Brian Marjoribanks: Former Scottish footballer who found fame as actor and sports anchor dies at 82

Tributes have been paid to a former Scottish football star who went to enjoy a storied second career as an actor and broadcaster. 

Brian Marjoribanks, who shot to fame after scoring on his Hibernian debut in a 1961 Edinburgh derby, and became best known to Scottish audiences thanks to his 17 year long-stint as a BBC sports presenter, died on Friday in Mallorca after a brief illness. He was 82.

Over the course of his lifetime, the star of sport and screen proved himself a consummate performer. He won plaudits for his skills on the football pitch, where he played as a centre-forward. As well as representing Hibs, he crossed the city divide to represent Hearts, and later turned out for Aberdeeen. 

But having juggled his full-time role at Hibs with his studies at Edinburgh College of Speech and Drama, he decided to quit the game in 1965 in order to pursue his lifelong love of drama, landing a high-profile role in the popular BBC television series, Dr Finlay’s Casebook.

In 2020, Marjoribanks told The Scotsman’s Aidan Smith that the two disciplines complemented one another. “Believe it or not, what I tried to carry into my play was what I learned in ballet, which was part of my theatre training and, after all, just another way of expressing yourself through movement,” he explained.

Brian Marjoribanks became a well known sports broadcaster for the BBC. | Brian Marjoribanks

His role in Dr Finlay’s Casebook would mark the beginning of a fruitful media career for Falkirk-born Marjoribanks. He worked as a BBC Scotland sports presenter on radio and television during 17 years at the corporation until 1983, presenting staples of the corporation’s output, including Sportsreel and Sportsound. 

He was later appointed as the UK regions controller of the broadcasting regulator, Independent Television Commission, which was later merged to form Ofcom, and  took on the prestigious role of chairman of the board of Scottish Television. In that role, he served as a judge at the Prix Italia international television festival in Sicily and Venice, chairing the prestigious news, current affairs and documentary category.

Marjoribanks died at Son Espases Hospital in Palma, Mallorca, with his, wife, Kathleen, and children Jenny, Brian Jnr, Graham, and Katie by his bedside.

In a statement, his family said: “Brian Marjoribanks had an incredibly rich, varied and successful career whether it was taking centre stage on the football field, the theatre or on the small screen as a popular sports presenter.

“But the role he cherished most in his life was as a devoted husband and an adoring father and grandpa to Ava, Alexander, Lillian, Bethany, Fraser, Callum, James, Cora and Tom. We grieve the loss of an incredible man whom we are privileged and proud to have known and loved.”

After his retirement in 2000, Marjoribanks continued his passion for the stage by touring the UK and Ireland as a festival adjudicator for the Scottish Community Drama Association (SCDA), where he encouraged the next generation of talented actors.

The association’s chair, Morna Baron, was among those to pay tribute to Marjoribanks, describing him as “one of our favourite and respected adjudicators.” 

She added: “He was always encouraging, especially with our youth teams,  very popular and a first choice when we were looking for adjudicators for our festivals. 

“He was always reliable, fair with his criticism, and encouraged our clubs to improve. He will be truly greatly missed. Our sincere condolences go Brian’s family.”