MATT ROBERTS: MAN BEHIND THE MIC
Presenter, author and the host of the TT’s live television coverage, Matt Roberts, joins Chris Pritchard and Steve Plater on the TT Podcast this week for the first of a two part interview.
After studying Spanish at Huddersfield University, presenting at some of the best motorbiking races in the world probably wasn’t the most obvious path for Matt Roberts to take, but a desire to enter the world of sports journalism and a job in Barcelona working for Dorna saw the presenter take his first steps into a now very successful career.
Matt was perhaps originally best known for his work on the Moto GP, including presenting the BBC’s coverage of the event, before moving over to Eurosport and stepping into the British and World Superbike Championships. However, Chris and Steve also manage to uncover his entry into the media world as a contestant on a globe-trotting reality TV show, something he says perhaps shows the draw to television from early on.As one of the few people who gets to be up and close to riders just moments before they set off for races, Matt gets into how he had to overcome a lack of confidence in approaching people and what it’s like to put a mic in the face of riders as they’re getting in the zone. He also tells of the interesting response he once had from a certain Aussie rider after approaching him off the track.
As the host of the TT’s television highlights and, for the first time this year, live coverage with the podcast’s own Steve Plater, Roberts talks about how he got the job and what it was like taking on such a huge task this year with putting on a live show every day for two weeks. He also gets candid about the teething issues they faced at the beginning of the fortnight and how the pressure of keeping up the energy every day actually allowed him to do the job better than ever.
With three huge TT fans together, it only makes sense that talk also turned to some of the best moments from this year’s racing, if anyone will better what Hicky is bringing and the long awaited debut of Glenn Irwin.
Before taking on the now infamous quick questions round, Matt takes a look ahead to his future, including why he’s been studying for a Master of Sports Directorship degree and why he’s mostly left any ambition to move into sports outside of the world of motorbikes.
Plus, the episode finds Chris discovering ways to take over Matt’s job as TT host and Steve attempting to turn the conversation back to Matt’s first year on the job in 2009, which also just happens to be a year of success for the former racer.
Listen Now to Episode 2: Part One
Listen Now to Episode 2: Part Two
