Background
His family moved to Brighton when he was five when his father, Captain F. C. Weeks, became piermaster.
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Alan Weeks
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He attended Brighton Hove and Sussex Grammar School.
Career
Alan Weeks served his country through the Second World War in the British Merchant Navy, eventually being demobilised in 1946 as a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve. Weeks worked all his broadcasting life with the British Broadcasting Corporation. Principally remembered for his commentary on winter sports such as ice skating and ice hockey, Weeks also presented swimming, snooker and gymnastics. Weeks was also a big speedway fan, and broadcast from Wembley Stadium on the World Speedway finals from 1955 to 1969 for the British Broadcasting Corporation. He reported for the British Broadcasting Corporation on every Winter Olympics from 1964 and most Summer Olympics until his retirement.
As such he was on hand to describe the memorable gold medal wins of sports stars such as Olga Korbut, Mark Spitz, John Curry, Torvill and Dean and David Wilkie.
Barry Davies took over his gymnastics duties in the Olympics, and Hamilton Bland in swimming. Davies and Weeks continued to commentate in ice-skating together, including the Torvill and Dean comeback at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, before a record audience of 23.9 million viewers in the United Kingdom on the British Broadcasting Corporation - a record audience for a non-football broadcast.
He occasionally presented Grandstand, and for many years presented the snooker series Pot Black. In 1989, British Ice Hockey honoured him by naming the award for Best British Defenseman after him, the Alan Weeks Trophy.
He made his last broadcast in early 1996 commentating at the World Figure Skating Championship.
He then announced he was retiring, before he died in June that year. Alan Weeks lost his fight against cancer, at his home on 11 June 1996 at the age of 72.
Achievements
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Foreign all this, he was affectionately nicknamed "The Gold Medal Commentator" by his peers. He was also an occasional presenter of Match of the Day and commentated on football on the British Broadcasting Corporation for 20 years, including five World Cup final tournaments and Newcastle United"s last trophy win, the second leg of the 1969 Fairs Cup Final against Ujpest Dozja.
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Born
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Died
June 11, 1996 (aged 72) -
Nationality
British