Born in Worsley, Lancashire, England, Wolstenholme started his career as a journalist with a newspaper in Manchester, before joining the RAF as a bomber pilot. After the war he became a freelance journalist, working for BBC radio before moving to television in 1948.
While most sports commentators gain some recognition if their career is long enough, Wolstenholme is almost entirely remembered for his commentary of the 1966 Football World Cup Final, specifically the words he used as the match came to a conclusion during injury time, as a small pitch invasion took place just as Geoff Hurst scored to put England 4-2 ahead:
"Some people are on the pitch ... they think it's all over ... IT IS NOW!"
These have become arguably the most famous words in English football, and among the most famous phrases in modern English.
Bill Oddie wrote a song about Wolstenholme for the BBC radio comedy show I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again which includes the lines: "I'm going Wolsten-home/And you can't get Wolsten (worse than) him!"