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Also why is Emma Spencer still co-hosting, she’s blumin’ useless and Catt isn’t that much better. Bring back Alastair Down or even Brough Scott if they have to.
Definatly agree with this, I feel so awkward watching her stumble for her words when she’s interviewing.
You have to say its almost a glorified celebrity mainstream attempt at a Racing programe, they all have blown up personalities and characters, don’t get me started on all these famous fashion twats coming live on the programe etc
Why oh why are Emma Spencer and Mike Cattermole the main presenters now? What are the producers thinking? I’m sure they’re lovely people but they both make me cringe so much and they just aren’t good! If they’re trying to attract a new ‘younger’ crowd to C4 racing then it’s not the way to go about it, i’m early twenties and would much rather watch the previous full time presenters such as leslie graham, tommo, alistair down, even alice plunket is better. And where was tommo for York? He always does York, it made my experience of the meeting that much more disappointing booo! ha.
Seriously though whatever the producers are doing they’re going the wrong way about it.In an effort to cut costs the powers-at-be at Channel 4 decided for some inexplicable reason that Alastair Down and Alice Plunkett should only cover the national hunt racing, and for the flat it would only be Catt and Emma, but with Thommo popping up occasionally and I assume Lesley Graham though I haven’t seen her for ages.
Its obvious that these powers-at-be know nothing about what us viewers want, which includes limiting John McCririck’s apperances. Love or loathe Big Mac he is a well known racing personality, a la Frankie Dettori, and to stop using him so much is criminal.
Emma and Catt are awful, cringe-worthy TV. They make awful jokes, don’t take it too seriously, and are just on the whole very amateurish.
Compare them to Down and Plunkett, thats how your present racing dears.
I’m going to contradict myself here, because, although I’ve been a bit anti Emma Spencer in the past, I was thinking this week that I’d been unfair, and felt that she was doing rather a good job. [Although, not in the same league as the Lydia Hislop interview with Mick Easterby that I saw by accident somehow yesterday, which I feel needs to be recorded for posterity somehow…..]
The age and training centre thing was Tanya’s Tidbit on the Morning Line today. I thought there was a stunned silence at the time as people couldn’t tell whether or not she was being serious. Didn’t watch C4R this aft but can’t believe they repeated this bilge.
Channel 4 racing is not for us "racing enthusiasts". They are trying to reach out to Joe and Joesey Public. I am not a fan of Emma, but she is simply a presenter; not brought in as a racing expert. A pretty girl who knows a little about the game. Once we accept that, it’s easier viewing. Cat is also a "pretty face" for female viewers, though he does have a racing brain. Not that C4 racing uses it.
I contacted Tanya, asking her why the percentages are never explained on C4? The answer seemed to be that their viewers would not be able to follow it. Racing is dummned down for a C4 audience.
Value Is EverythingThey are the presenters because those in charge think it is Channel 4 Racing’s best approximation to ‘This Morning’.
It was never going to work from day one and yes they are consistently terrible.
What was so good about the Easterby interview? Hislop seemed to be struggling desperately to keep a rather pointless interview going. Just because some old northerner who is prone to the odd swear word turns up in front of a microphone it doesn’t automatically mean that we are in for rolling in the aisles television. I was struggling to see what she was finding so amusing.
They are the presenters because those in charge think it is Channel 4 Racing’s best approximation to ‘This Morning’.
It was never going to work from day one and yes they are consistently terrible.
What was so good about the Easterby interview? Hislop seemed to be struggling desperately to keep a rather pointless interview going. Just because some old northerner who is prone to the odd swear word turns up in front of a microphone it doesn’t automatically mean that we are in for rolling in the aisles television. I was struggling to see what she was finding so amusing.
Lydia played the Bill Grundy role superbly,Mick played the part of the Sex Pistols single handedly with aplomb!
Interesting one this…
I think there are a number of people on television who are extremely erudite on horsey-matters…..but dreadful communicators. Who said John Francome? Well, I did actually. When JF talks about a horse’s behaviour and physiognomy I do take notice. When he starts trying to interpret form I often think I’m living in a parallel universe. He’s not by any definition a competent broadcaster.
As for Cattermole and Spencer against Down and Plunkett, give me the former couple every day of the week. Spencer seems to be getting criticism because she’s blonde, relatively slim and wears pretty clothes. I think she knows more than what people give her credit for. Whether she’s a great presenter is another matter.
Finally, agree with Stilvi. I saw the interview with Easterby and was reminded of those interviews from many years ago on That’s Life. You know the ones: daft old bugger gets interviewed and people laugh at some of the things he says.
Thought that interview was baffling to be honest.
I think the "Chemistry" between Catt and Emma makes good TV,there is an element of flirting in every scene,they always hold each others eye contact and smile charmingly,i think they are a fine couple! On the other hand,when Mrs Spencer interviews Mr Spencer after he has just rode a winner and put food on the table and jewels in her box there is a very uncomfortable matter of fact exchange of words with No feeling at all!Weird! If that was me riding into the winners enclosure having just netted another 10k before Tax and my missus thrust a big long mike under my Crown i would be saying "What did you think to that then sweetheart eh"? "Who"s the Daddy then"? "Book the tickets to the Bahamas for a fortnight,i"ll pick up a couple of days ban by then" "and make sure you get us the Honeymoon suite tonight in the Ritz coz i"ll be riding a harder finish then" She would then reply we"re on Air Gord!!Capture the moment eh?
Do try and keep up TAPK
I think anyone that moans about who is or isn’t presenting a racing programme is a bit of a weirdo. And as for anyone that actually really cares, in the real world like – well! Boring.
Do try and keep up TAPK
I think anyone that moans about who is or isn’t presenting a racing programme is a bit of a weirdo. And as for anyone that actually really cares, in the real world like – well! Boring.
Someones had a couple of Shandys tonight!
- Total Posts 17716
Emma Spencer and Mike Cattermole may appear as eye candy to some (there’s no accounting for taste) but to suggest they’re good for racing is laughable.
Racing is a sport, not a quiz show, and needs to be presented by people who know what they’re talking about if it’s ever to make sense to the aspirant punter. When I first dipped my toe into the water I was attracted by the knowledge of people who lived and breathed the sport such as Peter O’Sullevan and Julian Wilson, safe in the knowledge that opinions passed onto the viewer would often be supported with their own hard cash, and – even in my formative years – used to cringe at the crass ineptitude and superficial bumbling of such as John Rickman.
Spencer and Cattermole’s thin veneer of racing wisdom wouldn’t get them a job on Thommo’s tipping line (Still can’t believe that Emma blithely informed all and sundry today that "apprentices aren’t even allowed to carry whips in ‘hands and heels’ races" ), and the sooner CH4 ditches them, and replaces them with some who aren’t just going through the motions, the better off racing will be- Total Posts 17716
I think Pompete was referring to Hayley Turner’s reported influence on the Spencer household, TAPK.
To get back to the point of the original post which is pefectly valid, who on earth in their right mind would think up things such as where a horse is trained or whether it ends up fav or not having any affect on analysing a race and even worse thinking it worthy of broadcast to the masses.
Before every race McCririck trots out drivel about how favs have done in the past, he said one year favs had a shocking record in the Cambridgeshire, only 7 or so had won in the last 30 years, how many was he expecting?
I do wonder how one or two of the C4 presenters ever got in front of a camera, was there some nepotism involved?
To those who think this sort of stuff is confined to C4 and you can escape it on RUK have obviously never watched Mark Your Card.
Maybe it’s a Highflyer Productions thing.
), and the sooner CH4 ditches them, and replaces them with some who aren’t just going through the motions, the better off racing will be
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