The Big Match

The Big Match is a British Association football television programme, which screened on ITV regularly between 1968 and 1992. The Big Match originally launched on London Weekend Television, the ITV regional station that served London and the Home Counties at weekends, screening highlights of Football League matches. Other ITV regions had their own shows, but would show The Big Match if they were not covering their own match – particularly often in the case of Southern and HTV. The programme was set up in part as a response to the increased demand in televised football following the 1966 FIFA World Cup and partly as an alternative to the BBC's own football programme, Match of the Day. The Big Match launched the media career of Jimmy Hill, who appeared on the programme as an analyst, and made Brian Moore one of the country's leading football commentators. The Big Match originally screened match highlights on Sunday afternoons but in 1978 ITV audaciously won exclusive rights to all league football coverage, in a move termed "Snatch of the Day". Although the Monopolies and Mergers Commission blocked the move, the BBC were forced to allow ITV to take over the Saturday night slot in alternating seasons, starting in 1980.

Directed by —, The Big Match leans on a strong ensemble — Brian Moore, Elton Welsby, Jim Rosenthal — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The series landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about news titles of 1968.