Commentating from BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Sports: who's calling the moves in Lincoln City v West Ham United

The 14 October 2026 Championship, when Lincoln City faces West Ham United, gets its audio play-by-play from BBC Radio 5 Live, with the whole match firing at 20:00 UK time. A key part of the BBC Radio 5 Live feed is Charlie Slater, a football commentator who also works as a reporter for BBC Sport, and whose X handle @CharlieSlater15 shows him tracking Championship matches from the Premier League onwards. He is well known for broadcasting from BBC channels, and his ICDb profile lists him as a top channel contributor on BBC Radio Nottingham, having worked alongside names such as Mark Stallard.

For those who prefer the traditional local radio, Rob Makepeace takes the main commentary duties from BBC Radio Lincolnshire. Rob Makepeace is a broadcast journalist covering sport, and his LinkedIn profile describes him as a commentator and announcer. He has spent years embedded with local teams, commenting on everything from Spalding United to the wider Notts county scene, and brings a familiar face to the Lincolnshire feed for this week's Championship.

The Sky Sports lineup

Sky Sports carries the bulk of the visual coverage, with Lincoln City v West Ham United appearing across Sky Sports Football HD, Sky Sports Main Event HD and Sky Sports Main Event UHD. The channels are fronted by presenter David Prutton, who as a Wikipedia-documented figure works regularly as the presenter of the EFL Championship on Sky Sports. He pairs that role with a strong social presence, his Instagram handle @pruttsofficial tagging along with Sky Sports and the Premier League.

The main commentary on Sky comes from Gary Weaver, with Andy Hinchcliffe providing co-commentary. Both are prominent names in the commentator world, and ICDb stats place them among a long list of regulars that includes Daniel Mann, Jonathan Oakes, Bill Leslie, David Prutton and David Craig. Rounding out the Sky pundits are Gareth Ainsworth and Matthew Upson, while David Craig also reports for the Sky Sports News and HD feed.

A word on the commentators

Commentator reputation has long been a subject of fan discussion, and Gary Weaver has drawn his share of criticism over the years. An archived Reddit thread from March 2021 titled "Worst Championship Commentator?" names Gary Weaver outright, with readers dismissing Sky commentary in the same breath as Andy Hinchcliffe. That kind of negative reputation is exactly why it is worth checking the official ICDb stats for Andy Hinchcliffe, which give a more balanced, figures-based view of how these two actually perform across the season.

Interestingly, Andy Hinchcliffe is also a name that predates the football world. A Wikipedia entry notes that his full name is Andrew George Hinchcliffe, born on 5 February 1969, and describes him as an English former professional - though that record refers to an entirely different sport, so readers should not expect it to map on to his commentary career.

Other feeds and highlights

Beyond the main radio and Sky coverage, there are a couple of supporting feeds worth knowing about. ITV and Sky Sports carry the English Football League Highlights, where Gary Weaver provides the main commentary and Andy Hinchcliffe the co-commentary, giving viewers a chance to catch the highlights even if they miss the live match. There is also a Soccer Special feed, reported by Luke Chambers, which offers yet another way to follow the action.

With Charlie Slater and Rob Makepeace covering the BBC radio channels, David Prutton presenting on Sky and the commentary coming from Gary Weaver and Andy Hinchcliffe, there is plenty of airtime on show for a Lincoln City v West Ham United Championship. Whether you tune into BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Lincolnshire or the Sky Sports HD feeds, the moves should be called clearly throughout the 20:00 UK time match.

For anyone wanting to dig deeper into how these commentators stack up against each other over the season, the ICDb stats pages offer a useful starting point, and the Wikipedia page for Andy Hinchcliffe is worth a look for background on one of the co-commentators.

Article generated: 14 October 2026, 20:04 GMT