Simon Reed (born 5 August 1947[1] [2] in Sutton, Surrey) is a British broadcaster, known as a commentator on a variety of sports. His voice has also been heard on Dancing On Ice. He is the half-brother of actor Oliver Reed, nephew of film director Sir Carol Reed and grandson of RADA founder Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree.
Simon began commentating on tennis in 1984 for Channel Four.[3] He has been a commentator on Eurosport since 1991. He has been head of their commentary team since 1995.[4] Since 2000, he has been part of the BBC's Wimbledon commentary team.[5] In 2009, Reed discussed tennis being part of the Olympic games and said "The whole Olympic issue is a funny one. I don't think tennis needs the Olympics any more than the Olympics needs tennis, and though it's an easier fit than it used to be I have to say I still find its presence a little strange."[6]
He gained media attention after he was suspended from the International Skating Union, after discriminatory comments against Meagan Duhamel.[7] [8]
At Oliver Reed's funeral in 1999, Simon (who used to run Oliver's PR)[9] gave a tribute to his half brother saying "Oliver taught me a lot more than just about having a drink. He was innovative, very, very funny and very talented. He lived life as if it were a party."[10]