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Lesley Graham doesn’t like NH racing so why did she have such a prominent role at Cheltenham?
I think she tolerates it, and at all levels – she was holding court and handing out the prizes at the point-to-point meeting at Ampton six or seven weeks ago. I didn’t see her nipping back to the 4×4 at any point or try to leave early.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Agree with Venusian, McCririck should be removed from our screen and as the voice of racing. I hope he is followed by the other idiot Thompson.
Whatever you think of McCririck, his views on Thornton’s whip use on Katchit was to be applauded, as was the fact he was decent enough to mention it to the jockey’s face.
Thornton broke the rules, and didn’t deserve to keep the race. Similar races that come to mind are Alkassed in the Japan Cup, and Ramonti in the Queen Anne (ironic, as I feel Dettori is an infinitely better jockey when riding hands and heels).
Katchit should not have kept that race, regardless of many member’s feelings on the horse. That is not the point. It’s going to take a stand of quite large proportions to rid the sport of this abuse, and a 3/4 day ban will never suffice.
McCririck was correct, there is currently no deterrant to cheat, and he should not be vilified for making a constructive point in an positive manner.
If it is the producer etc who wants rid of Big Mac, could it be John has not been listening to what producer and director want him to say / do. Just doing and sying what he wants to. Every presenter has to listen to what is expected of them.
Would not at all be surprised if Mr. McCrirrick does not listen to anyone and so is probably impossible to work with.
Ginge
Value Is EverythingI’d happily see more of Tom Lee on C4…yum!
But seriously, the one thing we have to remember is that the likes of Mac and Thommo, who racing people seem to abhor, are the ones that draw the non-racing public to the sport. They are eccentric, crazy, and yes, sometimes irritating, characters but they appeal to the masses. They catch people’s attention and that is what we have to thank them for. If racing stops attracting new punters then the sport will not survive.
I appreciate that there are other ways of attracting people but TV is the one medium that a huge majority of the population have access to.Imagine if you knew nothing at all about racing and horses and you happened to flick on to Channel 4 on a Saturday afternoon – what would keep you watching?
Jim McGrath and John Francome discussing form and paddock?
Or Mac or Thommo- eccentric, lively, entertaining (and maybe annoying, yes)?To those who aren’t watching C4 simply for betting and form purposes Mac and Thommo are going to be the more appealing ones. McGrath and Francome may be talking in a way that may be of more use and interest to you and I but Mac and Thommo will grab the masses. And that’s what C4 needs to do. If only a few people see C4 racing on a Saturday and think ‘Maybe I’ll go racing next weekend?’ then that is a success.
For you and I there is still ATR and RUK (provided you have Sky of course!).I personally will be sorry to see less of Mac on the TV as I think he is an institution.
Also I dearly hope that this isn’t a health issue, although nothing seems to directly point to that at the moment apart from his tremor which has become noticeably worse in the past few years.As I haven’t watched Ch4 racing for years, I was going to keep out of this debate, but I’m staggered to find so many people here that seem to honestly believe that Big Mac has some sort of specialist knowledge of the betting ring that makes him worth retaining on TV.
He’s a failed bookmaker and a failed punter – using him in his C4 role has always been about as believeable as getting Nick Leeson in as City Editor and Jeffrey Archer as the Court reporter.
And what little expertise he had was long ago rendered useless by the fact that the betting ring (except a few major meetings) is now totally irrelevant in terms of setting the betting agenda.
It could also be argued that a man who had on average less than ten minutes screen time per day was already working part time anyway!
He’s 68 years old, he can’t go on for ever, and if C4 intend to continue with the same format, clearly they need to start trying out alternative faces in his slot. Exactly the same thing happened ten years back with John Oaksey, except with a bit more dignity.
AP
I’m not sure that McCririck calling his co-presenter, ‘Female’ and dressing like a stuffed exhibit from the Museum of Victorian Horrors attracts anyone to the sport. Universal opinion amongst the non-racing folk I speak to is that he is an arse and an embarrassment.
It’s Fe- Mail, not Female.
Just for the record.
I like Big Mac (not as much as I used to) but time moves on and change is an inevitabilty.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
Very well made points Lekha.
He has done so much to popularise the sport, but would you like to work with him?Don’t like it when he is wheeled out as the voice of racing though.
Wonder if Ch4 have had threats of legal action for some stuff he comes out with.
Wonder if Richard Hoiles is allowed to give us an opinion?
Ginge
Value Is EverythingI get the impression most presenters like the bloke.
Could it be the people that do not like Leslie Graham and Alice Plunkett just do not like the Horsey, pony club types? Or are a bit anti-snobbish (whatever the word is) they don’t like anyone with a posh (ish) voice.
And if we men are allowed to voice an opinion about Kirsty M or Head Turner looking gorgeous, why can’t the women presenters make such a comment about Sam Thomas or whoever?
Ginge
Value Is EverythingIf it is the producer etc who wants rid of Big Mac, could it be John has not been listening to what producer and director want him to say / do. Just doing and sying what he wants to. Every presenter has to listen to what is expected of them.
Would not at all be surprised if Mr. McCrirrick does not listen to anyone and so is probably impossible to work with.
Ginge
It isn’t the producer its Andrew Thompson head of C4 sport that has made the decision.
Agree with Venusian, McCririck should be removed from our screen and as the voice of racing. I hope he is followed by the other idiot Thompson.
The two presenters you mention happen to be extremely popular with the general public and have done a great deal to popularise a sport which up to the 70s came across as stuffy and inaccessible.
You have two satellite racing channels which you can watch ALL the racing on, so you dont need to watch Thompson and McCririck if you find them so offensive.
They also happen to be consumate professionals and streets ahead of any of the other presenters in terms of being totally comfortable in front of camera.
Couldn’t agree more, very well said.
Again, I see no evidence that McCririck is popular with the non-racing public. Instantly recognisable, perhaps, but popular?
Anybody that doesn’t get hooked on horseracing by watching 2 thoroughbreds go neck and neck over the last 3 fences at Sandown or by watching a cavalry charge like the stewards cup isn’t going to get into it by watching some buffoon with whiskers shouting sexist clap trap or by some other imbecile calling everyone ‘Big Fella ho ho ho’ Surely ‘the masses’ should be credited with more intelligence.
Anybody that doesn’t get hooked on horseracing by watching 2 thoroughbreds go neck and neck over the last 3 fences at Sandown or by watching a cavalry charge like the stewards cup isn’t going to get into it by watching some buffoon with whiskers shouting sexist clap trap or by some other imbecile calling everyone ‘Big Fella ho ho ho’ Surely ‘the masses’ should be credited with more intelligence.
Lol Are you kidding? They’ve voted Labour in three times.
Anybody that doesn’t get hooked on horseracing by watching 2 thoroughbreds go neck and neck over the last 3 fences at Sandown or by watching a cavalry charge like the stewards cup isn’t going to get into it by watching some buffoon with whiskers shouting sexist clap trap or by some other imbecile calling everyone ‘Big Fella ho ho ho’ Surely ‘the masses’ should be credited with more intelligence.
Totally agree!
Time for the industry to startt thinking about helping popularise racing and the quality of it, not just an old public school tramp demonstrating ‘tic tac’!
I quite like Tommo though because he’s harmless (and witless)
Anybody that doesn’t get hooked on horseracing by watching 2 thoroughbreds go neck and neck over the last 3 fences at Sandown or by watching a cavalry charge like the stewards cup
That is certainly what will keep people enjoying racing once they have experienced it but something has to make them notice it in the first place. There has to be something to stop them flicking over to something else that moment they see racing on the TV.
As much as people may not want to admit it we need characters and personalities to get people interested in the first place. We here all love the horses and the finishes and the excitement of seeing top quality racing but we are all converted already.
The Dettoris, McCririck’s and Thommo’s of the industry are the ones who do that initial ‘marketing’ for the sport and I salute them for it. They keep many of us in jobs!
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