Jonathan Pearce (commentator)

Jonathan Mark Pearce (born 23 December 1959) is an English sports commentator on football for the BBC and TNT Sports. He has worked for BBC Radio 5 Live and Match of the Day, and has participated in other lower-profile sports programmes.

Early life and career
Growing up, Pearce aspired to become a footballer for Bristol City. His potential football career ended prematurely when he broke his leg at age 14. As a young boy, he used to commentate on games of Subbuteo he played at home. His broadcasting career began part-time at BBC Radio Bristol, with his first match commentary being Bristol Rovers against Exeter City in the League Cup.

He became a sports editor at the age of 23. In 1987, he moved to London and joined Capital Radio, where he launched Capital Gold Sportstime on Capital Gold a year later. He commentated on a few minor Premier League games for Sky Sports in the 1992–93 season, before his career with Radio 5 Live and Match of the Day.

Between 1998 and 2004, Pearce commentated on the Robot Wars TV series, on BBC Two and Channel 5. He reprised this role for the rebooted 2016 series.

Channel 5, BBC, and BT Sport
When Channel 5 (known as Five for some time) was launched in 1997, Pearce was signed as their lead football commentator. His excitable style of commentary received some criticism. He joined BBC Radio 5 Live in 2002 and was part of their 2002 FIFA World Cup commentary team. He presented the station's midweek sports programme, Sport on Five, from 2003 until 2005 and became a commentator for BBC television on Match of the Day in 2004.

He also lent his voice to Sensible Soccer, the Ubisoft football game Action Soccer, and UEFA Striker. Away from football, he was also the commentator on Robot Wars and Hole in the Wall. In 2005, he guest-starred in the Doctor Who audio drama The Game, playing a sports commentator named Garny Diblick. Pearce's Robot Wars commentary was used in S04E08 of The Sopranos, titled "Mergers and Acquisitions".

Pearce joined the BBC's Match of the Day team in 2004. He is one of the BBC's front-line commentators alongside number one commentator Guy Mowbray, Steve Wilson, and Simon Brotherton. During his fifteen years with BBC Sport, Pearce has commentated on live games from the FA Cup, League Cup, and Championship. He has covered five World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022), four European Championships (2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020), three Women's World Cups (2015, 2019, and 2023), and a Women's European Championship (2022).

Pearce joined BT Sport (now TNT Sports) in 2013, where he regularly commentates on Champions League and Ligue 1 fixtures.

Personal life
Pearce is a long-time Bristol City fan. He lives in Hassocks, West Sussex, where he is the former chair of the junior section of Hassocks F.C.

Pearce is the founding president and former director of the Lily Foundation, the UK's leading mitochondrial disease charity. The foundation was set up after Pearce's 8-month-old niece died of the disease.