Countryfile

[Cork All Star]

There was an item on the BBC’s “Countryfile” tonight about racing. Specifically the amount of fatalities in National Hunt racing and what is being done about it. Lucinda Russell and Peter Scudamore were interviewed, along with someone from the BHA.

I was rather fearing the worst, given it was on the anti-racing BBC and presented by Tom Heap, a long standing reporter for “Countryfile” who does not strike me as being a natural friend of country sport.

To be fair, it was reasonably even handed. It did recognise that racing has done a lot of work to improve safety. And I doubt any viewer could have formed a negative impression of Lucinda Russell and her team or thought they did not care.

I expect it can be viewed on I-player.

[greenasgrass]

Thanks CaS, I might look that out. I don’t normally watch Countryfile, because it’s less realistic and representative of rural life than an episode of Tractor Ted, but it would be worth a watch to see what the racing looks like through a city lens.

[yeats]

They should have had Adam Henson doing the report, he’s regularly reporting sending hundreds of animals to the slaughter house to make money for his farm. But I suppose that’s acceptable.

[gamble]

It’s not a patch on John Craven’s newsround. John’s muddy welly boot conversion was almost like discovering the Pope was snorting !

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