Chapman, Mark

Mark was born in Rochdale and grew up in Altrincham.

During his time at school in Manchester, he developed an interest in radio broadcasting. He wanted to work for BBC Radio 1 from the age of 13.

He went to Hull University and gained a degree in French and business studies and did a post-graduate course in journalism at City University, London.

In 1996, he began his media career as a BBC TV network continuity announcer, with his strong Northern accent, on BBC One and BBC Two. He left in July 1999.

During this period, Mark became the cricket correspondent for BBC Radio in North East England.

In August 1999, he joined BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat as a sports reporter, working on the breakfast show, initially with Zoe Ball and then Sara Cox.

He moved to the Scott Mills drivetime show (c. 2007) and it was during this period that he gained the nickname ‘Chappers’.

From 2004, he teamed up with Comedy Dave from the Chris Moyles show, to present various weekend shows.

After nearly a decade at BBC Radio 1, he left in December 2009 and moved to BBC Radio 5 Live where he hosted 5 Live Sport on Monday evenings.

He appeared as a contestant on the following TV programmes:

• Ready Steady Cook alongside BBC Radio 1’s Scott Mills (BBC Two, 2008);
• Celebrity Mastermind (BBC One, December 2008);
• Celebrity Masterchef (BBC One, July 2010);
• Question of Sport (BBC One, 2011 and 2012);
• Pointless Celebrities (BBC One, January 2015, January 2016 and January 2022);
• Richard Osman’s House of Cards (BBC Two, 2021 and 2024).

From 2009 until 2016, he was the main stand-in presenter on these BBC TV Sport programmes:

• Final Score (19th September 2009 – 25th April 2015);
• Match of the Day (BBC One, 11th March 2012 – present);
• Match of the Day 2 (18th March 2012 – 2013);
• Football Focus (BBC One, 2014);
• MOTD2 Extra (BBC Two, 2016).

He also presented other BBC TV Sport programmes, including:

• The Football League Show (BBC One, 2009 and 2011);
• Late Kick Off London and the South East (BBC One, 2010 – 2011);
• Inside Sport (BBC One, 2010).

In the summer of 2011, he moved back to Manchester, to work at BBC Sport in Salford.

Following the departure of Colin Murray, he became the main host of Match of the Day 2 in August 2013. In the same year, he also became the main host of the BBC’s coverage of Rugby League.

He appeared on Lee Nelson’s Well Good Show (BBC Three, 2011).

He presented 3,2,1, Go! (BBC Two, 2013), where children journey into the mathematical world that underpins sport.

Away from sport, he presented Mayhem & Mishaps: Britain Caught on Camera (BBC One, October 2013) and narrated An Island Parish (BBC Two, 2016 – 2017).

In August 2016, he replaced Mark Pougatch as the main presenter of 5 Live Sport on Saturday afternoons. He also continued to host the Monday evening edition of the programme, alongside other midweek shows.

In 2016, he became the presenter of the The NFL Show (BBC One) and NFL This Week (BBC Two, 2016 – 2020) with Jason Bell and Osi Umenyiora. He left in 2020.

In January 2023, he presented the 75th anniversary edition of BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sports Report.

Along with Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates, he was appointed joint presenter and successor to Gary Lineker on Match of the Day from autumn 2025.

Mark wrote a monthly column for Shoot football magazine.

In June 2010, he released his first book, entitled Heroes, Hairbands and Hissy Fits: Chappers’ History of Modern Football, in which he gave a harsh critique of modern football and players – both professional and part-time.

His second book, The Love of the Game: Agonies and Ecstasies of Parenting and Sport, was published in September 2017.

For Sport Relief in 2008, he and Comedy Dave ran 32 miles at 32 Premier League clubs in England and Scotland.

He completed the 2008 and 2010 London Marathon’s for children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargeant.  He ran it again in 2017 for The Christie Charity.

In 2012, he was part of a team that cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats, in aid of the Donna Louise Children’s Hospice Trust in Stoke-on-Trent.

Mark is a Manchester United football fan and also a fan of Hull FC, owing to his time at university in Hull.

Correspondence

Paul R. Jackson corresponded with Mark in June 2025 and asked various questions about his career.

How did you become a member of the Network BBC TV announcing team?

“It was quite unusual to take someone on with little or no broadcast experience. I answered an advert, while doing my postgrad. They wanted a northern accent.”

Do you recall who trained you and the date of your first announcement?

“I was trained by Manju Mahli and I’ve no idea when I did my first one.”

Did you make any special announcements on particular programmes/news events and did you ever work on Christmas Day?

“Yes, I did Christmas Day once maybe. I did a lot of BBC Two evenings, because they were trying to go for a younger audience e.g., Friday Night Comedy Zone.”

What was it like to work with legendary voices like Peter Brook, Andy Cartledge and Malcolm Eynon?

“I worked a lot with Peter. He was a lovely man. He would do the BBC One evenings and I would be doing the BBC Two ones.”

What year did you become the cricket correspondent for BBC Radio in the North East?

“I did it as an attachment in the summer of 1997. Sport was always what I wanted to do and I was useless as an announcer in my first 6 months, so I needed to go out and get some confidence and the cricket job did just that.”

How did you get your nickname Chappers?

“I moved to drivetime on BBC Radio 1 with Sara Cox in 2004 and then with Scott when he took over, when Sara went on maternity. She started the nickname.”

As a big sports fan, what was it like being asked to introduce such iconic shows as Sports Report and Match of the Day?

“It is a privilege. I am aware of the history of both and try to respect that and make sure that when the time comes for me to hand it on, it’s in good shape.”

You have covered many big sports events – any favourites and is there any event that you would still like to work on?

“I love doing the Masters, the Ryder Cup, the SuperBowl and the Olympics.”

Any memories/anecdotes of when things went wrong, either when announcing or later as a sports broadcaster?

“I once did the 5 Live phone in show 606, when the phone lines weren’t working which was a struggle.”

 

Personal information

Clips of Mark on The TV Room

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Acknowledgements