Inverdale began to work on the BBC's national radio stations in 1985, firstly on Radio 2's sports unit where he presented the final edition of "Sport on 2" in August 1990, then between 1990 and 1994 at Radio 5, where he presented the flagship sports programme "Sport on 5". In 1994 he became one of the main regular presenters on the relaunched BBC Radio 5 Live. He presented the drivetime show "John Inverdale Nationwide" until 1997, for which he was named Sony Broadcaster of the Year in 1997. At 5 Live, he hosted the topical show, "Any Sporting Questions", a variation on Radio 4's "Any Questions", and similarly toured the UK each week. In 2008 he broadcast for 5 Live from the Olympic Games in China. Along with Sir Steve Redgrave he appeared at Shunyi Rowing Lake for the Olympics in Beijing.