By Danny Hopkins

Warm pies and pasties greeted us at the entrance to the room, along with a plentiful supply of orange juice and water. In order to enjoy our meat-filed treats, we wandered over to a long bench, where we obliviously sat between ex-England Captain Michael Vaughan and Test Match Special commentator Jonathon ‘Aggers’ Agnew. It was only until the two cricketing legends were called up to their seats at the front stage and Michael Vaughan complained about his inability to finish his pie did we realise who they were!

The two men were joined by TMS producer Adam Mountford and were in conversation with one of 5live’s reporters- Eleanor Oldroyd. Humorous tales were recounted from their times both on and off the pitch, including fellow commentator Henry ‘Blowers’ Blofeld’s unique approach, Agnew’s seemingly constant ‘accidental’ innuendo and Geoffrey boycott’s love for Katy Perry.

The three men spoke highly of their jobs and their love of the game and commentary. This included their love of the provision of cake and how they are paid to watch cricket.

“ Everyday I go to work, I look forward to it” – Adam Mountford.

The men also spoke at the changing face of technology over the years. When Agnew was beginning in broadcasting, his commentary had to be relayed several times across different countries, before reaching England in a distinctive crackly, grainy sound. Now, you can broadcast from a mobile phone, as Adam Mountford recalled an awkward interview with a dressing gown wearing Geoffrey Boycott and how ‘certain things were visible’.

Michael Vaughan believed that helping people to visualize the game helped make TMS a success and a tip he provided for any up and coming broadcast journalist’s was “Try to bring life to the game”. Aggers followed up on this, stating that

“Radio communicates with people”.