Only a few times, but as Genome illustrates he presented Final Score quite a lot on Bank Holidays, as well as reporting for the programme for many years. Certainly although I was never fortunate enough to have Harry as my teatime pal, along with the likes of Gerald Sinstadt, Steve Sutton, Tony Gubba and the like he was a familiar voice on Final Score.

He was also a regular reporter on the round-up on Match of the Day, and in one of the MOTD anniversary books he's interviewed because he presented MOTD once in the nineties - that isn't in Genome, it was a last minute addition to the schedules - and he said it was one of the proudest moments of his career.

As his obits are also saying, he went to several Olympics to report and commentate on things like judo and taekwondo, though I remember reading he had to leave Seoul early as he was involved in a car crash. And he presented the Beeb's limited 3D coverage of the 2012 Olympics as well.

[Steve in Pudsey]

He did indeed
https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/eacd7120f8eb...1f75ce99b5

He would often do the standalone Final Score on Bank Holidays too.

https://youtu.be/PsMSnGTqPOU?t=591

I suspect Harry would have contributed to Nationwide at times, and it appears from Genome that he was a regular guest on a show called Best of Brass, which was an inter-regional brass band contest that the local presenters would turn up and support the bands from their patch.

[BBCMeridian]

Here's Sally Taylor's tribute
https://www.twitter.com/SallyTaylor_tv/s...5748444161

[JLav25]

Found what I said when he retired over on the blue place:

Brilliant tribute. I remember starting uni, and not really knowing who he was, and instantly being told by local coursemates he was a "Yorkshire Legend". They were certainly right. I met him about a year after that, when he was presenting at the RTS Awards at York Racecourse and he was a lovely chap. Didn't get annoyed at all when I initially poured him the wrong drink.

Still rings true. RIP Harry

[Spencer]

I'll put this out there now - I hope whatever tributes are shown next week give Christa as much opportunity as anybody else to contribute.

Is it too early suggest that following Radio 2's precedent, the BBC Leeds building could become Gration House?

That is a lovely idea. Does anyone know if the BBC actually owns the building at St Peter’s Square, or do they lease the space in it, along with the restaurant on the ground floor?

[RDJ]

Simon McCoy back on the BBC News Channel paying tribute to his good friend Harry and advocating how regional news is so important now just as it always has been.

https://youtu.be/QRF6R4CeTvg

[Tom]

Also, Peter Levy was also on the News Channel earlier talking about Harry and sharing some memories of him.