July 30^th sees 60 years since England’s World Cup victory.

We’re mounting a pop-up extra radio station – just for the day – to celebrate that great occasion - recapturing the spirit of ’66! The music – the emotion – the news! 

Boom '66 on July 30th - will relive 1966 all over again!

What do you recall of that day? Where did you watch the match – if you did?  What did 1966 mean to you generally? Drop us a line now to boom66@boomradio.co.uk

Or – feel free to record us a message and send it to that same email address  - we’d love to hear it – and maybe broadcast it on the day.

Across the day on Boom ‘66, Graham Dene, David Hamilton and Roger Day will  hosting extra programmes playing the songs from 1966 and reminiscing about those times. 

Also, at lunchtime, former BBC broadcaster Garry Richardson joins us with a special programme with the focus firmly on the game he watched at Wembley - aged 9, with players he came to know.

In the pic above, Garry is with nine memers of the 66 winning team. Back row from  left to right. GR, Roger Hunt, Jack Charlton, Martin Peters, Keneth Wolstenholm (BBC TV match commentator) Bobby Charlton, George Cohen. Front row Ray Wilson, Nobby Stiles, Geoff Hurst, Alan Ball. Pic below, Garry with Nobby Stiles. (Pics thanks to Gill shaw).  

Garry Richardson writes:
I grew up in Newbury in Berkshire and most Saturdays during the football season, I watched Southampton play. They were my local First Division side, so I saw a lot of the 1966 winning team in action when they visited the Dell with their respective clubs.

I wanted to be a professional footballer and had trials at Southampton but it was a short- lived dream and while I was disappointed, ultimately I ended up having the most wonderful career working in the BBC Sport department regularly interviewing my sporting heroes.

I started in Local Radio in 1974 and eventually moved to the sports department in London in 1980 where I first interviewed some of the 1966 team. They included Geoff Hurst who briefly managed Chelsea and Jack Charlton who was the boss of Sheffield Wednesday. Some of the others who hadn’t gone into management became my “go to pundits” - but It was on the ‘after dinner circuit’ that I got to know some of the team really well.

In the late 1980s and 90s, I was booked to speak at corporate events and football club dinners and would find myself sitting at the top table alongside Geoff Hurst, Jack or Bobby Charlton, Gordon Banks, Martin Peters and the lovely Nobby Stiles. 
There were 2 occasions when I did events with 9 members of the team and Commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme. They were truly wonderful occasions.

Unlike today’s top Premier League players who earn millions of pounds a year, England’s World Cup winners supplemented their income by giving speeches - or I would interview them at events. It was a wonderful time to work on the circuit because over the course of an evening sitting alongside Nobby, Jack or Geoff for up to three hours I really got to know them. It was very different from doing a quick interview for the BBC.

Sometimes the old pros would give a speech completely on their own and as the evening progressed the nerves began to build as they got ready to deliver their routine.
Standing up in front of a very large audience could be a daunting experience. It was something I recognised personally from my early days on the circuit when I performed in cities like Leeds, Liverpool, or Manchester and struggled to get a laugh - and I do mean struggle!

The old players became master performers - especially Jack Charlton and Nobby Stiles.
Nobby had the most wonderful routine and he smiled and laughed non-stop. His routine was very self-deprecating and he made great play of his tough-tackling hard man image.

One of his favourite anecdotes was about the occasion when England played Argentina in the quarter-finals. Before the game in his pre-match team talk, England manager  Alf Ramsey gave Nobby specific instructions. “Nobby”, he said, “ Argentina’s best, and most influential player  is Antonio Rattin. I want to you to mark him”, to which Nobby replied  “Alf, do you want me to mark him for the match.....or for his entire life”. It was a punchline that brought the house down.

I do hope you can join me on Boom on July 30th.

Footnote from Boom.  Congratulations to Garry Richardson MBE on his services to sport broadcasting being recognised in The King's Birthday Honours List 2026