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When I fell in love with racing (and particularly betting on racing) in the late 70’s, coverage of the sport consisted of a lot of talk about wealthy owners and masterful trainers with jockeys given the occasional nod as dutiful servants.
Betting was rarely mentioned, but there was always full coverage of the post-race presentation so we could see Lord and Lady Whomsoever receive their well-deserved trophy from the MD of Acme Products Ltd.
When John McCririck joined Channel 4 Racing from a lesser role at ITV, he drove a coach-and-horses through this cosy and exclusive coverage. He was loud, visually striking and controversial. There was ludicrous clothing, exaggerated tic-tac’ing, trenchant opinions. But unlike any before him, he understood his market. He knew that the majority of his audience were punters and it was their interests that he promoted and their passion he connected with.
And also unlike anyone before him, he was never afraid of criticising the game’s vested interests or those he felt had let backers down. He always had the punters welfare at heart.
For the next 15 years, McCririck dominated coverage of horseracing in this country. His performances – and they were performances – were often mesmeric. He was that rarest of things in the closed world of racing: someone whom the wider world recognised. That applies even today, which is probably an indictment of the sport as much as anything.
However, as the years went on, like so many before him McCririck’s ‘act’ descended into self-parody. The catchphrases were trundled out, the tiresome sexism wore thin, the public-school nicknames became wearisome. He was like an end-of-the-pier comedian trundling out his October performances to a dwindling audience. The life, the spark, the vigour had gone. It was just an exercise in repeating the same stuff week-on-week, only with the increasing addition of less coherence and more factual errors.
It’s very easy to shout ‘good riddance’ at this character as he has realistically been an embarrassment to racing in the last few years. But some of you may want to remember him in better times. He crashed into coverage of this game like a whirlwind and made punters feel they had a stake in the sport. Perhaps it’s no coincidence as he leaves that those same punters now feel so disenfranchised.
John McCririck was definitely sacked because of the symptoms of his age, but that didn’t make him a victim of ageism. Time, social mores, technology and the modern world just moved on without him. He became a liability, a damaged brand; someone to be laughed at not with. And as a broadcaster, he simply wasn’t up to the job any more.
There’s no victim here. McCririck’s problem was that he just ran out of time.
In the end we all do.
Mike
Very true and well said, when I first started getting interested in racing and watching it when C4 took over McCririck was one of the reasons why I became more and more interested.
He was one of 2 people I feel who shook up the cosy coverage of racing on TV and to me Aussie Jim McGrath was the other with his modern (at the time) commentaries and they both made racing and punting seem exciting to me.
I enjoyed Mac right until the end I must admit, the rest just seem to blend in to one grey blob on screen in front of my very eyes. I suppose that is another mans ‘professionalism’. Well, you can keep it.
But Betlarge’s balanced post is fair and reasonable, unlike some of the snide mocking and name-calling of the man on the other thread.
But Betlarge’s balanced post is fair and reasonable, unlike some of the snide mocking and name-calling of the man on the other thread.
I’ll call him on this thread too PC,John McCririck doesn’t give a monkeys about anybody other than himself,he has No friends from C4 racing,nobody has publicly supported his recent plight,why do you think that is PC? John McCririck epitomises everything we despise about public school Boys,more than anything else his Sexism is a product of such an upbringing.Johns elitism comes directly from going to Harrow and again his poor social skills reflect just why all boy schools boarding together is unhealthy.Mysogyny would be his fav subject at School and he certainly excelled at it throughout his career in TV,he’d even advocate his beliefs in Reality TV shows such was the depth of his views towards women.Johns TV career allowed him to push boundaries and he did at every opportunity,his lambasting of racegoers who dared pinch his camera time just proved even further how it all went to his head.Very few bothered to confront him when he Kicked off but those who did could bring him down instantly as McCririck couldn’t back his big I am front up,more times than not he’d mope off like a spoilt child muttering under his breath as he went,bloody embarrassment at times! No I’m afraid John McCririck is nothing more than an ignorant bigot obsesssed with money and antiquated views.In 10 Million years his body will be dug up and compared to a Mammoth dug up nowadays! DNA testing will prove that both are related.
But Betlarge’s balanced post is fair and reasonable, unlike some of the snide mocking and name-calling of the man on the other thread.
I’ll call him on this thread too PC,John McCririck doesn’t give a monkeys about anybody other than himself,he has No friends from C4 racing,nobody has publicly supported his recent plight,why do you think that is PC? John McCririck epitomises everything we despise about public school Boys,more than anything else his Sexism is a product of such an upbringing.Johns elitism comes directly from going to Harrow and again his poor social skills reflect just why all boy schools boarding together is unhealthy.Mysogyny would be his fav subject at School and he certainly excelled at it throughout his career in TV,he’d even advocate his beliefs in Reality TV shows such was the depth of his views towards women.Johns TV career allowed him to push boundaries and he did at every opportunity,his lambasting of racegoers who dared pinch his camera time just proved even further how it all went to his head.Very few bothered to confront him when he Kicked off but those who did could bring him down instantly as McCririck couldn’t back his big I am front up,more times than not he’d mope off like a spoilt child muttering under his breath as he went,bloody embarrassment at times! No I’m afraid John McCririck is nothing more than an ignorant bigot obsesssed with money and antiquated views.In 10 Million years his body will be dug up and compared to a Mammoth dug up nowadays! DNA testing will prove that both are related.
Great thanks for ruining the thread by repeating the same rant.
I have met John. He was sound as, and great company. We’ve got a saying up here – treat as you find, and no amount of your bile matters to me.
Ironically, spewing behind your keyboard, it is YOU who come across the bully to me.
TAPK is normally a nice enough guy, imo, but once he has a strong opinion about something he seems to keep banging on about it at every opportunity. We already know what he thinks about big Mac and his rant on here just spoils what was a good well balanced thread by Mike.
…he’ll still be appearing on Atr…so not quite finished yet…
…I would be one of those who enjoyed Big Mac’s contributions to C4 over so many years…. his eccentricities..the act if you like..appealed to me and took no notice of any claims of misogyny..it’s just banter and was never to be taken seriously… I’ve read worse on internet forums…including this one over the years…some quite sinister comments that make Mac’s quite tame in comparison…. and when in serious mode he could be an intelligent interviewer…. a task he wasn’t given often enough in my opinion…
…being rather fond of smutty type humour…I shall miss Big Mac very much…
…1998, just after the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke.. a horse called Clinton was running.. Sandown I think it was… Mac reporting from the ring as runners going down to post, and in that tone of voice so rich with innuendo….
..”Clinton !…. went down well….”…
….and if, back in those days, you couldn’t raise a smile at that, then there would be no hope for you….
I think it is a little sad that a number of people appear so keen on a bit of Big Mac bashing. Other than the late Lord Oaksey I can’t think of any media figure I have actually admired. They all appear to chase the dollar and seemingly take out more than they put in.
The only question I would ask is do you think the betting coverage is better for Big Mac’s absence? Yesterday we had Tanya describing a 20 runner handicap as ‘fraught with danger…….for the bookmakers!’ Insightful stuff. Even at her best she struggles to string together a coherent sentence and quite often it appears she is acting as little more than a cheerleader for Pricewise. Is that really an improvement?
I think Ch 4 have treated a lot of people very badly and haven’t got a better programme at the end of it. Maybe someone had to make a stand, even though he did it for the wrong reason. Knowing it’s like a red rag to a bull naming him, Derek Thompson said the other night that Mac was one of the most professional people he’s ever worked with. Pity that he became a carricature of himself and didn’t evolve [Mac that is]. There are very few people in racing that are recognisable to non racegoers and I’m not sure we can afford to lose them.
I would have to agree with the females on here
Mike ever since I mentioned your wife
a while back your posts have scaled
new heights of brilliance.
Now the ladies love both McCoy
and McCririck the two topics
you’ve won such plaudits for.
My question is –
is it you doing the washing upWonderful post, Mike.
In an era when a Prime Minister resigns from a gentlemen’s club merely for the sin of it being a "gentlemens" club, or when men only golf clubs make national headlines, even if less than one percent are single sex and half of that tiny minority are women only golf clubs, then John McCririck’s days were certainly numbered.
In reality, being an integral half of what seems a generally happy marriage of over 40 years, it should be "good citizen" McCririck, not vilification (by those too dumb to read between the lines of a lounge act, a facade).
C4 were happy to exploit that facade when it suited them.
And a very astute reply Rampante.
A case of manipulation and exploitation
by ruthless employers who only want viewers.
Have you watched Network with Peter Finch" I’m a human being for god’s sakes
my life has value " !My question is –
is it you doing the washing upIt is indeed. And all by hand as I had a serious problem with my old dishwasher.
She left me three years ago.
Mike
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