Airdate: A Glorious Life: Ian Chappell

Nine tonight screens another sporting special, A Glorious Life: Ian Chappell, hosted by Peter Overton.

Few Australians stand as tall in the public imagination as Ian Chappell. His aggressive batting style and captaincy of the Australian test team shaped one of the defining teams and times of Australian cricket.

He paved the way for his brothers Greg and Trevor in what became known simply as “The Chappell Era”.  However, his leadership on the field is only half of the ‘Chappelli’ story. Off the field, Ian was a fearless and unrelenting champion for his men to get better pay and conditions – which saw him come head-to-head with cricket administrators and then lead Kerry Packer’s rebel side.

Few leaders inspire such loyalty as Ian Chappell – his ability to bring the best out of his men is legendary and, to this day, that loyalty remains rock-solid from Dennis Lillee to Rodney Marsh, Doug Walters to Jeff Thomson.

Beyond the pitch, Ian came to shape the future of sports broadcasting, hosting Nine’s Wide World of Sports with Mike Gibson under production supremo David Hill. Together, they pioneered a new brand of sports broadcasting, building on the revolution that was World Series Cricket. Bringing his razor-sharp intellect and uncompromising views, Ian’s journalism has seen him succeed across TV, radio and print across half a century.

More recently, he has also lend his voice and support to the plight of refugees and asylum seekers, as an advocate with Australia for UNHCR. Today, at 76, Ian Chappell shows no signs of slowing down – writing, commentating and ever competitive.

9:30pm Monday on Nine.