David Vine
David Martin Vine (3 January 1935 – 11 January 2009) was a British television sports presenter. He presented a wide variety of shows from the 1960s onwards.
Early life
Born in Newton Abbot, Devon, he grew up in the north-west of the county, attending Barnstaple Grammar School on Park Lane in Barnstaple. His father was a carpenter.
Career
He worked for the North Devon Journal Herald from the age of 17 and various newspapers, becoming the Sports Editor of the Western Morning News in Plymouth. He joined Westward Television in 1961, though he worked for the BBC for the majority of his broadcasting career. He joined the BBC, to work on BBC2 in 1966. He was working at BBC2 even though Westward Television were not aware of this because at the time BBC2 could not be received in the South West. An article in the Daily Mail led to Westward TV learning about his BBC work and he had to resign from Westward TV.
Programmes he hosted include Sportscene, It's a Knockout (1967–1971), Jeux Sans Frontieres, Miss UK, Miss World, Quiz Ball, Rugby Special, Match of the Day, A Question of Sport (1970–1977 AND 1989), Grandstand, Superstars, Starshot, Ski Sunday (1978–1996) and the BBC's Winter and Summer Olympic Games coverage.