Dickie Davies: who was World of Sport TV presenter, is cause of death known? Wife and Dickie Davies Eyes song

TV presenter Dickie Davies died on Sunday 19 February 2023 at the age of 94. The star was the face of ITV Sports coverage for more than two decades and presented the Saturday afternoon show World of Sport from the 1960s until it ended in 1985.

His former ITV colleague Jim Rosenthal announced the news on Twitter saying: “With huge sadness we announce Dickie Davies passed away this morning. So proud of this 20 years of World of Sport, 3 Olympic Games and a brilliant career on the telly. He is survived by a loving wife, two adoring sons, four grandkids and two beloved dogs.”

Rosenthal added to his statement by saying “Dickie was a wonderful friend and colleague...RIP DD.” Other tributes from fellow sport broadcasters have flooded in. mourning the Cheshire-born presenter. There is, as yet, no news on the cause of Davies’ death.

Here is all you need to know about the Sports Broadcasting Giant...

Who was Dickie Davies?

Davies began his TV career as an announcer on Southern Television in 1960 and had previously spent seven years as a purser on the cruise company Cunard Line. He became the main host on ITV’s World of Sport having worked as an understudy to Eamonn Andrews until 1969.

Davies headlined the five-hour programme every Saturday and he anchored the coverage of a wide variety of sports, including many which had previously not been seen on TV screens. The show, a mix of live sport, included racing, wrestling and football results, competed with BBC’s Grandstand.

Every May, Davies would lead ITV’s all-day build-up to the FA Cup final, which was one of the few football matches broadcast live during the course of the season at that time.

Some memorable episodes of World of Sport include the 1977 Christmas Eve special which involved comedian Eric Morecambe performing a series of distracting skits while Davies presented the show. At one point, the pair played a game of snooker, with Morecambe using Davies’ head to balance his cue.

After World of Sport ended in 1985, Davies stayed at ITV as a presenter but later switched to a new role as sports editor with Classic FM. A stroke in 1995 badly affected his speech and forced him off air as he slowly recovered. He would later return intermittently to the screen for a number of specials, including ITV’s 50-year World of Sport anniversary in 2005.

What is his song?

Davies had a very unlikely claim to fame in 1986 when the indie band Half Man Half Biscuit paid their own tribute to the broadcasting giant as they released the song Dickie Davies Eyes. The song went to number one in the Indie Charts and included other famous figures such as the author Michael Moorcock and the artist Roger Dean.

Tributes

BBC’s Gabby Logan has described Davies as “one of the very best” while Sky Sports Jeff Stelling, who said he grew up watching Davies on World of Sport, added “One of my inspirations along with Des Lynam - a sports broadcasting legend.”

ITV football presenter Mark Pougatch took to Twitter to pay his respects by saying: “Ach, Dickie Davies. The rest of us walk in the footsteps of giants. RIP.”