Rough Diamond

I don't understand. There are some cracking books written by Dick Francis, even Jenny Pitman and Johnny Francome, so why don't we see any of those dramatised. Instead we get this poor effort.
 
God forbid Dims they'd ever do anything by someone who actually knows which end of a horse bites and which end kicks!Somewhere it must say that in order for it to be aimed at general public and not just "horsey" people the bare facts must be wrong!
The writers went to my uncles yard on the curragh and asked his advice on script,when he told them it was completely ridiculous and needed to be changed for anyone to believe it they said that it would be too much trouble to change it now and were just going to go ahead with it anyway.
From what I've heard,only horsey people seem to be watching it for something to laugh at!
 
OK - from a professional point of view, I really don't think they did a bad job. I was expecting it to be very much worse - there were one or 2 small mistakes but they did use thoroughbreds even if they weren't race-fit. I quite enjoyed the over-the-top Firebrand yard and I think they have the shitty Doherty yard spot on (I saw several yards very like that on a visit to Ireland).

The script was always going to be mushy because that is the mainstream audience it is being directed at - no different to any of the other Sunday night cosy dramas.

I will be interested to see how they cope with actual racing and how they get the featured horse to win.

As for dramatising Dick Francis' books, I think that Simon MacCorkindale (Harry from Casualty) & his wife Susan George have bought the rights to them but nothing seems to have come out of it. As for Jenny Pitman & John Francome books - they are total crap - badly written and stupid plots.
 
Originally posted by Spoons@Feb 5 2007, 10:22 AM
The writers went to my uncles yard on the curragh
Click to expand...
That wouldn't be John Gorman would it Spoons ? Went to his yard a few years ago, bit of a comedian. :P
 
Why is the Troubled Horses box the only one in the yard where the door opens both hinged inthe middle when the horse pokes it with his nose to escape, and then opens into the box instead of out onto the yard (like all the other boxes on the yard) when said smart arse horse puts himself away?
 
I am really quite enjoying this. :shy: A lovely way to spend a Sunday evening with a , a glass of wine, and Rough Diamond on the telly! As long as you don't take it too literally it's really nice to see a TV drama mildly related to the horse racing industry on the TV for a change.
 
As usual, I've recorded this series (don't watch much 'live' anymore cos I fall asleep and miss the endings... ) and I watched the 'stud' epiosde yeaterday. This is a pretty insulting series all round and in fact, one that I could fall asleep through and still know the outcome.

So many errors it's impossible to list them all ! But the worst one was implying they could cover the 'Foreign Gentlemen's' mare at any time...
 
More holes in it than a slice of Emmental cheese. In an earlier episode, the son climbs aboard the colt/filly (depending on horse used!) and gallops off bareback at the rate of knots. No previous riding experience required... blasts off over hill and dale, taking hedges and walls with consummate ease. Last night, for the few moments I could take, he makes a complete Horlicks of even trying to turn the horse at a walk. "You'll need to learn to ride him first," says our rather wooden hero with the piano-keys teeth. Ya don't say! Hey, 20 minutes in a studio riding school and he should be up for the Derby!
 
I find it much easier to watch without a critical eye as this programme is probably made for main stream viewers many of whom have little or no knowledge about horses let alone horseracing. I love some of the fake Irish accents, the scenery and of course the horses. OK, perhaps they could have made it a little closer to reality but I have a feeling a lot of youngsters will be asking their Mum's and Dad's if they can now train to be a jockey instead of going to college. I loved the fact one of the lads at the posh yard is called J.P and there is also an Aidan!!! :D
 
Kathy, the problem is I wasn't even watching WITH a critical eye! It's just stuff that's so obvious you can't help but note it. Imagine a drama about F1 and someone goes off in an F2, it changes colour halfway round the track, and morphs from Ferrari into Maserati for a few shots. It'd be a laughing-stock.

We do agree, though, that uncritically unchallenged, it's okay for a few kids who haven't really got their eye in yet. But even at an early age, I think I'd wonder how a horse put his own bridle on. :rolleyes: That could be an innovation in training, though - self-tacking horses!
 
Really, who's that, then, Colin? Sounds like someone's got a bit grand, especially when so many trainers tack up. Perhaps it's because he's forgotten how to do it, with so many bits and bobs being shoved on them nowadays! Seriously, there's a helluva lot to remember for them, if you have four runners now, you're likely to want all the declared kit on the truck before leaving home: cheekpieces, assorted nosebands, bits of tights for tongue-ties, and then the rest of the regular clobber. I suppose it's easier to just keep a whole load of stuff in a box on board, rather than try to remember it all, is it?
 
Yep, on those mornings when the trainer's are short staffed, I think the clever racehorses should be trained to self groom and then self tack and put their own bandages on too and open and shut their own doors....just like in Rough Diamond. :P

Come to think of it, why can't they then put themselves in and out of the horsewalker AND clean out their own stables. Some of these expensive and spoilt rotten racehorses really do expect a lot from stable staff don't they. The least they could do is go out onto the racecourse and win by a country mile occasionally...or perhaps we have this to come in the next Rough Diamond episode. I can't wait..... :D
 
The wife of the posh trainer must have fake accent cos she was scottish in Monarch of the Glen.The part I really don't like is its bad enough getting apprentices and that who've barely sat on a horse and want to gallop straight away,this programme is teaching them with a little bit of ambition you can gallop bareback jumping fences for miles :P Also where are the helmets most of the time,there is a lot of bare heads in this programme.
How do I put up pic,got good one for all of you,just cant work it out.Late night and not feeling very technical!
 
Originally posted by Spoons@Feb 26 2007, 01:03 PM
The wife of the posh trainer must have fake accent cos she was scottish in Monarch of the Glen.
Click to expand...
Tsk tsk, faulty logic. Why could she not be an Irish actress playing a Scot?

I don't watch the programme but I know of the actress. Her name is Lorraine Pilkington and she was born and bred in Dublin.
 
To be fair Colin the head lads that I've known tend to tack up their own horses but often someone else will tack up for them [without being asked to] whilst the head lad is going around bandaging up those that need exercise bandages on & stuff like that.
 
Whether you like this show or hate it everybody should watch the final episode with the Champion Stakes run at a mixture of Bellewstown and Naas.I couldn't stand the show but cracked up and had biggest laugh at this episode,everything in it was just so ridiculous!
 
Evidently, this series was fairly popular, so they are thinking of doing a second series! :D
 
Well, at least it's original, and doesn't rely on an array of morons being vilified by the public for its entertainment in 'reality' shows, isn't anything to do with food, being fat, having plastic surgery, buying a house, doing a car boot sale, or another bloody quiz. Thinking of which, did anyone see the trailer for 'The People's Quiz' a few nights back?

Q: "Who wrote Handl's Messiah?"

A: (After lengthy pause) "Er, Enid Blyton?"

God spare us.
 
Back
Top