Adrian Peter Metcalfe was born on 2 March 1942 in Bradford to Hylton and Cora Metcalfe and brought up in Leeds, along with his sister Lynne.[3] His father was a manager at Yorkshire Bank and his mother a teacher.[4] He attended The Brunts School after his father became manager of the Midland Bank in Mansfield,[5] and went on to study English at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was also president of the athletics club.[4]
Metcalfe began working in television, commentating on athletics for ITV, before joining Channel 4 where he was head of sport, introducing lesser-known foreign sports such as American football and Sumo to British viewers.[4][6] He joined the pan-European sports channel Eurosport in 1989 and then Tyne Tees TV before becoming an executive producer with the International Olympic Committee Olympic Broadcasting Services.[4][3] In 1998, Metcalfe invested in a web-based project, worldsport.com, working with a large number of international sports federations but the project failed.[4] He also held roles with the International Association of Athletics Federations, serving on marketing and television commissions until 2011.[2]
Personal life
Metcalfe was married twice with two children and three step-children.
He lived in France with his second wife, before moving to the Sunrise of Winchester retirement home in Winchester in 2011.[3][11]
He died on 2 July 2021, aged 79.[4] A painting depicting Metcalfe's life and sporting achievements painted by his sister Lynne, who discovered art therapyafter having a stroke, was donated to the Sunrise of Winchester retirement home and is now displayed there as a memorial to Metcalfe.[3][11]
^Whetton, John (27 August 2008). "What a magical boost for Mansfield". Chad. Johnston Press Digital Publishing. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2008.