Interview: GRAHAM SHARPE

Simon Nott from Star Sports catches up with PR maestro and author GRAHAM SHARPE who headed up William Hill’s PR for many years. Graham was seen as a pioneer of novelty bets from the weather to who shot JR?

Graham Sharpe started working for William Hill in 1972 as a humble board-marker. He quickly rose through the ranks to become head of the firm’s PR. In the years that followed he revolutionised not only public relations in the bookmaking industry but also changed the way they bet gaining spectacular publicity with novelty markets including the infamous ‘Who Shot J.R’ and many a ‘White Christmas’. He also found time to write over 30 books including characters as diverse as Dorothy Paget and Screaming Lord Sutch. That career that spanned five decades with Hills recently came to an end. Graham can now be found trawling record shops for obscure 1960’s psychedelic rock and of course the odd racecourse.