Who was Bob Hall? Tributes pour in as beloved ITV presenter passes away

ITV star and Sky Sports presenter Bob Hall recently passed away on May 28. He gained recognition for his appearances on Jeff Stelling’s Sky Sports show Soccer Saturday.

Although it is not confirmed, he was reportedly in his mid-70s at the time of death. His cause of death remains unknown, and further details on his funeral are yet to be revealed.

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All there is to known about Bob Hall

Bob Hall joined Central’s reporting team in 1981 and left it in 2004, turning to freelance reporting; he even presented on Black Country Radio.

He was also recruited by Cary Newborn for the Central’s sports team in 1981 following his coverage of the rugby league for the Yorkshire and Granada stations. After returning to freelance reporting, he frequently contributed to Sky Sports’ famous Soccer Saturday program, hosted by Jeff Stelling.

Bob Hall's cause of death remains unknown (Image via TheTremontiPick/Twitter)

His name was among the list of recruits for a Birmingham broadcasting venture — the city’s first TV station, Big Centre TV, co-owned by former ATV presenter Mike Prince. It stopped broadcasting a year later and re-emerged as a satellite show, Made In Birmingham.

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Hall presented the sold-out Q&A shows with Wolves hero Steve Bull. Actor and director David Alacey stated that he met Bob when he was presenting evenings at The Premier Lounge in Cannock for Scott Murray. Alacey said that Hall’s experience as a sports reporter for ITV and Sky Sports gave him extensive knowledge of many things, including football.

Bob also served as the presenter of the classic BBC series Pebble Mill. David said that he promoted his friend Buddy Greco at Star City Casino in Birmingham in 2008, and since he had to sell a few tickets to make it work financially, Bob arranged for ITV News to cover the story and interview Buddy before the performance.

While paying tribute to Hall, Black Country Radio wrote on Twitter that he presented their Ask The Leader events for Dudley Metropolitan Council before the Covid-19 pandemic. And according to Coventry City FC, he covered the Sky Blues for many years, including the 1987 FA Cup Final.

Burton Albion FC stated that Hall was often at the Pirelli Stadium in the last few years covering Brewers games.

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ITV Central called him a brilliant broadcaster in front of a camera and microphone. Head of news Liz Hannam said,

“He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of our religion’s sport and a wonderful warm and eloquent delivery which connected directly with the viewers. He was also a fabulous colleague, always helpful, caring and generous. He will be much missed.”

BBC’s Nick Owen also paid tribute to Hall on social media and presenter Joanne Malin recalled that they had lots of fun together as colleagues at ITV Central.

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Netizens pay tribute on Twitter

Bob Hall had gained major recognition over all these years for his frequent television appearances. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about his demise.

Further details about his parents and educational background are yet to be revealed. Online sources say that he married twice and had three children, whose identities remain unknown for now.