Bbc National Coverage

an capall

an capall

Senior Jockey
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I'll start it this year.

The race hasn't even begun yet, and I have a pain in my arse with the constant overhyped drama and Clare Baldings breathless schoolgirl excitement.

Its a feckin horserace, not the second coming of Christ.
 
In the first race Jim McGrath seemed more interested in the loose horse than the eventual winner. Thank God for RUK (bar Cattermole).
 
Terrible.

Not just the national (which wasn't that bad IMO), but Rishi Persad's awkward interviews over the first couple of days and that new guy (Dan) have been insufferable.
 
Commentators have a tough job

But they've been terrible over the National fences this year - like the Topham, I had to wait until the re-run to get a rough handle on what happened. Surely the spotters could have informed them after the event and at the halfway point, McGrath could have said who'd been lost earlier...like Ardaghey, Fundamentalist etc etc
 
Cattermole called King Johns Castle as a faller.....why not just leave the race to a genuinely top class commentator like Hoiles instead of swapping between the pair.
 
There was a couple of seconds of dead air on the BBC at one stage due to them being unable to switch between commentators properly, which is pretty unforgivable in the context.
 
I thought the coverage was ok, don't forget the majority of people watching are not racing nuts.

Not keen on the vox pops and non-anorak stuff myself, but that comes with the territory with these national events.

I don't go along with the oft-held view that there was some television golden age when the National was covered more professionally/seriously. The first tv broadcast back in 1960 was hosted by Cliff Michelmore who was standing in for Eamonn Andrews for goodness' sake.
 
why not just leave the race to a genuinely top class commentator like Hoiles instead of swapping between the pair.
Click to expand...

In fairness, that would be practically impossible....different vantage points for all concerned
 
Aussie Jim luckily has only about 10f of the national to cover with the few fences. He did call a faller wrong in the first hurdle race today, as well as saying Khatcharutian was fading on the home bend, as he was 5l clear.

How Pitman is still in gainful employment is one of the mysteries of racing. I dont mind Balding hamming it up, and the new kid is better than most.

DO the employers watch their everyday work.

On the replay, they were getting the fallers wrong. Bartlett should have been given the reigns by now, but Holies is clearly the best commentator out there now.

Cattermole is awful.
 
Originally posted by Bobbyjo@Apr 5 2008, 04:26 PM
why not just leave the race to a genuinely top class commentator like Hoiles instead of swapping between the pair.
Click to expand...

In fairness, that would be practically impossible....different vantage points for all concerned
Click to expand...
I'm not sure, but i think the course commentators stand next to each other in the stands, using monitors.
 
Not as bigger feck up as the RP coverage online. Awful doesn`t come close. I just want to look at the finishing order and it should be there on the first page instead of reports from the 2nd April.

A whole section devoted to Aintree and virtually nothing of any interest. Toss.
 
Rishi Persad is painful to watch and listen to, he puts me in mind of someone who has written jo Jim'l Fixit to be a racing presenter for a day and got his wish. I hope I get mine soon!

Clare Balding gears her style to suit the once a year watchers of the race which is fair enough I suppose, but Persad's interviews were excruciating.
 
Lydia (RUK) and Richi(BBC) both made the same mistake interviewing JP Mcmanus asking him about his three horses in the GN forgetting the fourth (L'Ami).

Does Carl Hicks still run this BBC pantomine every year it has all the signs.
Talk about jobs for the boys,I fully expect Alan Titchmarsh , Laurence Llewellyn Bowen and Graham Norton to be part of the team next year.

At least we were spared Sue Barker squawking about.
 
:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: DG

And that awful fat local comedian who was shown two years running in the same clips!
Ricki was excrutiating - "Can you believe you've just won the Grand National?" CRINGE

I do WISH they would STOP this nonsense of sticking a mike under a jock's nose as he's coming in from a big race, and wanting to share it with the genuine racegoers on the course :angy: instead of which he has to bend down and try to make himself heard.... Nothing they say is ever of any interest whatever, even if they're not too breathless to speak.

If only they would all do a Choc and tell the lurking mike-wielder to ferk orf
 
Originally posted by an capall@Apr 5 2008, 03:15 PM
Its a feckin horserace, not the second coming of Christ.
Click to expand...
Try telling that to someone who was on Comply Or Die at 40/1...

I didn't see much of the racing yesterday and could hear much of the commentary on the race itself because of the bunch of screaming banshees round about me that is my extended family.

Highlight of the meeting for me was either earlier yesterday or the day before when Tony Dobbin called Rishi Persad 'Rashid'.
 
Originally posted by Diamond Geezer@Apr 5 2008, 07:41 PM
Does Carl Hicks still run this BBC pantomine every year it has all the signs.
Talk about jobs for the boys,I fully expect Alan Titchmarsh , Laurence Llewellyn Bowen and Graham Norton to be part of the team next year.

At least we were spared Sue Barker squawking about.
Click to expand...
:laughing: Very funny DG!

I was in the kitchen after the race & 'listening' to the replay & heard Mike Cattermole say King Johns Castle had fell & before that said that one of the others had gone when it was still running! This is his 3rd bad commentary this year & about time he at least hung the commentary mike up.

Claire Balding IMO is top class,at least she comes from a racing family & is not just a gambling journo. Rishi is a bit worrying but he as a bit of time to improve,he needs to.

Thankfully I didn't hear Peter Scudamores dreadful tones over the 3 days,he was a dam better jockey than anything hes done on TV or radio.
 
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