Forum Replies Created
- Posts
Too right. Rupert Bell? I reckon Rupert Bear would be more exciting for the hapless racegoers, even with his unfeasibly colourful checked trousers.
And I gather that Ascot has just had another hammer-blow to its "quality" line-up. I’m told by a source that the planned special guest, Ken Barlow, has been forced to pull out at the last minute due to a very unfortunate diary clash. Apparently, he has discovered that he was due to be folding his underpants that day.I pity the poor racegoers. I know Matt Chapman is one of those presenters who divide public opinion, with many finding him entertaining, provocative, fearless and controversial.
But, when I am watching At The Races, I can’t stand his ostentatiously ridiculous modulations of voice. It all sounds so fake and contrived. The laboured and totally contrived Radio 2-style links and puns were growing grey hairs even in the days of Jimmy Young and Pete Murray (and at least they didn’t do the entire programme in a ridiculous, over-the-top, totally unnatural voice worthy of Alan Partridge at his cheesiest).
Why can’t he just do it straight? Tony Ennis, Simon Mapletoft, Sean Boyce and Gina Bryce are all excellent.
Irish correspondent Gary O’Brien must be heartily sick of being called "The Voice" all the time by Matt Chapman and do we really have to endure a eulogy to race commentator John Hunt as "one of the country’s top commentators" every time he hands over to him. Martin Harris is always "Bomber" Harris. It’s so wearisome.
Admittedly, Matt Chapman does a good job when commentating live on some blurred coverage of racing from Germany or wherever, but even these are done in the same fake, bombastic, naughty schoolboy sort of voice. I know, however, he did come to the rescue for race commentaries at Hexham when course commentator Doug Fraser (later found dead) did not turn up.
I don’t know why Ascot are so keen on Mike Vince as their own course commentator. He has been the course commentator for the Shergar Cup meeting for years now and I know Aintree were also keen on using him a few years ago.
But he was dropped very quickly from the racecourse commentators’ rota after a very sorry series of performances at minor jumps meetings, mainly Plumpton, I seem to remember. I gathered from this forum years ago that this was because of the number of mistakes he made. I’m not aware that he’s a particularly exciting commentator but Ascot obviously like him.
Vince, who must be Tommo’s original "Big Feller", does a good job as raceday presenter at Market Rasen meetings, interviewing jockeys etc.
Perhaps another axed racecourse commentator, Dave Smith, will be drafted in to join the supposedly high-quality Ascot team as the judge that day. He certainly didn’t deserve to get the chop as a commentator.Paul, in recognition of your outstanding stamina in the face of adversity, I can offer the following special prizes to you:
Ist prize — an all-expenses-paid day out with Tanya Stevenson in a bedding ring of your choice.
2nd prize — a no-expenses-paid week out with Tanya Stevenson in a bedding ring not of your choice.
3rd prize — a signed copy of "Sheets, pillowcases and bedding. My life in laundry" by Tanya Stevenson.
Booby prize — two signed copies of my new one-page book, "Why I should get a life" (abridged version) by CrustyPatch.Don’t shed too many tears for the poor Channel 4 race commentators limping on with "only" a freelance contract.
Most of them often get two fees for one race meeting.
Channel 4 has arranged for its "own" commentators to be covering most of the Saturday meetings as the duty course commentator, thereby giving the impression that its own race commentators are covering the meeting.
Richard Hoiles will often apparently be the Channel 4 commentator at, say, Newbury or Ascot when in actual fact he is the course commentator and Channel 4 are merely taking the course commentary feed.
If Richard Hoiles, Stewart Machin or even Simon Holt are the course commentator for a meeting on Channel 4, they will often also pop up on the Morning List as a pundit there that day (Simon Holt complete with his pink shirt). Two fees — one from their employers as course commentators and one from Channel 4.
Channel 4 likes to try to pretend to viewers that the race commentator is actually its own commentator when really they are just taking the course commentary, helpfully provided by making sure their "own" commentator is on course.
The pretence is made worse by having Mike Cattermole or Emma Spencer say: "Let’s say a very good afternoon to our race commentator, Richard Hoiles", only for there to be a long pregnant pause and no acknowledgement or thank you by the commentator for the kind, personal and cheery hand-over. That’s because he is already commentating on course.
Simon Holt has been the course commentator on an increasing number of Channel 4 Saturday meetings.
I realise, of course, that increased use of the course commentary is a consequence of the cuts that Channel 4 has had to find in continuing to cover racing. We really don’t mind that the course commentary is used — just don’t try to treat us like idiots and pretend that the race commentator is a separate TV-only commentator. Of course, for the big meetings, Channel 4 uses its own commentator.
Stewart Machin can, when he is commentating for the course (and therefore also by default for Channel 4) at, say Wetherby, also pop up as a pundit on the Morning Line from that course. Two fees for the price of one meeting. Not forgetting the lucrative newspaper columns and other media interests of these people, so don’t pity their supposed lack of job security.
Even Nick Luck no doubts doubles his money by presenting the Morning Line and then swiftly clocking up another fee by switching to hosting the meeting for Racing UK in the afternoon.
Even Tanya Stevenson seems to have no shortage of other employers, including her newspaper and online columns.
Channel 4 definitely don’t like Tommo any more, though. Not only have he and Lesley Graham been cut drastically from presenting duties but Tommo is hardly ever used for course commentaries taken by Channel 4 these days. I can only remember one Newmarket Saturday this year when he has been the course commentator used by Channel 4. Channel 4 have obviously asked for him not to be allocated as the course commentator for meetings they are covering. It’s a shame because I like Tommo’s commentaries.
Lee McKenzie seems to have taken Graham Goode’s place for Channel 4 course commentary feeds. But to prove the point, when Channel 4 took Mark Johnson’s course commentary for a Saturday Goodwood meeting a couple of years ago, who should pop up with Emma Spencer on the Morning Line but Mark Johnson? Two fees for the price of one and he’s not even heard that often on Channel 4.
When the Flat finishes, expect to hear Mike Cattermole commentating on Channel 4 races via the course commentary feed, especially in January when Simon Holt goes on his annual lengthy foreign jaunt.Listen. Thanks for listening. Listen, I’ll tell Joseph what you said. Listen, he’s a good lad, so he is.
Thanks very much, Jeremy.
Very interesting. I love all the bits you have posted about racecourse commentators over the years, including the point-to-point commentators.
Iain Mackenzie’s point-to-pointing colleague, Martin Harris, was commentating at Ffos Las when I went to a jumps meeting there in August to complete my revised full set of visited racecourses but, although he did a perfectly adequate job, he did not add in the same splatterings of colour and information that Iain Mackenzie would have done.
I’ve noticed that the Racing Post has regularly misspelled his name as Ian McKenzie or some variation over the years. No doubt confusing it with Lee McKenzie (or Mackenzie as they sometimes call him). You’d think they would know better.I’ve just returned from more than a week’s holiday and couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Tom Lee apparently moonlighting by serving at the bar, complete with a dickie bow, in a five-star hotel in Madeira. That boy certainly works hard.
Didn’t get chance to speak to him but he looked to be busy on "the machines" working out the prices for the drinks.
Half expected Tanya Stevenson to be one of the chambermaids, folding a pile of bedding and sheets for the rooms. Looking forward to looking at the videos for the last couple of Saturdays for the Morning Line and Channel 4 to hear the latest from the real bedding ring. Tanya was much improved last time I heard. Can it (sorry, id) possibly have continued or was id a bid of a flash in the pan?Hey, at least Frankie was OK, though. He IS racing’s best ambassador so let’s just be thankful he’s still there to grin at the camera.
You’re not seriously telling me that you’re not bothered that world famous trainer David Simcock is now joint top of the Guest Test leaders board. He did get an "astonishing" 10 questions right today, you know. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. David Simcock — joint top. Do you hear me? JOINT TOP.
Phil, you previously suggested in reference to the Morning Line:
"They should make it something like "Mark Your Card" that Racing UK does every Saturday."I think the present shower would be better trying their hands at Bruce Forsyth’s Play Your Cards Right.
"Higher than a monkey, you say — a score."
"If you like things that come in pairs, just look at Nick’s two croupiers."
But, on second thoughts, Play Your Cards Right is probably a weightier and more informative programme than the present sorry, dumbed-down Morning Line.
Don’t touch the pack — we’ll be right back.I reckon this discussion is getting better viewing figures than the Morning Line itself.
Credit where credit is due. Well done and thank you to Tanya Stevenson. On today’s Morning Line, she did not, to my knowledge, say "bedding" once.
After being prompted by Nick Luck, who pointedly said "betting" to her when introducing her, she quickly said "betting", and not "bedding", no fewer than three times in quick succession during her opening sentences.
Later, when moving to the "bedding ring" itself, she again said "betting" and not "bedding". It can’t be just coincidence because I have just been watching videoed programmes from Doncaster and lost count of the number of times she said "bedding".
Admittedly, she did seem to be even more tongue-tied and stuttering than usual today but that’s a minor matter by comparison. Rome, or even Essex, wasn’t built in a day.
If that’s not a victory for the power of the Racing Forum, I don’t know what is. I can hardly believe it. I wait with trepidation to see if the transformation is continued on this afternoon’s programme.
There was no sound for the first few minutes of the Morning Line today so I can’t be completely sure it was a "bedding-free" show but, from what I heard, it was an impressive turnaround.
In another apparently stunning U-turn, John Francome was back to his smart best, wearing a tie. Admittedly, it looked like it had been put on in haste. It was so skewiff, it looked like the woman I gather from other contributors is now in charge of the Morning Line had unsuccessfully tried to wrestle it from him with seconds to spare before the programme went on air.
Considering he had a very casual polo shirt-style top on during a recent programme from Doncaster, it was quite a transformation.
Predictably, Nick Luck let the side down by AGAIN sporting the same pair of unconvincing jeans and sitting so awkwardly that it gave the definite impression they seemed to be causing him some measure of discomfortiture. What’s the point of wearing jeans if you are going to wear a formal jacket? Surely a pair of black trousers would be more appropriate than jeans if being worn with a jacket. Either be smart or casual, but not a mixture of both.
But Tanya, thanks for apparently taking note of the "bedding" issues. Perhaps I won’t have to fast forward you or put the mute on now.
Thanks to the other forum members who have contributed to this admittedly nit-picking but completely tongue-in-cheek discussion.I’m sure Tarns — or "T" as Mike Cattermole calls her — has been up with the cock since early this morning (preparing her "bedding" for the Morning Line).
I expect great things of her this morning. Crisp, warm, lemon-fresh bedding, that’s what I want.
And will Nick Luck have squeezed himself in to those unfeasibly tight jeans again?
Still to come on the Morning Line ….I know Frankie Dettori is racing’s darling and it now seems to be compulsory for all television presenters to say how he is racing’s greatest ambassador but do Clare Balding, Rishi Persad, Mike Cattermole, John Francome and Jim McGrath really have to be quite so fawning?
I hate those pre-recorded bits for the big Qipco races (on both Channel 4 and the BBC) where Frankie gives a few banal, self-evident "insights" into the layout of the track, helpfully pointing out that the course turns to the right and then to the left, not forgetting the all-important tip for the punters that the jockeys must get themselves psyched up for the final push to the line. Then, believe it or not, up comes the winning line.
Clare Balding seems to think Frankie (or "young Lanfranco", as her ex-colleague, Jimmy Lindley, used to call him) is little short of a baby-faced deity. He, of course, rewards them by kissing the camera, making faces and generally acting the fool.
Meanwhile, if he’s not got a ride for a couple of races on Channel 4, he’ll turn up squashed in between good old Jim and John for a few more platitudes.
The flying dismounts may be a crowd pleaser but there seems to be plenty of evidence that the cheeky chappie is not quite such a charmer away from the cameras. His accent is enough to give you the pip.
Nurse, the screens.Prestbury, you’ve made my day with that riposte. Crusty patch on the bedding indeed! Let’s hope you really are staying on strongly at the end if you get your chance with "Tarns" in her very own "bedding arena".
I sincerely hope she’s not wearing one of her flowerpot-men-style hats when she surfaces. I’d rate your chances of making it through to the Morning Line as "one hundred der thirdy" at the moment.
I’ll get my coat. Start the car.I note from the Racing Post’s birthdays list that it is the Queen of the Bedding Ring, Tanya Stevenson’s 41st birthday today.
Let’s hope she marks her special day with plenty of good bedding opportunities tonight. And if she does, we can only pray that the bedding itself is freshly laundered, folded and well-aired.
I look forward to hearing about her birthday bedding activities on the Morning Line."Umm, thanks, umm, for giving me, Sir Henry, the chance to, umm, have my say. Umm, that was good, umm, wasn’t it? Umm, what do you think? Umm, I take special, umm, lessons to get my, umm, head lolling on, umm, one side all the time. It, umm, looks good though, doesn’t it? Don’t you, um, agree? What do you, ummmm, think?"
It always makes me laugh how Sir Henry always looks so reluctant to give interviews on the TV. Mike Cattermole and co must dread having to interview him, especially as it’s like pulling teeth getting anything out of him, although they always pretend it’s one of the great pleasures of life dragging a few stuttering quotes out of him.
Sir Henry always looks bored stiff being quizzed by TV and I don’t like his faintly unco-operative, dismissive attitude, as though it’s all too much trouble. I know he plays up to his so-called shy and diffident nature but there’s still no need to be sarcastic and awkward with TV interviewers.
Great to see his resurgence in fortunes, though. I used to like him and Steve Cauthen in the good old days.
