Introduction . Live games . Highlights . Non-football Programmes . Update History . Credits
In the 21st century, when goals from every game can be seen on both terrestrial and satellite television, it's difficult to appreciate just how valuable a glimpse of Reading on television used to be. The page attempts to contain a complete list of Reading games that were shown on television, either live or in highlights form, as well as other more esoteric TV appearances.
ITV in the south regional note:
Southern Television was replaced by TVS on 1/1/1982, which in
turn (and in a huge backwards move) was replaced by Meridian on 1/1/1993.
wwww1954/55
6/10/1954 - Reading 3 Racing Club de
Paris 0. This friendly game was the first match at Elm
Park under floodlights. The second half was shown on
BBCtv (the original name of what we now call BBC1) and
supposedly also throughout Europe. The programme began at
8.15pm and ended at 9pm.
1992/93
15/11/1992 - Reading 1 Birmingham City 0.
FA Cup Round 1 on Sky Sports.
5/12/1992 - Reading 3 Leyton Orient 0. FA
Cup Round 2 on Sky Sports.
13/1/1993 - Reading 0 Manchester City 4.
FA Cup Round 3 replay, on Sky Sports when their scheduled
game (Bristol Rovers v Aston Villa) was postponed several
hours before kick-off.
1994/95
18/12/1994 - Reading 4 Wolverhampton
Wanderers 2. Division 1 game on Meridian.
7/5/1995 - Reading 2 Charlton Athletic 1.
Division 1 game on Meridian.
14/5/1995 - Tranmere Rovers 1 Reading 3.
Division 1 play-off semi-final 1st leg on Meridian.
29/5/1995 - Reading 3 Bolton Wanderers 4
(after extra time). Division 1 play-off final, shown
nationally on ITV. The first time that a complete Reading
game was shown live on national terrestrial television,
and the only one for over 11 years.
1995/96
4/2/1996 - Reading 0 Portsmouth 1.
Division 1 game on Meridian.
1996/97
8/9/1996 - Reading 2 Oxford United 0.
Division 1 game on Sky Sports.
1997/98
24/10/1997 - Reading 3 Nottingham Forest
3. Division 1 game on Sky Sports.
26/12/1997 - Reading 2 West Bromwich
Albion 1. Division 1 game on Sky Sports.
26/4/1998 - Nottingham Forest 1 Reading 0.
Division 1 game on Sky Sports.
1999/2000
7/11/1999 - Reading 1 Oxford United 2.
Division 2 game on Sky Sports.
2000/01
9/3/2001 - Reading 1
Wigan Athletic 0. Division 2 game on Sky Sports.
27/5/2001 - Reading 2
Walsall 3 (after extra time). Division 2 play-off
final on Sky Sports.
2001/02
14/2/2002 - Swindon
Town 0 Reading 0. Division 2 game shown on the late
and not at all lamented ITV Sports Channel, and watched
by no-one at all.
20/4/2002 - Brentford
1 Reading 1. Division 2 game shown on a big screen at
Madejski Stadium. I'm not really sure if this should be
in this section or not, but there were about 5,000 people
at the stadium watching the game which is certainly more
than watched the Swindon game on ITVDigital.
2002/03
13/8/2002 - Reading
2 Sheffield Wednesday 1. Division 1 game on Sky
Sports.
10/2/2003 - Reading
2 Gillingham 1. Division 1 game on Sky Sports.
5/3/2003 - Norwich
City 0 Reading 1. Division 1 game on Sky Sports.
4/4/2003 - Reading
1 Brighton & Hove Albion 2. Division 1 game on
Sky Sports.
18/4/2003 - Reading
1 Nottingham Forest 0. Division 1 game on Sky Sports.
4/5/2003 - Stoke City
1 Reading 0. Division 1 game on Sky Sports.
10/5/2003 - Wolverhampton
Wanderers 2 Reading 1. Division 1 play-off semi-final
1st leg, on Sky Sports.
14/5/2003 - Reading
0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1. Division 1 play-off semi-final
2nd leg, on Sky Sports.
2003/04
25/8/2003 - Reading
0 Rotherham United 0. Division 1 game on Sky Sports.
13/9/2003 - West Ham
United 1 Reading 0. Division 1 game on Norwegian
television.
27/9/2003 - Sunderland
2 Reading 0. Division 1 game on Sky Sports.
24/10/2003 - Sheffield
United 1 Reading 2. Division 1 game on Sky Sports.
22/11/2003 - West
Bromwich Albion 0 Reading 0. Division 1 game on Sky
Sports. Also shown on South African cable channel
MultiChoice SuperSport3.
13/12/2003 - Stoke City
3 Reading 0. Division 1 game on TV4 (Sweden) and TV3+
(Denmark).
20/12/2003 - Reading
0 Crystal Palace 3. Division 1 game on Sky Sports.
3/4/2004 - Reading 2 West Ham United 0.
Division 1 game on Sky Sports.
12/4/2004 - Reading 0 Norwich City 1.
Division 1 game on Sky Sports, which was good because it
allowed everyone to see what an incompetent tosser Neale
Barry is.
2004/05
10/8/2004 - West Ham United 1 Reading 0.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
18/12/2004 - Reading 1 Queens Park
Rangers 0. Championship game on Sky Sports.
26/12/2004 - Reading 3 Watford 0.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
3/1/2005 - Reading 0 Derby County 1.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
17/1/2005 - Swansea City 0 Reading 1 (after
extra time). FA Cup Round 3 replay on Sky Sports.
21/3/2005 - Brighton & Hove Albion 0
Reading 1. Championship game on Sky Sports.
9/4/2005 - Sunderland 1 Reading 2.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
8/5/2005 - Wigan Athletic 3 Reading 1.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
2005/06
27/8/2005 - Watford 0 Reading 0.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
16/10/2005 - Reading 2 Ipswich Town 0.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
31/12/2005 - Derby County 2 Reading 2.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
20/1/2006 - Crystal Palace 1 Reading 1.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
7/2/2006 - Birmingham City 2 Reading 1.
FA Cup round 4 replay on Sky Sports.
10/2/2006 - Reading 2 Southampton 0.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
17/2/2006 - Luton Town 3 Reading 2.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
2006/07
With just about every Premiership game being shown live
on TV somewhere in the world, it's going to be impossible
to keep this section fully up-to-date. I'll include all
UK live games and any others I come across.
19/8/2006 - Reading 3 Middlesbrough 2.
Premiership game shown on Canal+ in Scandinavia, on ART
Sport in Saudi Arabia, and in South Korea.
11/9/2006 - Reading 1 Manchester City 0.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports and around the world.
Also the first Reading game to be shown on High
Definition TV.
23/9/2006 - Reading 1 Manchester United 1.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports PremPlus and Canal+.
14/10/2006 - Reading 0 Chelsea 1.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports PremPlus and Canal+.
22/10/2006 - Reading 0 Arsenal 4.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports and Canal+.
12/11/2006 - Reading 3 Tottenham Hotspur
1. Premiership game shown on Sky Sports and Canal+.
26/12/2006 - Chelsea 2 Reading 2.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports.
14/1/2007 - Everton 1 Reading 1.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports.
10/2/2007 - Reading 2 Aston Villa 0.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports.
17/2/2007 - Manchester United 1 Reading 1.
FA Cup Round 5 game shown on BBC1. Proof that we have
arrived, as for the first time ever a whole Reading game
was shown live on the BBC.
27/2/2007 - Reading 2 Manchester United 3.
FA Cup Round 5 replay shown on BBC1. And they had to move
"Life on Mars" to show a Reading game!
1/4/2007 - Tottenham Hotspur 1 Reading 0.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports.
9/4/2007 - Charlton Athletic 0 Reading 0.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports.
30/4/2007 - Reading 1 Newcastle United 0.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports.
2007/08
13/7/2007 - Reading 0 River Plate 1.
Peace Cup game, shown on Setanta Sports 1.
16/7/2007 - Reading 1 Olympique Lyonnais
0. Peace Cup game, shown on Setanta Sports 1.
19/7/2007 - Reading 1 Shimizu S-Pulse 0.
Peace Cup game, shown on Setanta Sports 1.
12/8/2007 - Manchester United 0 Reading 0.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports 1.
25/9/2007 - Reading 2 Liverpool 4. League
Cup Round 3 game shown on Sky Sports 1.
7/10/2007 - Reading 1 Derby County 0.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports 1.
12/11/2007 - Reading 1 Arsenal 3.
Premiership game shown on Setanta Sports Pay Per View.
8/12/2007 - Reading 3 Liverpool 1.
Premiership game shown on Setanta Sports 1.
26/12/2007 - West Ham United 1 Reading 1.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports 1.
24/1/2008 - Reading 1 Aston Villa 2.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports 1.
19/4/2008 - Arsenal 2 Reading 0.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports1.
2008/09
10/8/2008 - Nottingham Forest 0 Reading 0.
Championship game on Sky Sports 2.
23/8/2008 - Charlton Athletic 4 Reading 2.
Championship game on Sky Sports 1.
25/10/2008 - Reading 0 Queens Park
Rangers 0. Championship game on Sky Sports 1.
1/12/2008 - Reading 3 Coventry City 1.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
20/12/2008 - Birmingham City 1 Reading 3.
Championship game on Sky Sports 1.
9/1/2009 - Reading 4 Watford 0.
Championship game on Sky Sports 1
21/3/2009 - Crystal Palace 0 Reading 0.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
10/4/2009 - Reading 0 Sheffield United 1.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
27/4/2009 - Norwich City 0 Reading 2.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
3/5/2009 - Reading 1 Birmingham City 2.
Championship game on Sky Sports.
9/5/2009 - Burnley 1 Reading 0.
Championship play-off play-off semi-final 1st leg on Sky
Sports 1.
12/5/2009 - Reading 0 Burnley 2.
Championship play-off play-off semi-final 2nd leg on Sky
Sports 1.
2009/10
15/8/2009 - Newcastle United 3 Reading 0.
Championship game on Sky Sports 1.
26/10/2009 - Reading 0 Leicester City 1.
Championship game on Sky Sports 1.
7/11/2009 - Reading 1 Ipswich Town 1.
Championship game shown live somewhere in the world.
2/1/2010 - Reading 1 Liverpool 1. FA Cup
Round 3 game shown on ITV1.
13/1/2010 - Liverpool 1 Reading 2. FA Cup
Round 3 replay shown on ITV1.
23/1/2010 (12.45 pm) - Reading v Burnley.
FA Cup Round 4 game scheduled to be shown on thefa.com.
I'll decide by that date whether or not it is worthy of
inclusion on this page...
6/2/2010 (5.20 pm) - Doncaster Rovers v
Reading. Championship game scheduled to be shown on Sky
Sports.
The date shown is the date of the game, not necessarily the date of broadcast. It's more difficult nowadays to decide which games to include - I do not count coverage that merely consists of a goals round-up, but have decided that if the game has a commentator and shows more than about four minutes of action then I will add it to the list.
This section is still undoubtedly incomplete.
wwww1969/70
14/2/1970 - Plymouth Argyle 1 Reading 1.
Division 3 game, on BBC1's "Match of the Day"
that night. For the 1969/70 season only, the programme
included a regional section showing one game, and this
Reading match was in that part of the programme.
1970/71
1/8/1970 - Reading 2 Manchester United 3.
Watney Cup round 1. "The Big Match" on London
Weekend, Southern Television and Ulster showed 45 minutes
worth of highlights the following day. Other parts of
England and Wales had a programme called "Star
Soccer" which also covered the Watney Cup and will
amost certainly have shown highlights of the Reading game.
1971/72
13/11/1971 Reading 1 Gillingham 2.
Division 4 game, shown on Southern Television's "Southern
Soccer" the following afternoon. Almost certainly
briefer highlights also shown on London Weekend's "The
Big Match".
5/2/1972 - Reading 1 Arsenal 2. FA Cup
round 4. "The Big Match" showed highlights the
following afternoon on London Weekend and Southern
Television.
1972/73
3/2/1973 - Sunderland 1 Reading 1. FA Cup
round 4. Highlights on the Tyne Tees progamme "Shoot"
the following day.
1975/76
27/9/1975 - Reading 2 Bournemouth 1.
Division 4 game, on Southern Television's "Southern
Soccer and The Big Match" the following afternoon.
11/10/1975 - Reading 2 Bradford City 1.
Division 4 game, on Southern Television's "Southern
Soccer and The Big Match" the following afternoon.
24/4/1976 - Reading 3 Crewe Alexandra 1.
Division 4 game, shown on Southern Television's "Southern
Soccer and The Big Match" the following afternoon.
1976/77
13/11/1976 - Reading 0 Preston North End
2. Division 3 game, shown on Southern Television's "Southern
Soccer" the following afternoon.
1978/79
14/10/1978 - Northampton Town 2 Reading 2.
Division 4 game, shown on The Big Match the following
afternoon (London Weekend, Southern Television and some
other English ITV regions).
24/2/1979 - Reading 5 Northampton Town 1.
Division 4 game, shown on Southern Television the
following afternoon.
1980/81
6/9/1980 - Huddersfield Town 4 Reading 1.
Division 3 game, shown that evening on Yorkshire's "Big
Game". Probably also on "The Big Match" on
London Weekend, Southern Television, Ulster and other ITV
regions in England and Wales.
28/3/1981 - Reading 1 Charlton Athletic 3.
Division 3 game, shown that evening on "The Big
Match" on London Weekend, Southern Television,
Ulster and other ITV regions in England and Wales.
1981/82
3/4/1982 - Burnley 3 Reading 0. Division
3 game, shown on Granada's "Match Time" the
following afternoon.
1982/83
2/10/1982 - Reading 2 Preston North End 3.
Division 3 game, shown on the TVS programme "Saturday
Match" that evening.
1984/85
8/12/1984 - Reading 6 Bognor Regis Town 2.
FA Cup round 2. Highlights shown the following day,
presumably as part of ITV's two-hour "Sport Special"
and probably only in the TVS region.
1986/87
10/1/1987 - Reading 1 Arsenal 3. FA Cup
round 4. About 20 minutes of highlights were shown that
night on TVS. Highlights were certainly also on London
Weekend and may have been on the whole of the ITV network.
1987/88
23/9/1987 - Reading 3 Chelsea 1.
Littlewoods Cup 2nd round, 1st leg. Highlights shown
nationally on ITV that night.
9/1/1988 - Reading 0 Southampton 1. FA
Cup round 3. Highlights shown on BBC somewhere along the
line.
27/3/1988 - Reading 4 Luton Town 1. Seven
minutes of highlights shown during a special 30-minute
"Coast to Coast" programme on TVS the following
day, which also included interviews with players and fans.
1989/90
14/12/1989 - Maidstone United 1 Reading 2.
FA Cup round 2 replay. Highlights on BBC1's Sportsnight
the same night.
1993/94
6/10/1993 - Reading 1 Manchester City 2.
Coca Cola Cup, round 2 second leg. Highlights shown on
both Meridian and Granada that night.
12/3/1994 - Plymouth Argyle 3 Reading 1.
Division 2 game. Highlights shown on Meridian the
following afternoon.
30/4/1994 - Reading 2 Brighton & Hove
Albion 0. The Division 2 game where we clinched promotion
and the championship. Shown on Meridian's "Sunday
Sport" the following day (?).
5/5/1994 - Bournemouth 2 Reading 1. Last
game of the Division 2 championship season. Five minutes
of highlights as part of a review of the season in the
Meridian programme "Sunday Sport", shown three
days after the game.
1994/95
20/9/1994 - Reading 3 Derby County 1.Coca
Cola Cup, round 2 first leg. Highlights shown on Meridian
(?) that night.
8/10/1994 - Charlton Athletic 1 Reading 2.
Division 1 game. Highlights shown on regional ITV the
following day (?).
14/5/1995 - Tranmere Rovers 1 Reading 3.
Division 1 play-off semi-final 1st leg. Extended
highlights on Granada TV. (See also the live games listed
above.)
17/5/1995 - Reading 0 Tranmere Rovers 0.
Division 1 play-off semi-final 2nd leg, on Meridian TV???
29/5/1995 - Reading 3 Bolton Wanderers 4
(after extra time). Division 1 play-off final. 15 minutes
of highlights in a programme called "Great Sporting
Moments" (or something like that), shown from time
to time as a late-night space filler on ITV. (See also
the live games listed above.)
1995/96
27/1/1996 - Reading 0 Manchester United 3.
FA Cup round 4. Highlights that night on BBC1's Match of
the Day: The Road to Wembley.
1996/97
4/1/1997 - Reading 3 Southampton 1. FA
Cup round 3. Highlights that night on BBC1's Match of the
Day.
1997/98
14/10/1997 - Reading 4 Wolverhampton
Wanderers 2. Coca Cola Cup, round 3. Highlights shown on
Meridian (?) that night.
18/11/1997 - Leeds United 2 Reading 3.
Coca Cola Cup, round 4. Highlights shown on Yorkshire TV
that night.
6/1/1998 - Reading 0 Middlesbrough 1.
Coca Cola Cup, round 5. Highlights shown on Meridian (?)
that night.
1998/99
14/11/1998 - Reading 0 Stoke City 1. FA
Cup round 1. Extended highlights shown on Sky Sports an
hour after the game had finished.
2000/01
16/5/2001 - Reading 2
Wigan Athletic 1. Division 2 play-off semi-final 2nd
leg. Extended highlights taking up the whole of a one-hour
"Meridian Match" on Meridian that evening.
27/5/2001 - Reading 2
Walsall 3 (after extra time). Shown in the half-hour
"Meridian Match Special" programme on Meridian
about an hour after the game finished. (See also the live
games listed above.)
2001/02
11/9/2001 - Reading 0
West Ham United (Reading won 5-4 on penalties). Both
Meridian and Carlton showed highlights that evening (in
different programmes). The Carlton coverage was much
better.
9/3/2002 - Reading 0
Brighton & Hove Albion 0. Highlights on Soccer
Sunday on Meridian the following day.
20/4/2002 - Brentford
1 Reading 1. Division 2 game. I believe that
highlights may have been shown on ITVDigital that night
but as there were no viewers I've been unable to
determine if this is true or not. (See also the live
games listed above.)
2002/03
24/8/2002 - Manchester
United 2 Reading 0. Under-19 game in the FA Premier
Academy League.
24/8/2002 - Manchester
United 6 Reading 1. Under-17 game in the FA Premier
Academy League.
Highlights of both games, but concentrating on the Under-19s,
shown on MUTV during a 30-minute Academy programme the
following Monday.
9/11/2002 - Gillingham
0 Reading 1. Highlights on Soccer Sunday on Meridian
the following day.
30/11/2002 - Brighton
& Hove Albion 0 Reading 1. Highlights on Soccer
Sunday on Meridian the following day.
7/12/2002 - Reading
0 Portsmouth 0. Highlights on Soccer Sunday on
Meridian the following day.
14/12/2002 - Reading
0 Sheffield United 2. Highlights on Soccer Sunday on
Meridian the following day.
28/12/2002 - Reading 2
Derby County 1. Highlights on Soccer Sunday on
Meridian the following day.
15/3/2003 - Reading
2 Crystal Palace 1. Four minutes of highlights on
Soccer Sunday on Meridian the following day.
10/5/2003 - Wolverhampton
Wanderers 2 Reading 1. Division 1 play-off semi-final
1st leg. Highlights on Meridian and Carlton Central the
following day. (See also the live games listed above.)
14/5/2003 - Reading
0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1. Division 1 play-off semi-final
2nd leg. Highlights on Meridian Match on Meridian the
following night, and also presumably as part of the
programme on Carlton Central at the same time. (See also
the live games listed above.)
2003/04
30/8/2003 - Wimbledon
0 Reading 3. Meridian showed highlights of a Reading
game on their Soccer Sunday programme early in the 2003/04
season, but I forgot to add it here at the time. I think
it was this one.
24/10/2003 - Sheffield
United 1 Reading 2. Brief highlights on Soccer Sunday
on Meridian the following Sunday. (See also the live
games listed above.)
22/11/2003 - West
Bromwich Albion 0 Reading 0. Highlights on Soccer
Sunday on Meridian the following day. (See also the live
games listed above.)
3/12/2003 - Reading
0 Chelsea 1. Highlights on Soccernight on both
Meridian and Carlton later that evening. Although the
Meridian coverage was longer, it still managed to show
less of the action involving Reading attacking!
13/12/2003 - Stoke City
3 Reading 0. Highlights on Soccer Sunday on Meridian
the following day. (See also the live games listed above.)
20/12/2003 - Reading
0 Crystal Palace 3. Highlights on Soccer Sunday on
Meridian the following day. (See also the live games
listed above.)
10/1/2004 - Reading 1 Ipswich Town 1.
Highlights on Soccer Sunday on Meridian the following day.
28/2/2004 - Reading 2 Sheffield United 1.
Highlights on Soccer Sunday on Meridian the following day.
6/3/2004 - Crystal Palace 2 Reading 2.
Brief highlights on Soccer Sunday on Meridian the
following day. Also brief highlights on the Carlton
version of Soccer Sunday.
16/3/2004 - Cardiff City 2 Reading 3.
Highlights later that evening on both Soccernight on
Meridian and Soccer Special on HTV Wales.
20/3/2004 - Reading 0 Sunderland 2.
Highlights on Soccer Sunday on Meridian the following day.
3/4/2004 - Reading 2 West Ham United 0.
Highlights on Soccer Sunday on Meridian the following day.
(See also the live games listed above.)
2004/05
28/8/2004 - Millwall 1 Reading 0.
Highlights on the national ITV1 programme "The
Championship" the following day.
16/10/2004 - Stoke City 0 Reading 1.
Highlights on the national ITV1 programme "The
Championship" the following day.
27/11/2004 - Reading 1 Wigan Athletic 1.
Highlights on the national ITV1 programme "The
Championship" the following day.
8/1/2005 - Reading 1 Swansea City 1.
Highlights on Match of the Day Wales, shown on BBC1 Wales
that night.
17/1/2005 - Swansea City 0 Reading 1 (after
extra time). Highlights on Match of the Day Wales, shown
on BBC1 Wales that night.
22/1/2005 - Reading 1 Ipswich Town 1.
Highlights on the national ITV1 programme "The
Championship" the following day.
21/3/2005 - Brighton & Hove Albion 0
Reading 1. Highlights on Soccernight on Meridian the
following Thursday, but shown without sound for the build-up
and the first few minutes of highlights because Meridian
are so incompetent. (See also the live games listed above.)
2005/06
1/10/2005 - Reading 2 Sheffield United 1.
Highlights on the national ITV1 programme "The
Championship" the following day.
29/10/2005 - Reading 1 Leeds United 1.
Highlights on the national ITV1 programme "The
Championship" the following day.
26/12/2005 - Wolverhampton Wanderers 0
Reading 2. Highlights on the national ITV1 programme
"The Championship" the following day.
28/1/2006 - Reading 1 Birmingham City 1.Brief
highlights on Match of the Day, shown on BBC1 that night.
31/1/2006 - Reading 4 Norwich City 0.
Highlights on Soccernight on Meridian the following
Thursday.
25/2/2006 - Reading 2 Preston North End 1.
Highlights on the national ITV1 programme "The
Championship" the following day.
11/3/2006 - Reading 0 Watford 0.
Highlights on the national ITV1 programme "The
Championship" the following day.
15/4/2006 - Leeds United 1 Reading 1.
Highlights on the national ITV1 programme "The
Championship" the following day.
2006/07
19/8/2006 - Reading 3 Middlesbrough 2.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
And about bloody time too. It's the first time Match of
the Day have condescended to show a Reading League game
throughout the country, and if they think I'll forget
about their previous bias they're wrong. This game was
also shown in full on Sky Sports' Football First: Game of
the Day programme the same evening, and highlights on
various other Sky programmes. (See also the live games
listed above.)
23/8/2006 - Aston Villa 2 Reading 1.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
Also shown on Sky Sports' Football First.
26/8/2006 - Reading 2 Manchester United 1.
Under-18 game in the FA Premier Academy League.
Highlights shown on MUTV.
26/8/2006 - Wigan Athletic 1 Reading 0.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
Also shown on Sky Sports' Football First.
16/9/2006 - Sheffield United 1 Reading 2.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
Also shown on Sky Sports' Football First.
23/9/2006 - Reading 1 Manchester United 1.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
Also shown on Sky Sports' Football First.(See also the
live games listed above.)
1/10/2006 - West Ham United 0 Reading 1.
Highlights on BBC2's Match of the Day 2 later that
evening.
14/10/2006 - Reading 0 Chelsea 1.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
Also shown on Sky Sports' Football First.(See also the
live games listed above.)
22/10/2006 - Reading 0 Arsenal 4.
Highlights on BBC2's Match of the Day 2 later that
evening. (See also the live games listed above.)
25/10/2006 - Liverpool 4 Reading 3. Brief
highlights on ITV1's "Carling Cup Highlights"
that night.
28/10/2006 - Portsmouth 3 Reading 1.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
Also shown on Sky Sports' Football First.
4/11/2006 - Liverpool 2 Reading 0.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
Also shown on Sky Sports' Football First.
12/11/2006 - Reading 3 Tottenham Hotspur
1. Highlights on BBC2's Match of the Day 2 later that
evening. (See also the live games listed above.)
18/11/2006 - Reading 2 Charlton Athletic
0. Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that
evening. Also shown on Sky Sports' Football First.
25/11/2006 - Fulham 0 Reading 1.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
Also shown on Sky Sports' Football First.
2/12/2006 - Reading 1 Bolton Wanderers 0.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
Also shown on Sky Sports' Football First.
6/12/2006 - Newcastle United 3 Reading 2.
Highlights on Sky Sports' Football First later that
evening.
9/12/2006 - Watford 0 Reading 0.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
Also shown on Sky Sports' Football First.
16/12/2006 - Reading 1 Blackburn Rovers 2.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
Also shown on Sky Sports' Football First.
22/12/2006 - Reading 0 Everton 2.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
Also shown on Sky Sports' Football First.
26/12/2006 - Chelsea 2 Reading 2.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
(See also the live games listed above.)
30/12/2006 - Manchester United 3 Reading
2. Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that
evening. (See also the live games listed above.)
1/1/2007 - Reading 6 West Ham United 0.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
Also the full 90 minutes shown on Sky Sports' Football
First.
14/1/2007 - Everton 1 Reading 1.
Highlights on Match of the Day 2 later that evening,
unusually on BBC1. (See also the live games listed above.)
20/1/2007 - Reading 3 Sheffield United 1.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
27/1/2007 - Birminghan City 2 Reading 3.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
30/1/2007 - Reading 3 Wigan Athletic 2.
Brief highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day the following
evening.
3/2/2007 - Manchester City 0 Reading 2.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
10/2/2007 - Reading 2 Aston Villa 0.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
(See also the live games listed above.)
17/2/2007 - Manchester United 1 Reading 1.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
(See also the live games listed above.).
24/2/2007 - Middlesbrough 2 Reading 1.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
3/3/2007 - Arsenal 2 Reading 1.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
17/3/2007 - Reading 0 Portsmouth 0.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
1/4/2007 - Tottenham Hotspur 1 Reading 0.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports. Highlights on BBC2's
Match of the Day 2 later that evening. (See also the live
games listed above.)
7/4/2007 - Reading 1 Liverpool 2.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
9/4/2007 - Charlton Athletic 0 Reading 0.
Premiership game shown on Sky Sports. Highlights on BBC1's
Match of the Day later that evening. (See also the live
games listed above.)
14/4/2007 - Reading 1 Fulham 0.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
21/4/2007 - Bolton Wanderers 1 Reading 3.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
5/5/2007 - Reading 0 Watford 2.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
13/5/2007 - Blackburn Rovers 3 Reading 3.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
2007/08
12/8/2007 - Manchester United 0 Reading 0.
Highlights on BBC2's Match of the Day 2 later that
evening. (See also the live games listed above.)
15/8/2007 - Reading 1 Chelsea 2.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
18/8/2007 - Reading 1 Everton 0.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
25/8/2007 - Bolton Wanderers 3 Reading 0.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
1/9/2007 - Reading 0 West Ham United 3.
Highlights on BBC1's Match of the Day later that evening.
)
)
)
)
) Most other games during the season
shown somewhere - details to follow.
)
)
)
)
2008/09
30/8/2008 - Reading 4 Crystal Palace 2.
Highlights on the national ITV1 programme "The
Championship" the following day.
13/12/2008 - Reading 2 Norwich City 0.
Highlights on the national ITV1 programme "The
Championship" the following day.
9/1/2009 - Reading 4 Watford 0.
Highlights on the national ITV1 programme "The
Championship" two days later. Many other games were
postponed that weekend, which was probably the only
reason that enouigh of the Reading game was shown to
justify its inclusion here. (See also the live games
listed above.)
Others?
3/5/2009 - Reading 1 Birmingham City 2.
Highlights on the national ITV1 programme "The
Championship" that evening. (See also the live games
listed above.)
12/5/2009 - Reading 0 Burnley 2.
Highlights on the national ITV1 programme "The
Championship" that evening. (See also the live games
listed above.)
2009/10
15/8/2009 - Newcastle United 3 Reading 0.
Brief highlights on the "The Football League Show"
on BBC1 later that night. (See also the live games listed
above.)
22/8/2009 - Reading 1 Sheffield United 3.
Highlights on the "The Football League Show" on
BBC1 later that night.
7/11/2009 - Reading 1 Ipsich Town 1.
Highlights on the "The Football League Show" on
BBC1 later that night. (See also the live games listed
above.)
2/1/2010 - Reading 1 Liverpool 1. Highlights on the "FA Cup Football Highlights" on ITV1 later that night. (See also the live games listed above.)
These are film and television appearances that are football-related but which don't form part of a normal football highlights programme or live coverage.
26/3/1927 - Reading 0 Cardiff City 3. FA
Cup semi-final at Molineux - two minutes shown on Pathé
newsreels. You can see thumbnails of this and download
the film here.
16/2/1929 - Reading 1 Aston Villa 3. FA
Cup round 5 - about 45 seconds shown on Pathé newsreels.
You can see thumbnails of this and download the film here
(the clip includes action from another game first).
16/2/1935 - Reading 0 Arsenal 1. FA Cup
round 5 - about 40 seconds shown on Pathé newsreels. You
can see thumbnails of this and download the film here.
7/12/1957 - Reading 2 Wisbech Town 1. FA
Cup round 2 - about 40 seconds shown on Gaumont News.
February 1971 - an
advert filmed at Elm Park for a petrol company (Shell?).
19/1/1972 - Reading
6 Blyth Spartans 1. FA Cup round 3 replay - was featured
on BBC news (nationally?).
1980s? - supposedly
a scene from "Minder" filmed at Elm Park. Not
sure that I believe this, although I do remember an
episode with a scene filmed at Craven Cottage.
1988-1990 (first episode shown in June
1989) - the Channel 4 series "The Manageress"
filmed extensively around Elm Park. In June 1988, some
filming took place at the ground, with fans invited to
attend and asked to dress as if it were autumn. The
programme also used crowd scenes from Reading FC games.
The dug-outs brought in for the filming were retained by
the club and used until the move to Madejski Stadium!
1994/95 - Double Olympic decathlon
champion Daley Thompson joined the club for training
whilst being filmed for a documentary for Carlton TV
about professional sportsmen. He also played in a pre-season
friendly and reserve game but as far as I know the
documentary was never made and clips from it have never
been shown (although note that I didn't live in the
Carlton area at the time).
1996 - A programme called "Bending
Footballs" - part of a series called "Secrets
of the Paranornal" - was shown on BBC2. They
followed the fraudulent Uri Geller during the first half
of the 1995/96 season. Includes his spectacularly
unsuccessful attempt to forecast which of three coloured
cards every person in the Elm Park crowd would hold up
before one game. Also shows various crowd shots of him
and his son, including from Leeds United 2 Reading 1 on
10/1/1996.
23/11/1996 - Reading 2 Queens Park
Rangers 1. Before the game, so-called comedian Lenny
Henry attempted to get the South Bank to sing chants such
as "The referee's a sweetie" so that they could
be recorded for a future sitcom. It didn't work and if
the show was ever made I didn't see it.
1997 - scene from "Fever Pitch".
I don't think that the relevant scene was actually filmed
in Reading (more likely at Griffin Park or a non-league
ground, I imagine), but the film is supposed to show an
encounter between Arsenal-supporting glory boy Nick
Hornby and a family of Reading fans on the Tilehurst End
before Reading 1 Arsenal 2 on 5/2/1972. It successfully
demonstrates what a prat Hornby is.
17/2/2001 - Reading
1 Peterborough United 1. During the first 15 minutes
of this Division 2 game, a TV crew filmed part of an
advert for Lucozade.
8/9/2001 - Reading 1
Cardiff City 2. Before the game, a set of fans were
paid to arrive early for the filming of an advert for a
mobile phone company. If the advert was ever made, I
haven't seen it and I don't know if it included any of
the game.
20/10/2001 - Southampton
4 Reading 1. Under-19 game in the FA Premier Academy
League.
20/10/2001 - Southampton
5 Reading 1. Under-17 game in the FA Premier Academy
League.
Both filmed as part of Channel 5's series called The
Academy, which spent most of the season with the
Southampton side. The episode featuring these games was
shown on 22/12/2001.
24/11/2001 - Crystal
Palace 5 Reading 1. Under-19 game in the FA Premier
Academy League. Filmed as part of Channel 4's series
called T4: The Players, which spent most of the season
with the Crystal Palace side. The episode featuring this
game was shown on 21/4/2002 and repeated on 3/6/2002.
15/7/2003 - Brentford
3 Reading 2. Pre-season friendly. Some footage,
including both Reading goals, shown on Channel 4's "Faking
It", first broadcast on 2/3/2004.
5/2004 - the BBC2 series "Football
Stories" included numerous pieces about John
Madejski and Reading FC, as well as very brief clips of
various games.
13/5/2004 - the Meridian programme "My
First Million" featured John Madejski. It contained
interviews in various Madejski Stadium locations
including the pitch, plus footage of Elm Park and also
goal action from three games - the 1995 play-off final, Reading
3 Nottingham Forest 0 on 16/8/2003, and one that I
couldn't immediately identify.
2005 - scenes from the drama series
"Ultimate Force" shot at Madejski Stadium.
2005 - Dave Kitson scheduled to appear in
a Powerade (?) advert. If it was made, then I never saw
it.
2005 - advert (for Subbuteo?) shot at
Madejski Stadium. This one might have been a wind-up.
17/9/2005 - Reading 1 Crewe Alexandra 0.
At half time, an exceptionally unamusing canine ball-juggler
was filmed by Sky, for a programme about pets.
late 2005 - PC World adverts show people
watching a screen showing clips from Reading games. There
are at least four different adverts with four different
clips - three from Reading 3 Crystal Palace 2, a League
game on 13/9/2005, and another probably from Reading 1
Crewe Alexandra 0, a League game on 17/9/2005.
19/11/2005 - Reading 3 Hull City 1. Some
filming took place at the North Stand before the game,
part of a Channel 4 programme titled "The Magic of
Jesus" shown on 30/12/2005. The Madejski Stadium
portion was supposedly a version of the miracle of the
feeding of the five thousand, employing a technique that
a three-year-old would see through.
19/4/2006 - the ITV1 programme "Sure
Fans United" featured the story of a Reading fan,
Alan Cooper, whose ashes were laid to rest near the North
Stand goal at Madejski Stadium. The clip included crowd
shots during a game but no match footage.
July 2006 - a new PC World advert
includes people watching a screen with a very brief clip
from Reading 1 Crewe Alexandra 0, a League game on 17/9/2005.
29/8/2006 - the Sky One programme "Big
Ron Manager" shows Ron Atkinson at Reading 2 Wycombe
Wanderers 1, a reserve game at Madejski Stadium on 15/3/2006.
3/1/2007 - episode 3 of the BBC1 series
"What I Really Want to do" was about being a
professional footballer, and the bulk of the programme
followed some overweight idiot as he spent a day training
with Reading towards the end of the 2005/06 season.
Fairly interesting in terms of showing the routine of a
morning training session. but seriously spoilt by the
general daytime TV feel and the awful presenter
pretending to know what he was talking about.
February 2007 onwards - Krystell Sidwell,
wife of Steve, appears in the ITV2 series WAGs Boutique,
also shown on ITV1. A truly awful programme, and there's
no way I'm going to sit through any more of it to add
further details here.
7/6/2007 - Channel 4 broadcast "The
Million Pound Footballers' Giveaway", which follows
the attempt of a self-seeking publicist to take money
from as many Premiership footballers as she can, whilst
all the time pretending to be just a little lost girl.
The programme included a couple of minuites at Reading's
training ground.
26/12/2008 - An ITV1 drama, "Caught
in a Trap", includes scenes filmed at Madejski
Stadium and features Reading FC memorabilia.
25/8/2009 - A BBC4 documentary, Rich Man Poor Man A Knight's Tale, told the story of John Madejski over three years.
10/3/2003 - Created page
3/3/2004 - Revamped the page and added new sections for non-football
programmes and credits. Moved Pathé newsreels coverage from
highlights section to non-football programmes section
Thanks to Roger Titford for suggesting the section of non-football programmes.
Also thanks to Simon Gibbs, Neil Durnin, Neil Maskell, Philip Newton, "Peterchpt", Julian Clark and Steve James for pointing out games that I had missed from the original list or adding further information about when or where programmes were shown.
No thanks at all to the makers of Match of the Day or to the sports department of Meridian, both of whose coverage of Reading FC over the years has been nothing short of pathetic. And, if you're reading this, Match of the Day people, the fact that you jumped on the bandwagon when we got to the Premiership does not give you any excuse at all for our absence in the relevant seasons in the previous 40 years. Oh yes - and Andy Steggall and the Dineage clan, if you're reading this you can just fuck off - you're not wanted here.
If you're interested in football on television
generally, you might like to visit the following pages, which are
all from the same website:
Notts
on the box - an page similar to this one (but better!)
relating to appearances of Notts County
ITV
Football Hiughlights 1955-1968 - details of coverage in each
region
ITV
Football Hiughlights 1968-1983 - details of coverage in each
region
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