Bromley, who never seemed to betray his partial deafness, was a conscientious professional, working hard to prepare for each commentary, often presenting winning trainers and owners with his charts, featuring the colours of each horse in a race, as souvenirs. In his later years, he was especially angered when his broadcast of the Derby began as the runners were going in the stalls (French Open tennis had interfered), and when he was told through his earphones, near the end of a race at Royal Ascot on 16 June 1998, to finish immediately after the race because Five Live needed to go over to the United States for the result of the Louise Woodward trial.