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I’m presuming previously announced Ed Chamberlain will be the main NH man, loves the game and attends most Cheltenham meetings.
The Olympics was largely presented out of studio. If Clare Balding can do that gig with no more than a shopping trolley then maybe all Ed Chamberlin needs is a paddock-side pitch and a wheelbarrow full of you know what.
I like Rishi Persad. He’s positive, has a sense of fun and humour, pretty knowledgeable and he seems very adaptable in as much as he can fill a variety of roles.
I also think the new faces (Bell, Grassick) are fine and an essential step although it does seem to be a massive help if you have industry connections. Maybe that is because the racing world is very insular and there is a lack of trust among those being interviewed, etc. Those mentioned know everybody and won’t be refused an interview I suppose. But, if they can present professionally and in an entertaining and knowledgeable way then no problem.
What I do think is that what tomorrow’s audience don’t want is the tired form and paddock analysis with the same tired (old?) faces . I think that aspect needs a fresh approach and fresh set of faces/voices. Tom Segal has been good since they’ve starting to use him more for example. Surely there must be some bright young sparks at the RP or Timeform who could inject some life and a bit of relevance (from an audience perspective) to that aspect.
Commentators. Holt and Hoiles are a class apart and surely you’d look no further.
I thought Gina Harding was a shoe-in so I’m surprised at that. I think Emma Spencer might still retain a role, not sure why she gets such a bad review on here as she is knowledgeable and, like Rishi, can carry out a few different roles.Tanya Stevenson, Gina Harding and Tom Lee have apparently been told services won’t be required- at least that’s good news.
I don’t want to sound nasty but I always wondered how Tom Lee got a gig on TV. He is so dull he makes Persad seem like the most fascinating person on the planet.
Surely there must be some bright young sparks at the RP or Timeform who could inject some life and a bit of relevance (from an audience perspective) to that aspect.
Commentators. Holt and Hoiles are a class apart and surely you’d look no further.
I am sure there are some ‘bright young sparks’ who don’t work for either the Racing Post or Timeform. Perhaps they could look beyond for a change?
I am sure that’s the general perception regarding Holt or Hoiles but I am not so sure it is true.
Surely there must be some form of a mistake …… no role for Thommo.
Seriously though, thank goodness he doesn’t appear to be involved.
I agree with Stilvi, and hope that the studio is limited at best, and largely done away with.
Lets hope that there is more focus on actually showing what the sport is all about… the horses , and less time on close ups of opinionated windbags.
Although I think that the jury is still out on Turner, I am willing to give them a chance. Coverage can’t really be much worse than that involving Thommo, Fitzgerald etc.
A bit of challenging questioning / interviewing wouldn’t go amiss in my view either, and less cringing sycophancyYeah it’s ITV, best known for these days for…. cheesy and predictable tv. The home of x-factor, saturday night takeaway, etc.
What about someone like Mark Winstanley? A hopeless tipster no doubt, but will certainly achieve a few laughs at least. And doesn’t boringly sit on the fence like most of these gravy-trainers. Although I would imagine all the effing and blinding would be too much for some.
Come on ITV, give the couch a call.
Hayley Turner at this stage doesn’t even seem as if she is trying to be good …. And I’m afraid she isn’t.
I used to defend Rishi on here but lately he seems to rely on ‘ explain what it feels like to….’ type questions.Poor
Graham Cunningham and McGrath aren’tnatural presenting to camera people but they are knowledgable and do their homework on form in particular and will take some bettering in that respect.
Looks like bland talking heads are the order of the day on this evidence.
The challenge won’t so much be in picking the team but in deciding who their target audience is. That’s where CH4 came apart.
A programme aimed at regular, seasoned punters should be altogether different from one aimed at people who need educating from stage 1. What is the brief from racing? Is an educational aspect part of it? Is it to assume that all viewers are experienced and are to be urged to bet as much and as often as possible?
Is it to entertain? Do you want entertainment?
What DO you want?
I wouldn’t bank on the challenging questioning quotient being increased Coggy…
I suppose that when you’re dealing with millionaires and billionaires, obsequy is de rigueur.
With that news I wonder how long the racing will last on ITV before it is all shunted onto ITV4, to me the bland leading the bland. Has anyone on ITV not seen Hayley Turner on ATR ? Even that gig is beyond her but boxes must be ticked, gravy trains need to be jumped on
I’ve come around to the school of thought that the chief reason ratings fell since the BBC pulled out is more to do with people’s changing TV watching habits rather than the failure of C4 to maintain and grow the existing audience.
Whereas before the last 4-5 years, a lot of casual racing watchers (the typical man down the pub on a Saturday) might tune into C4 especially to watch a race, now they can access pictures on their smart phones, see how their bet goes, and then get back to the serious matter of drinking and the afternoon’s football.
The C4 production team have been telling racing this for the last four years, but the racing leaders, as per usual, stick their head in the sand and think ITV will somehow save the day.
I don’t buy it myself. I predict that ITV will fail to arrest the decline, and that the racing product will become less and less valuable as a commercial TV medium as time goes on.
The likes of Soccer Saturday on SKY have changed the casual punters betting habits a lot now, very rare to see someone doing a ‘TV Yankee’ to watch on C4. It’s all football acca’s etc and Chris Kamara and Robbie Savage etc all over the screens pimping them.
Apart from Cheltenham, Grand National and perhaps Royal Ascot I doubt that ITV’s viewing figures will be anything to write home about and I bet ITV4 pick up more coverage as the contract goes on.
Oh no, Mick Fitzgerald is the National Hunt man on the team.
I guess it is still going to be “Record, Mute, Fast Forward, Unmute, Watch Race, Mute” for me then.
Mute Fitzgerald is In The House.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
Oh no, Mick Fitzgerald is the National Hunt man on the team.
I guess it is still going to be “Record, Mute, Fast Forward, Unmute, Watch Race, Mute” for me then.
Mute Fitzgerald is In The House.
Just Alice FP to go and it will be mute all the way!
How the hell does Fitzgerald get selected?
That’s me that won’t watch ITV’s coverage.
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