Clare Balding

the golden drifter said:
Wish her all the best, but like every single member of the BBC team she is beyond incompetent.
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An utterly moronic comment. I don't care if people like or dislike Clare Balding, but anyone who has followed her broadcasting career will testify that she is extremely accomplished, and can cover a wider range of sports than almost any other broadcaster in the UK.
 
rorydelargy said:
An utterly moronic comment. I don't care if people like or dislike Clare Balding, but anyone who has followed her broadcasting career will testify that she is extremely accomplished, and can cover a wider range of sports than almost any other broadcaster in the UK.
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Agreed, I think she is top class.
 
She's condescending, i'll informed, and constantly appealing to the lowest common denominator. Which is disappointing given her background.


And managing to look imcompetent alongside Rishi "token" Persad is some achievement.
 
tbh..i get the strong impression she would like to be rid of Carson..they need to build a decent team around her if the beeb are going to continue covering racing

we need a petition to get rid of carson i'm afraid..should have run it in with the one to keep racing on the beeb..should have been one of the conditions
 
the golden drifter said:
She's condescending, i'll informed,
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Not sure you even understand the meaning of the word condescending Golden Drifter and you certainly can't work out how to express ill informed, for a start off!

Totally stupid comment because one thing Claire ain't and that's ill-informed. Probably forgotten more than most if us will ever know - including you!
 
She does tend to try too hard to get people to understand things sometimes; comparing certain things to events in other sports for example. That is all a bit lowest-common-denominator, but I suspect it's a production decision that she has to be guided by rather than something she particularly does herself.
 
True, I should probably allow for the fact that the majority of afternoon BBC viewers are probably brain-dead, social welfare claiming lay-abouts and they do need to be talked down too. And its also true having to work with Carson, Persad, Parrot, and Jim McGrath would drive anyone to new depths of awfulness.

However why we continually have to put up with the same lack of knowledge, awful segments, and awful interviewing race after race is disappointing. I mean as we have agreed they do have to cater to the morons, but can we not have some pieces that the actual racing enthusiast may find mildly interesting. It says alot when the best and most professional presenter during the week was James Sherwood. None of the dumbing down for James, just honest, informed opinion. I think he should be promoted to head presenter, I'd be confident he couldn't do any worse.

I'm also suprised the mistake in my post wasn't edited by Warbler who is making me sound alot more intelligent than I actually am by editing my other posts so as not to offend people.
 
I thought the coverage ...away from the fashion crap..was pretty good

They held the camera still TGD...unlike at the curragh :)
 
i think they should bring Jimmy Lindley back..if he is still alive..bring him back even if he isn't...he was my favourite he was :D

looks a picture in the paddock...superb

now if I had £10 for every time he had said that in the 70's & 80's I wouldn't be sat here now with me anorak and calculator looking at bleedin racetimes:whistle:
 
Gareth Flynn said:
She does tend to try too hard to get people to understand things sometimes; comparing certain things to events in other sports for example. That is all a bit lowest-common-denominator, but I suspect it's a production decision that she has to be guided by rather than something she particularly does herself.
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Maybe they just think were all thick:rolleyes:
 
I can't think of anyone better and I think she was a bit out of salts at Liverpool teeth were there again today I just can't take all the hat stuff.
 
Haven't the teeth been there every day, then, Andy? And if not, where are they in the meantime - up at Haydock? I think we should be told...

Clare's fine - she does tend to talk down to Carson, though, and it might be best if the Beeb could manage to limp along with slightly fewer than a shedful of presenters - gosh, think back to the 'old days' when you got just one person enunciating exquisitely to camera! I'd love them to drop the comedy acts like Parrott and Wiltshire, too. I can't see what they bring to the table at all. Good, informed comment as the horses go round the ring, please, and to post. Inane prattling nonstop - leave that to RUK and the Mellish/Hislop motormouths.
 
I liked the old-style commentaries of watching horses round the parade ring and on the way down to post. You managed to get a glimpse of every animal, usually with an informed comment on each one. Or is "informed comment" too much to expect now? For my mind, there has never been a better female sports presenter than Clare Balding, in a field hopelessly over-dominated by males but she isn't given the time to do this.

Rishi Persad needs a crash course in basic social skills, and as for interviewing techniques....
 
Gareth Flynn said:
She does tend to try too hard to get people to understand things sometimes; comparing certain things to events in other sports for example. That is all a bit lowest-common-denominator, but I suspect it's a production decision that she has to be guided by rather than something she particularly does herself.
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Exactly. She may be good at bringing the races to non-racing fans; she is not enjoyable to watch as a racing presenter.
 
That's good news. There was an article about her in The Observer not long ago that said she no longer had a contract with the BBC but worked as a freelance for them. She felt that the stress of losing the contract may have contributed to her illness. I had no idea that she no longer had a contract with them; She was surely one of the best all round sports commentators that they had. I wrote to her when One Man died; she had only just started working for the BBC when it happened and I felt that she handled it incredibly well, given that she was as shocked and upset as the rest of us. Had a lovely letter from her soon afterwards. Have had a lot of time for her ever since.
 
Excellent news. I had no particular opinion about her until one day at Lingfield, when she came quite excitedly past a couple of us working there - "I'm so nervous!" she said, out of the blue. "My brother's horse is running!" Andrew hadn't long been going solo and she was there to support him. Later, she was sitting on one of the benches out on the lawns when two young girls approached her, tentatively, race cards and pens in hand. She not only autographed for them, but had them sit beside her and animatedly chatted with them, making them giggle, and engaging with them as if they were valued interviewees. They eventually left her, with huge smiles on their faces. 10/10.
 
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It is great news. She always gives the impression of being approachable, interested and willing to do the best she can and with no side to her at all. Which a lot more than you can say for some in the same field.

Might be a bit harsh to blame the Beeb for increasing her stress levels leading to cancer, though! Most of us these days live on a bit of a knife edge with regard to income levels and job security - so is there an overall increase in cancers ?

Anyway, always brilliant news to hear of anyone beating cancer and a tribute to the doctors, researchers and nursing staff who got her through it.
 
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