The experience of genuine life and death drama, the proximity to a bona fide explosion. These things can never be trivialised but both are part of Darrell Currie's ascension to master of ceremonies for the fireworks show that constitutes Scottish football.
The 37-year-old has been the ringmaster for BT Sport's coverage of the Scottish game for eight years and the broadcaster's impact has been akin to the Glasgow kiss of the city that produced him. 
'It has been fiery,' he admits of nights with Chris Sutton, Alex Rae, Stephen Craigan and Ally McCoist. 'It has got heated a few times before we went on air when a couple of the boys were barely talking to each other after a row.'
Darrell Currie has been the ringmaster for BT Sport's coverage of the Scottish game for years
+10
Darrell Currie has been the ringmaster for BT Sport's coverage of the Scottish game for years

He adds: 'It carries on after the show. One guy might not be pleased with what another guy has said. Another won't have liked a question I asked him. So the rows continue.'
So is he the peacemaker? 'No, I am more for winding-up,' says Currie. 'I love the arguments, so we often keep it going. I always take notes of what the guys are saying and keep them up my sleeve.'
These can form the kindling of a future bonfire live on screen.
His relationship with the live Scottish Premiership matches may have come to a premature end amid the coronavirus pandemic that has halted football as BT's contract runs out. But Currie says: 'No criticism of other broadcasters but Scottish football is going to lose an explosive edge on live games.
'But we are not done with Scottish football quite yet.'
He admits that he has had some fiery nights with BT Sport pundits like Chris Sutton (right)
+10
He admits that he has had some fiery nights with BT Sport pundits like Chris Sutton (right)
There is mischief in Currie but there is journalistic rigour, too. His CV boasts a post-graduate degree in journalism and spells with Radio Clyde, Setanta, ESPN and now BT. However, it is his experience as a reporter that is his most important asset. He always, in hack terms, seeks the 'line', that is the headline story.
In May last year on a patch of grass in Baku, he extracted the story of the night from Eden Hazard moments after the Belgian had starred as Chelsea defeated Arsenal 4-1 in the Europa League final.
Currie ventured on to the park with one goal: persuade Hazard to tell him and millions watching whether he had played his last match for Chelsea and was heading to Real Madrid. He persisted with such vigour that one had suspicions Hazard would have been the victim of water boarding had he not finally relented and admitted, in essence, he was off to Real Madrid.
'I had been talking to Joe Cole (BT pundit and former Chelsea player) before the match and he said that Hazard had refused to speak about any possible move,' he says. 'I felt it was the question that every fan wanted answered, so I was determined to get it.'
After a couple of soft balls, Currie hit Hazard with six unrelenting questions about his future. The player eventually conceded his Chelsea career was over. Job done.
In May he got Eden Hazard to confess he was leaving Chelsea just after the Europa League final
+10
In May he got Eden Hazard to confess he was leaving Chelsea just after the Europa League final
Hazard paid tribute to Currie's persistence the next day.
'We were at the airport as Chelsea flew out and he caught my eye and gave me a wink,' he says.
The scoop was the fruit of a long-held attitude.
Currie adds: 'One of my first bosses told me: "Have a real go. Get stuck in". I have always tried to heed that advice. 
'I have always wondered if press officers complained to my employers as I was always the one that kept asking the questions that seemed to annoy people.'
His list of adversaries include Big Phil Scolari, Roy Keane, Arsene Wenger and Walter Smith.
'I had a rammy in the tunnel once with Scolari, so that was interesting,' he says. 'Roy and I crossed swords at a press conference when he was at Sunderland but he later told a colleague he respected my attitude. I was never Wenger's favourite interviewer. I always wanted to ask questions about league titles slipping away.'
Currie also admitted he crossed swords with Roy Keane when he was Sunderland manager
+10
Currie also admitted he crossed swords with Roy Keane when he was Sunderland manager
And Smith? 'I was a very young reporter with Radio Clyde and I had a one-to-one with him at a press conference at Hampden,' adds Currie. 
'He was Scotland manager at the time and the interview was not going well, so I threw in a question. Sven-Goran Eriksson had been caught in the Fake Sheikh scam and I asked Walter what he thought of it.'
He was subjected to the Smith icy stare that would serve as a corrective to global warming and given advice of two words.
There is fun in jousting with the characters of football but Currie has witnessed grim times.
He was pitchside when Fabrice Muamba collapsed when playing for Bolton against Tottenham at White Hart Lane in 2012. The midfielder had suffered a heart attack.
Currie also admitted Arsene Wenger was never a fan of his questions about letting titles slip
+10
Currie also admitted Arsene Wenger was never a fan of his questions about letting titles slip
'I was four rows back in the press box and I could see it was bad immediately,' he adds. 
'I ran down and I knew it was horrendous. I came off the pitch and was standing in the tunnel with Les Ferdinand (then on the Spurs staff) as Fabrice was taken past.
'There was not a sign of life in him. Dreadful.'
Muamba, of course, recovered but in the moment Currie had to juggle with the complexities of a breaking news story and his moral duty to the relatives of the stricken player. 'It was all a bit of a blur,' he says.
It did, though, result in a coherent and accurate news story.
He was also in Dortmund in April 2017 when the Borussia team bus was targeted by a bomb. 'That was another strange night,' he says.
Currie was present when Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch for Bolton against Spurs
+10
Currie was present when Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch for Bolton against Spurs
'One minute, you are looking forward to a great match between Dortmund and a very good Monaco side and the next you are chasing UEFA officials and reporting on the aftermath of what could have been a very serious tragedy.'
One player, Marc Bartra, and a policeman were injured and the match was postponed until the following night.
The seriousness of genuine crises has helped Currie deal with the combustible nature of Scottish football. 
He is protective of what BT has offered the Scottish game. Neil Doncaster, SPFL chief executive, said last month that broadcasters had not given Scotland 'the love they show other leagues'.
Currie immediately dismissed the claims as 'pathetic' and 'disrespectful'. He says: 'I read an article and it sounded as if Neil had had a go at Scottish football and broadcasters. 
'It was as if he was accusing us of taking our eye off the ball and focusing on other leagues. It really offended me, particularly if he was referring to us. We put everything into it.'
The presenter admitted it looked like there was 'no sign of life in him' when he went past him
+10
The presenter admitted it looked like there was 'no sign of life in him' when he went past him
He points out the work by Sunset and Vine, the production company behind the coverage, to ensure comprehensive and expansive coverage of the game.
'This commitment was not just to live games but to the state of football off the park in terms of finance and other issues,' he adds.
'You can never question our passion. We feel we have changed the way Scottish football is broadcast and to suggest we ever took our eye off the ball is simply not true.'
They have also kept a focus on the founding principle of Scottish football: if there is a 'y' in the day let's have a rammy. 'We are going through a period without any football in Scotland and there is still heated debate. They can't even get a vote right,' he says.
'We have so much to argue about. We are honest enough to say that it might not be the best product in the world. Most would admit that for obvious reasons. But it still can be wonderful viewing. The pundits are a part of that.'
Currie was also in attendance when Borussia Dortmund's team bus was attacked in 2017
+10
Currie was also in attendance when Borussia Dortmund's team bus was attacked in 2017
He paints a picture of the fan about to leave the pub on the final whistle but who buys another pint to hear what Sutton and Co have to say. But does he ever quail at the unpredictability and volatility of his team-mates?
'No. Never,' he says. 'I always feel ready. That's down to preparation. You need to know everything. But I am also prepared for the unexpected. 
'There have been a few times when someone has said something and I have thought: "What a line". We then go down that route. It's exciting.'
There is normally a common factor in all the rows. They may involve Michael Stewart, McCoist, Rae and Craigan. They will involve Sutton.
He reveals: 'I promise you, what you see on screen is what he is like off it. He does say things to provoke but he is not just saying them to be controversial, He believes in everything he says.'
Marc Bartra was injured as a result of the bomb and the game was postponed for a day
+10
Marc Bartra was injured as a result of the bomb and the game was postponed for a day
He was also once given a pre-match pep talk by Sutton that has held true for every broadcast.
Currie adds: 'He said to me before going on air: "Don't hold back on me. But if you go for me, then I am coming for you".'
This adversarial relationship will continue. Currie will continue to do Scottish Cup games for Premier Sports whenever football restarts. He says: 'BT is not going to go away from Scottish football.
'We are going to be working with those personalities and we will be covering Scottish teams in the Europa League and Champions League. We are not done with it.'
The fitba' may have stopped for the moment, the live Premiership games for BT may be at an end, but there is something distinctly Scottish and oddly comforting to know that the rammies will continue.
Currie also rejected Neil Doncaster's claims BT Sport had done a disservice to Scottish football
+10
Currie also rejected Neil Doncaster's claims BT Sport had done a disservice to Scottish football

After bust-ups with Keane and THAT Hazard interview, Darrell Currie can't wait to get back to it

 

Comments 8

Share what you think
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

 What's This?
By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.