If Peter Drury was in any doubt about the size of the job he was taking on this season, he needed only to look at the massive display on the wall in the foyer of his new home, Sky Studios in west London. “The greatest show on Earth,” it exclaims, alongside a photograph of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, celebrating the fact that Sky is still the home of the Premier League, as it has been since the league’s launch in 1992.
Until this season, the biggest games were accompanied by the dulcet tones of Martin Tyler – this summer, it was Drury who was summoned to take over the microphone and describe the action. “It’s a great honour,” the commentator tells FFT, as we meet him on what’s actually his first day exploring the studios – the majority of his working days are spent on stadium gantries up and down the country, or studiously researching his next match from home.
The son of a Kent vicar who was educated in Surrey and is now based in Hertfordshire, the 55-year-old has formed a cult following over the years courtesy of his work with BBC Radio, ITV, BT Sport, Amazon Prime, Premier League Productions and even further afield for SuperSport of South Africa, plus American channels CBS and NBC – he still commentates on Saturday Premier League matches for the latter, alongside his latest role as Sky’s new voice of Super Sunday.
Drury’s three decades in the business have already produced many a famous moment, predominantly thanks to his acclaimed poetic style. “Roma have risen from their ruins!” he yelled when Kostas Manolas’ glancing header completed the Italian team’s recovery from 4-1 down to eliminate Barcelona in the 2018 Champions League quarter-finals. “Manolas, the Greek God in Rome! This was not meant to
