David Parry-Jones (25 September 1933 – 10 April 2017) was a Welsh sports commentator, TV current affairs presenter and writer. He presented ''

BBC Wales Today ''BBC Wales Today'' is the BBC's national television news programme for Wales, broadcast on BBC One Wales from the headquarters of BBC Cymru Wales in Central Square, Cardiff. According to the BBC, it is the world's longest-running television ne ...

'' for many years and was a

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

analyst for BBC Radio 5. He was the author of books on the sport of rugby; including several on the history of rugby in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

Life and career

Parry-Jones was born in

Pontypridd () ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...

on 25 September 1933. In 1952, after attending school in Cardiff, he went up to

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, ...

, where he read Classics and captained the Greyhounds rugby union and Authentics and college cricket teams. After completing his

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

, in 1959 he took up journalism and went on to become one of the BBC's best-known rugby commentators, most notably for his description of

Llanelli Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carma ...

’s famous win over the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...

in 1972. He was more familiar to television viewers as a regular presenter of the nightly regional news programme ''Wales Today'', which he hosted during the 1960s and 1970s. Parry-Jones was the long-term partner of the broadcaster Beti George and lived in Cardiff. From 2009 he suffered from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

, and Beti George raised awareness of the condition through the Welsh media. In 2013

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking ...

showed a programme about the disease, ''Un o Bob Tri'' ("One in Every Three"), and Beti George presented a programme, ''The Dreaded Disease - David's Story'', on

BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Welsh radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the 'Radio 4 Wales' opt-out service (previously the Welsh Home Service). Radio Wales b ...

. In February 2017,

BBC One Wales BBC One Wales is a Welsh television channel owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Re ...

produced a documentary, ''Beti and David: Lost for Words'', that followed the couple over a number of months, and looked at the challenges and frustrations faced by carers in Wales. Parry-Jones died on 10 April 2017, at a

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...

Penarth Penarth (, ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg), Wales, exactly south of Cardiff city centre on the west shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay. Penarth is a weal ...

. "Veteran BBC broadcaster David Parry-Jones dies aged 83", BBC News, 10 April 2017
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Selected works

*''The Dawes Decades: John Dawes and the Third Golden Era of Welsh Rugby'' (2006) *''The Gwilliam Seasons: John Gwilliam and the Second Golden Era of Welsh Rugby'' (2003) *''Prince Gwyn: Gwyn Nicholls and the First Golden Era of Welsh Rugby'' (1999) *''Action Replay – A Media Memoir'' (1993) *''The Rugby Clubs of Wales'' (1989) *''Rugby Remembered: From the Pages of the Illustrated London News'' (1988) *''Out of the Ruck'' (1986) *''Boots, Balls and Banter: Collection of Rugby Stories'' (1980)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parry Jones, David 1933 births 2017 deaths Welsh sports broadcasters Welsh sportswriters People from Pontypridd Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Deaths from dementia in Wales