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I saw this crap. Tanya said her one wish for 2009 and asked the big plonker to give his one wish. The buffoon then went of on a tirade giving three things in his usual annoying way. The other presenters all just reacted to him bellowing on rather than disagreeing with the points he was trying to make.
I think that is the point about Big Mac. He irritates so many people in the way he acts that they just switch off from listening to him.
I have not watched the ML for ages but I must say that the whole show was pretty dire and tired looking. Will need to be very bored to watch again.
I have no objection to McCririck – he is often funny and on some important issues is worth listening to – he has a personality. Most of the others are dullards whose company in real life you would try to avoid.
For me the most astonishing thing is how little time they actually devote to previewing the day’s races which is surely the raison-d’etre of the programme.
I
I have no objection to McCririck – he is often funny and on some important issues is worth listening to – he has a personality. Most of the others are dullards whose company in real life you would try to avoid.
For me the most astonishing thing is how little time they actually devote to previewing the day’s races which is surely the raison-d’etre of the programme.
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I totally agree which is the main reason why I’ve stopped tuning in. I want to see the days big races previewed I’m not interested in all the other rubbish thats on there.
It is certainly a tired format. I get the impression that there are some very well informed pundits in the lower ranking seats of the show who deserve more air time.
None of the betting experts do it for me, although Big Mac will be irreplaceable on the show from a betting perspective, long gone are the days when he was hilarious viewing on a Saturday afternoon biting back at those who caught his eye misbehaving in the jungle. His eccentric behaviour got me interested in racing when I was young but his greater involvement in non-racing TV shows has only encouraged my dislike of his style.
Jim McGrath has been on great tipping form of late but seems to be fed-up with everyone on the show except Francome. There used to be great banter between the pundits. I agree with those who have said that they should just stick to the previews and leave the soapboxes in bed.
Should that be the case then I reckon Hoiles and Machin are well placed to take the hot seats along with Cattermole who is the best frontman, unless Lydia Hislop could be encouraged to bring some genuinely informative input to the show. She is the best female racing presenter/pundit by a long, long way and none of the Channel 4 or BBC ladies get anywhere near her in my opinion!
:oops:
sadly posted my reply to this
under the Mcoy’s winner watchAnd I thought you were losing it
Disgraceful post, but he knew it when he wrote it. Don’t publicise the troll, just delete it Corm and him.
Owen Gibson, Gaurdian 6th Jan 2009
Channel 4 has warned the racing industry it will have to increase the amount by which it subsidises its coverage of the sport if it is to continue broadcasting it beyond next year. Negotiations over the future of racing on television could be concluded within the next fortnight, with talks between the BBC, Channel 4 and Racing UK described as being at a “critical stage”.With the BBC determined to press ahead with plans to cut its current 29 days of coverage to around 14, the owner of Newmarket, Jockey Club Racecourses, is believed to have agreed to move three of its biggest races from Channel 4 to the BBC in an attempt to secure more coverage.
Corporation sources said that there could still be some horse trading around particular meetings and said it was open to any reasonable suggestions. Whatever the outcome, the BBC will still pay a rights fee. But it claims its expenditure must be weighed against the claims of other sports in the run-up to the London Olympics.
Channel 4 has argued that, at a time when it is being forced to cut 150 jobs in the face of a worsening advertising downturn and is arguing for some form of public funding to fill a claimed financial black hole of up to £150m a year, it cannot afford to “subsidise” a sport that remains profitable for other parts of the racing industry.
It has made similar noises during past negotiations, before last-minute agreements with, first, the Tote and then Dubai Holdings helped to maintain coverage of the sport. But insiders have claimed that the worsening economic picture and the structural challenges faced by the broadcaster have made the financial picture even more stark. They point to the fact that bookmakers’ takings increase when a race is shown on terrestrial TV and say the industry must make a larger contribution to production costs.
Meanwhile, Channel 4 yesterday confirmed that its head of sport, Andrew Thompson, had stepped down to launch his own sports consultancy and production business. He will continue to lead its negotiations with the racing industry on a third-party basis.
If the broadcaster cannot convince the courses, the Levy Board, the Tote and sponsors to combine to subsidise its coverage, it will claim it has no choice but to end its 20-year association with the sport and replace it with movies and repeats.
Unlike documentary strand Dispatches, Channel 4 News and topical drama, racing is not considered distinctive enough to warrant inward investment.
But the sport’s subsidy to Channel 4 may be in jeopardy, as some racecourses are reluctant to continue paying for coverage, while a spokesman for the Levy Board said that no future payments to Channel 4 were due and no talks with the broadcaster had taken place for six months.
Tote chief executive Trevor Beaumont said that the bookmaker would not countenance a deal similar to the one it struck with Channel 4 in 2006, when it agreed to pay an estimated £2.5m to maintain coverage for the next year. “We would be happy to contribute alongside Ladbrokes, Hill’s, Coral and all the other bookmakers but we wouldn’t want to be carrying those huge PLCs on our backs again,” he said.
Meanwhile Racing UK, which is leading the negotiations on behalf of the industry, is believed to be determined to press ahead with the Sovereign Series, its much-criticised plan for a series of 10 high-profile Flat races across the season with a £10m prize fund
Gaurdian 6th Jan 2009I think we should be careful what we wish for.
Hear hear. Instead of criticising something that is ultimately good for the sport maybe we should be getting behind it and be thankful for it. It will be a very sad day if channel 4 racing ends. I know we have the digital channels atr and ruk but there is something special and exciting about seeing the big races on terrestrial.
Is it ultimately "good for the sport" though, KS1?
Anyone with a new or passing interest in horse-racing who tunes-in, will think it’s nothing more than a bunch of middle-aged ‘clubby’ farts, indulging in an hour-long in-joke.
The show does nothing to attract newcomers to racing, and does bugger-all to peak the interest of those who are already fans of the sport.
It is a complete waste of an hour in which the sport could be showcased, imo.
Grasshopper nails it. Derek Thompson in particular probably drives more people away from racing than he does attract people to the sport. He is definately detrimental to the sport of racing and should be sacked immediately.
Grasshopper nails it. Derek Thompson in particular probably drives more people away from racing than he does attract people to the sport. He is definately detrimental to the sport of racing and should be sacked immediately.
Talk about overstating your case.
Derek Thompson is a competent broadcaster, maybe not the brightest or the best, but I doubt anyone has been put off racing from seeing him onTV. As someone else has said he is to be heard on Talksport doing a good job promoting the racing for the day.
If a different type of program is needed then the editors and directors are to blame, Thompson can justifiably claim to be "following orders"
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