Life and Times of BILL McLAREN

The Life and Times of Bill McLaren is a revealing new biography about the much-loved broadcaster, Bill McLaren. Based on an extensive new digital archive created by the author and the University of Stirling, this collection is a treasure trove of new information to provide a timely appreciation of Bill's work, his life and cultural influence.Exploring thousands of personal letters, documents and oral history interviews this book traces Bill's life from the ultra-detailed scrapbooks of his childhood to his war time service in Italy, to his days as a talented rugby player cut short by TB, to his marriage, followed by a stellar career in journalism, as a PE teacher and a broadcaster. This new biography is also a love story about McLaren's passion for rugby, the town of Hawick, his family and the love of his life and soul mate for 60 years, Bette.The book analyses what made Bill's commentaries and journalism special: his forensic attention to detail and his multifaceted methodology for collecting, storing and retrieving data in his chaotic study. To enrich his commentaries Bill developed his version of spreadsheets long before computerised spreadsheets came into common use. Arguably Bill's Big Sheets operated through his unique cognitive approach, a form of pre-digital Artificial Intelligence.Using genuinely interesting, funny, intriguing, relevant and meaningful stories and anecdotes the book helps the reader understand why Bill's voice echoes through rugby. It echoes because it was earned - through thousands of hours of work that nobody saw, but everyone felt.