- This topic has 979 replies, 136 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 7 months ago by
.
- Posts
I couldn’t see the point of doing a virtual version of what will actually happen in less than 24 hours time. The winner is probably wrong, the 1234 is almost certainly wrong.
I agree, it’s essentially a very snazzy prediction tool, working off the same past form as every other pre-race analysis, but taking several more minutes to get to the verdict. What it isn’t, is a snapshot of what will actually happen in the race.
It looked great for a simulation and I’m sure there has been some clever work done behind the scenes, but I would find your past champions lineup much more interesting.
Personally I think the coverage is crap and even worse than C4 and the C4 before it. The whole production is frenetic, made worse by the rasping Chapman and the screeching Plunkett. When will they recognise that racing is first and foremost about horses and not slebs?
Oh my God the shouting. The endless shouting.
The nadir; 5 minutes of Fitzgerald and McCoy spouting the usual drivel “for one of these jockeys, today, it’s going to be a life changer, blah blah blah”, all the time you could clearly see behind them, the horses in the parade ring. When will these TV people wake up and realise it’s the horses that make this game?
Not ITV’s fault, but we don’t even get to see the horses after they’ve won. Apparently this is necessary, and the horsey types will know better than me if that’s true (when was it a problem in the past?), but even if it is necessary, it takes a lot away. Who really wants to see who pays the bills?
Personally I think the coverage is crap and even worse than C4 and the C4 before it. The whole production is frenetic, made worse by the rasping Chapman and the screeching Plunkett. When will they recognise that racing is first and foremost about horses and not slebs?
Probably, because ITV are not catering for racing aficionados.
Racing on terrestrial TV will always be a compromise to appeal to a wider audience.
Just be grateful ITV are showing it as if they dropped it that, would probably be the last we would see it on the Freeview platform.
I thought they did a decent job of creating a sense of occasion today, which is what is needed for the much broader audience that the National brings. Loved the plentiful use of the theme from Champions which has been underused in recent years :)
Have still got big issues with the camera angles missing key action though. Also the commentary on the big race seemed somewhat error-strewn, especially the miscalling of Gas Line Boy as Wonderful Charm in the closing stages.
There was plenty to like about the coverage though, and I’m just pleased it’s still on one of the “big” free-to-air channels.
Apparently there has been a bid from Steepledowns to host next year’s Virtual National in order to try to increase their profile.
<p abp=”337″>Personally I think the coverage is crap and even worse than C4 and the C4 before it. The whole production is frenetic, made worse by the rasping Chapman and the screeching Plunkett. When will they recognise that racing is first and foremost about horses and not slebs?
<p abp=”338″>Probably, because ITV are not catering for racing aficionados.
<p abp=”339″>Racing on terrestrial TV will always be a compromise to appeal to a wider audience.
<p abp=”340″>Just be grateful ITV are showing it as if they dropped it that, would probably be the last we would see it on the Freeview platform.
Well I think that’s an excuse rather than a reason for a programme that has a large dollop of participant self indulgence. As someone has said, three or four of them standing round a table nattering about something naff all to do with the next race. Meanwhile the horses are being mounted in the paddock or on their way to the start, before they even provide a list of the runners. Funny how Peter O’Sullevan could handle a whole programme almost single-handedly that now takes half a dozen to be relatively unsuccessful at.
Oh my God the shouting. The endless shouting.
The nadir; 5 minutes of Fitzgerald and McCoy spouting the usual drivel “for one of these jockeys, today, it’s going to be a life changer, blah blah blah”, all the time you could clearly see behind them, the horses in the parade ring. When will these TV people wake up and realise it’s the horses that make this game?
Not ITV’s fault, but we don’t even get to see the horses after they’ve won. Apparently this is necessary, and the horsey types will know better than me if that’s true (when was it a problem in the past?), but even if it is necessary, it takes a lot away. Who really wants to see who pays the bills?
Probably because they’re terrified something might collapse and die on air. Or even have a problem and have the cameras have to cut away from concerned faces and oxygen masks. It was warm and the winner I thought looked stiff behind for a few strides, almost as if it was about to tie up (walked on OK though). I bet the vets would not be keen to have the cameras anywhere near if the pressure is on to suddenly try to save a National hero.
When a horse dies in a fall it is usually a long camera shot and the camera is naturally sweeping on with the race so the stricken horse is smoothly and quickly out of shot, plus there is exciting action to comment on straight away up the front. If the camera was close up on a horse that went down after the race, they would have to do a rushed and jerky cut away, and then go and do interviews while the viewer is wondering if the horse that filled their screen a few seconds ago staggering and collapsing with a thump on the walkway is still alive.
itv winning over the critics and the viewers
16:35: The Grand National – 4.85m (40.8%)
* peak – 8.24m (61.6%)this compares to last year
Grand National rating, HUGE peak!
14:00-18:30: Grand National: 2.98m (24.4%)
* peak: 10.22m (59.9%) at 17:26so average is up 2m for itv but the peak was down 2m but look at the audience share up 15.6% on last year.
itv have found a winner with their coverage
“Well I think that’s an excuse rather than a reason for a programme that has a large dollop of participant self indulgence. As someone has said, three or four of them standing round a table nattering about something naff all to do with the next race. Meanwhile the horses are being mounted in the paddock or on their way to the start, before they even provide a list of the runners. Funny how Peter O’Sullevan could handle a whole programme almost single-handedly that now takes half a dozen to be relatively unsuccessful at.”
Simple, don’t watch it and stick to Racing UK then.
itv winning over the critics and the viewers
16:35: The Grand National – 4.85m (40.8%)
* peak – 8.24m (61.6%)this compares to last year
Grand National rating, HUGE peak!
14:00-18:30: Grand National: 2.98m (24.4%)
* peak: 10.22m (59.9%) at 17:26so average is up 2m for itv but the peak was down 2m but look at the audience share up 15.6% on last year.
itv have found a winner with their coverage
Depsite the big share, the peak was one of the lowest for a number of years but it seems some people decided to watch the whole show rather than just put the national on and switch over which is good for racing.
Funny how Peter O’Sullevan could handle a whole programme almost single-handedly that now takes half a dozen to be relatively unsuccessful at.
That’s absolutely not the case. David Coleman then Des Lynam shouldered most of the production ‘in the studio’ and O’Sullevan was helped by many others (John Hanmer, Julian Wilson, Jim McGrath, Michael O’Hehir, Tony O’Hehir, Richard Pitman, Jimmy Linley etc etc) ‘outside’.
Mike
I don’t quite know why the three race commentators were clearly told not to hand over to each other by name and merely stopped talking when they had finished their part of the course.
Seemed a bit unnecessary unless it was supposedly not to distract from the action. It might happen with course commentaries but never for TV broadcasts on races.
Richard Hoiles just ground to a halt instead of handing over to Mark Johnson, who in turn merely stopped talking instead of handing over by name to Ian Bartlett.
Back in the good old days, Peter O’Sullevan even managed to make “As they race towards the first, it’s over to John Hanmer” sound like a key part of his commentary. Likewise with Julian Wilson and his “They’re very, very tired as we rejoin John Hanmer” in one of his famous National commentaries.
The ITV team sounded second-rate and lacklustre generally but Mick Fitzgerald once again did a good job in identifying the colours and incidents in the post-race replay, a role he also did for the BBC and Channel 4.
Why they entrusted Matt Chapman with the way-too-long presentations announcements, I will never know. Over the top and over dramatic in true Chapman style.
I didn’t watch it this year, and that says it all. I went out into Derbyshire on a beautiful day instead. Leaving my TV on the series link intending to put my feet up with a drink, hurry through the filling and Mr Chapman and totally irritating Alice Plunkett. Alas the TV company in it’s wisdom, changed the settings so the link failed to work and didn’t record. I should have been on the case because it’s done it before, but I was rushing to get out.
It just isn’t the same now as it was in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. A different race, different approach, run in hot sun instead of earlier in spring.
However on the whole the ITV coverage isn’t too bad, though I do agree that they seemed to struggle covering the races at Aintree, previously I have remarked on how good the camera work has been, some of the shots of the races didn’t look in HD or there was a fault with the camera or my specs!The BBC had around 50 years to get it right, and its roster of callers nearly as long in which to hone the stock phrases that the public longed to hear repeated every year
This was ITV’s first attempt and was adequately tailored if not seamless: how could anyone expect it to be?
They’d be wise to review the camera angles used in the past, as to my eyes, the ones used yesterday presented an un-Aintree-like Aintree. The Chair didn’t look like The Chair, for example
I find Chapman ghastly, but realise he’s ‘marmite man’ and am too familiar with all the others (bar Chamberlin) to offer any feeling except ambivalence
Chamberlin is a nicely understated foil to the white noise surrounding him, and lest we forget knows much more about the game than Des Lynam or David Coleman did: both chosen because they were familiar and proficient presenters adept at herding the pundits around them
It just isn’t the same now as it was in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. A different race, different approach, run in hot sun instead of earlier in spring.
It’s always been run in early April hasn’t it?
It was unfortunate (for the horses) that it was an unusually hot day but there’s been several similar in the past. And do remember the Earth Summit – Suny Bay Match run in a cold bog a mere 20 years ago; though I do concede that Global Warming might not have been invented then
April is the cruellest month
When I was a little girl it was run in March. My Dad’s birthday often fell on that Saturday and the race was part of the party. Look at some images from the 1950s and you will see people in thick coats and clip marks on the horses. Yes, there have been some muddy ones, Minnehoma, Earth Summit and Red Marauder as well.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.