- This topic has 3,007 replies, 128 voices, and was last updated 3 days, 18 hours ago by
.
- Posts
Ed Chamberlin seems as genuine and nice a bloke now as he was when I briefly worked with him on Sports Adviser back in the 1990s.
Career success hasn’t changed him one bit, it seems – an admirable quality.
But, that said, I find him pure cringe and he’s one of the leading reasons why I mute most of all – and all of some – broadcasts.
“Bryony-esque” had me feverishly grasping for the mute button today – it was that or lob a cushion at the telly.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I also finf him cringe worthy and I can barely watch him. The betting advert where he stands after the jockeys is the first thing I remove.
I’ve said before on here that I like him, he’s a nice bloke. However, he does try too hard to ‘big up’ stories….
I know he’s trying to sell the sport, but I think he goes OTT.The programme doesn’t need him. Not enough racing knowledge for a lead man.
Some loathe him but Chapman does a better job when given the chance.Six Group ones and they cover just three of them and inflict an Arab race on us for good measure.
Cracking.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Turned the volume on to listen to the interview with Sir Mark Prescott; forgot to turn off the sound afterwards and have just heard Ed Chamberlin refer to the Arc as “racing’s Champions League final”.
The moral of the story is not to turn on the sound. Ever.
We’ve all done it, Gladders, don’t beat yourself up over it.
That’s a particularly gruesome line you copped for there, though – unlucky.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Chamberlin to kids on Oct 1st:
“Only two months to advent calendar kids”.
Next day “Only 60 days to advent calendar kids”.
Next day “Only 59 days to advent calendar kids”.
Etc
Etc
EtcTurned the volume on to listen to the interview with Sir Mark Prescott
Prescott on TV, put me off Alpinista!
I backed Vadeni.I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I've walked and I crawled on six crooked highwaysITV Racing not meant for the hardcore racing fans – it is at heart trying to be a light entertainment sports programme trying to cater for a wider audience that isn’t just interested in the horses.
There are always certain presenters that will be marmite to some of us and to be fair the dedicated racing channels have more of those people for me than ITV does but that is probably due to having a bigger pool of ‘talent’ to call upon. Even the ones I do like (both now and in the past) have their moments of making comments that draw a face palm or a Homer Simpson ‘doh’
For the odd few that do have the volume on has anyone else noticed that Weaver now only calls the whip the pro cush….wonder if that edict has come down from on high?
Racing presenters have gone from Rees Mogg, 70-80’s to Screaming Lord Such who shouted us up to the naughties, to the current Blankety Blank show. They all have their merits and they all have one thing in common – they all do horse talk and give away little prizes (gems)
If none of that makes sense – please forgive me – I have a head 🤕
“Weaver now only calls the whip the pro cush….wonder if that edict has come down from on high?”
Perhaps. I was watching a race at Fontwell over the weekend and the commentator referred to the “pro cush”, so maybe an instruction to avoid the word “whip” has been issued?
“ITV Racing not meant for the hardcore racing fans – it is at heart trying to be a light entertainment sports programme trying to cater for a wider audience that isn’t just interested in the horses.”
Doesn’t look that way when they have Ruby Walsh or Kevin Blake chuntering on about various racing issues.
The reality is ITV Racing tries to be all things to all people, doesn’t really know what it is or what it wants to be and the net result is the unedifying mish-mash range of anorak to lightweight material that has increasing numbers of racing fans reaching for the mute button.
Not quite bad enough to make you stop watching at all, but unlistenable to.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Absolutely agreed, it tries to be all things to all people – and naturally, that isn’t going to flick the switch for us aficionados.
Like you, I spend much of Saturday afternoon exercising the mute button. But I have to confess, I developed a new appreciation of ITV Racing a couple of weekends back.
That was when I found myself on the motorway as the Ayr Gold Cup was due off, and tuned into BBC Five Live. What an utter, utter joke.
They carried Darren Owen’s commentary of roughly the last 50 yards of a six-furlong race, in which two horses were mentioned, then whizzed straight back to the studio – on a day when there was precisely one 3pm kick-off in the Premier League.
People may argue that such shameful and disdainful treatment of racing, compared to ITV’s over-enthusiastic, scatter-gun mish-mash, represent the devil and the deep blue sea, but I know which I would choose any day.
I’m probably not a diehard racing expert to be fair, so i find ITV coverage suits me. I found Channel 4’s coverage boring come the end and i dont have Racing TV or whatever it’s called; i have other things to do with my time most days.
Nick Luck is defo not my cup of tea, then again, admittedly, i find Chamberlain a bit over the top on certain issues.
ITV has to cater to a wider audience or, at least, try to switch occasional viewers to its coverage more permanently to become greater fans of horse racing.
It needs to run a fine line between outright support and covering controversial issues thst arise.
One cannot be too careful, when a new government is on the horizon who are likely to be less supportive to horse racing than the current administration.Chamberlin was at a Salisbury meeting I attended last Thursday and mid afternoon, he was interviewed on the winners podium by the racecourse announcer, Anthony Kemp. It was a nauseating ten minutes (might have been five but just seemed longer) as Kemp proclaimed the ITV coverage as the greatest thing since the discovery of America and Chamberlin agreed with him that they were doing wonderful items to attract new people to racing by telling the stories (Ugh!) and explaining the ins and outs of the sport.
All total bo**ocks of course – 90% or more of their audience have had a bet and just want to watch the race. Leave that element out and there will be as many different ideas about what they should do to fill the gaps between races as there will be viewers. And there have been people complaining about that Polyfilla for as long as there has been televised racing, more so now thanks to the internet.
Live coverage of horse racing is plagued by one simple fact – there’s very little live action. Take this coming Saturday, with seven races from Newmarket and York, which will provide a little over 14 minutes of actual racing in a 150 minute slot. Thank goodness for the Cesarewitch! The producer and director already know that they’ll have to show at least 15 minutes of the most boring sporting action ever seen on TV – small men pushing large horses into the starting stalls – oh no it’s the Cesarewitch, make that 20 minutes!
But they will show the races, the rest is fluff. So what if the longeurs are filled by over enthusiastic males, over dressed females and Matt Chapman (choose your pronouns carefully). Take it as what it is and be grateful. Plenty of sports would cheerfully pay ITV for the amount of time they devote to racing.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.