WHEN THE FINAL whistle blows at the World Cup in Berlin on July 9, it will mark the end of the career for a man whose name is familiar even to those who know nothing about the beautiful game. On that day, Spencer Lam Sheung-yee, affectionately known as 'Ah Suk' or Uncle, will walk out of TVB's studios for the last time after 30 years in the business. And despite the flood of fan mail pleading with him to stay, for him it won't be a day too soon.
'Of course I'm grateful for their support,' says the 66-year-old, reflecting on the outpouring that followed his retirement announcement in April. 'But it's getting too much for me to stay up late for live commentaries. After all, everyone has to retire one day.'
Lam's distinctive voice earned him the dubious honour of having one of the most popular downloaded video clips - Bus Uncle - named after him. But he's looking worn out these days. 'I'm exhausted,' he says, sipping coffee in TVB City's canteen in Tseung Kwan O. 'After I finish work and drive home, it's already dawn. In the past it wasn't a hardship. But I can't take it now. I can't get to sleep in the early morning.'
Lam says he's stopped watching late-night matches - unless he's doing the commentating - opting instead to watch the replays. 'I won't stay up late even if it's a cup final. My body just can't tolerate it,' he says.
Another factor slowing him down is the death last year of his journalist wife, Lau Wai-fong. Her passing, from acute liver disease, threw Lam into deep depression, something he grapples with on a daily basis.
'When my wife passed away, I didn't have any motivation anymore,' he says. Lam wanted to walk away from his career there and then, but TVB said no. 'TVB turned down my request,' he says. '[So] I refused to renew my contract when it ended last August.' Even then, TVB was reluctant to let him go. 'The boss urged me to stay and finish the World Cup before retiring.'