The BBC

[Turns to Stone]

I'd have liked to have seen Paul Merson offering punditry on Taekwando.

"For me, Jeff. That's never a gam-jeom."

[Monkeybubbles]

I'd have liked to have seen Paul Merson offering punditry on Taekwando.

To be fair, my various inferiority complexes would prefer almost anyone to do it instead of the supernaturally handsome bloke they had on.

[Denbighammer]

I work nights so listen to the radio Live and watch the highlights programme the day after. Both lots of coverage seem obsessed with crying, welling-up and telling us all about how emotional they are...and that's just the commentators!!

The lack of actual sport on the TV highlights is pretty annoying. We've also gone the 'full American where if a Britieh athlete or team doesn't win then they just get a 15second by-line in a quick round-up montage.

I want to see the sport, I'm not interested in someone's mum and dad, live from a beer garden in Leeds, no matter how proud they are.

I don't care who the presenters are, I'd just like some sport in my sports coverage. Half the programme felt like I was watching the extras off of a DVD.

[Hammer1966]

The lack of actual live Olympic sport on the BBC (as mentioned by numerous posters) is because the Olympic Committee sold the rights to Discovery. If you want to watch it all then pay £6.99 a month for Discovery + and you'll get their Eurosport coverage. BBC are limited to a couple of live events a day hence the filler...

[delbert]

Set and meet quotas, I'd imagine.

- fewer straight white men
- more women
- more black people
- more LGBT+ people (because apparently they're all swept up under one umbrella now)

There never seems to be a quota for asian people though. #ALM

It's more involved than just that mate. For historical programs set in the UK she has to go back through the census's to confirm how many BAME people were kicking around at the time, then she has to make sure every single one of them is represented either as main characters or in background shots.
I can't think of any other reason why a street scene from Dr Who set in 1650 for example would have so many non white people in it........

[SammyLeeWasOffside]

The lack of actual live Olympic sport on the BBC (as mentioned by numerous posters) is because the Olympic Committee sold the rights to Discovery. If you want to watch it all then pay £6.99 a month for Discovery + and you'll get their Eurosport coverage. BBC are limited to a couple of live events a day hence the filler...

Why do they need such a big crew if they can't show anything?

[Plashet Grove Pete]

Because there are boxes to tick.

Thought Claire was fantastic tonight - how to spend 90 minutes talking down to 12 year olds.

A fine spokesperson for the GCHQ+ community I'm sure we can all agree.

We're paying for this ****? Crawl out of the grave Lord Reith, all is forgiven.

[Hammer1966]

Why do they need such a big crew if they can't show anything?

It's limited not cancelled and they have highlights. Most of the crew are in Salford including the commentary teams. For Rio there were aboit 450 staff sent to cover it. Those numbers this time round have been drastically reduced partly Covid and partly rights related.

[Collison Theory]

It's more involved than just that mate. For historical programs set in the UK she has to go back through the census's to confirm how many BAME people were kicking around at the time, then she has to make sure every single one of them is represented either as main characters or in background shots.
I can't think of any other reason why a street scene from Dr Who set in 1650 for example would have so many non white people in it........

Staying in, watching Doctor Who and getting annoyed by how many non white people are in it... those Saturday nights must fly by.

[delbert]

Getting emotional and simply having to reply to a post where someone made a lighthearted observation , how your Tuesday evenings must crawl by.......

[Turns to Stone]

Because there are boxes to tick.

Thought Claire was fantastic tonight - how to spend 90 minutes talking down to 12 year olds.

A fine spokesperson for the GCHQ+ community I'm sure we can all agree.

We're paying for this ****? Crawl out of the grave Lord Reith, all is forgiven.

I'll say it again, Pete. It's not for you. Last night I spoke to my Mum and she's watched every second of it this year. She loves all this b*llocks. She loves Clare Balding. She loves that there's an relatively unattractive woman on TV screens for a change. And as someone who is less interested in the sport and more interested in watching mums talk about their kids (her only hobby) she's quite enjoying the coverage.

BBC has thousands of hours of TV, radio and music available for you to watch any time. You can go back and watch Olympics from the last 50 years if you want (that was brought to the UK by the BBC).

People talk all the time about 'the problem with twitter', 'the problem with social media', 'the problem with the press', 'the problem with the government'. But what they're really doing is just deflecting from the real problem - the people. We've all become a really boring bunch of moany bastards who want everything just how we like it all the time and straight away. And if we don't get it we're going to moan and moan and moan until we're sick.

It's boring and it's ****. Turn the telly off if you don't like it.

[Monkeybubbles]

Because there are boxes to tick.

Thought Claire was fantastic tonight - how to spend 90 minutes talking down to 12 year olds.

A fine spokesperson for the GCHQ+ community I'm sure we can all agree.

We're paying for this ****? Crawl out of the grave Lord Reith, all is forgiven.

How many sports presenters are better than Claire Balding?

[Plashet Grove Pete]

Fair points TTS. And my Mum sounds just like yours - she's loving it too.

And Bubbs, I'm not trying to criticise Claire Balding (who I think in the right setting is an excellent pundit, although personally I'm less enamoured with her as an anchorperson) (nearly slipped up there but think I got away with it). I just think the BBC evening coverage of the Olympics has been dumbed down to appeal to the lowest common denominator - all sound bites and human interest rather than sports focus.

TTS is right - there's shed loads on the Beeb on numerous platforms so probably unfair of me to pick on certain aspects. Suffice it to say I think the prime time coverage is way below the levels set in previous Games.

But then I used to like "It's a Cup Final Knockout", the coach rides to Wembley and the 6 hour build up, so what do I know?

[Clacton-ammer]

How many sports presenters are better than Claire Balding?

I think we all should all leave the Balding alone, she is one of my favourites and knows her onions that lady.

[fmgod]

I do agree with one of the points someone made, it has been very American and the sport isn't the sport which it should but become about the medal and the back story, whereas the Olympics main plot is the sport 100% not the superflous bits to the average watcher, it has turned it a bit tabloid

[sendô]

It's more involved than just that mate. For historical programs set in the UK she has to go back through the census's to confirm how many BAME people were kicking around at the time, then she has to make sure every single one of them is represented either as main characters or in background shots.
I can't think of any other reason why a street scene from Dr Who set in 1650 for example would have so many non white people in it........

In fairness mate, Dr Who hardly falls into the “historically accurate serious drama” category. If they want to cast a black Bill Shakespeare or an Asian Elizabeth 1 I’m not going to lose any sleep.

Although I somehow doubt we’d get a white MLK.

[Hummer_I_mean_Hammer]

In fairness mate, Dr Who hardly falls into the “historically accurate serious drama” category. If they want to cast a black Bill Shakespeare or an Asian Elizabeth 1 I’m not going to lose any sleep.

Although I somehow doubt we’d get a white MLK.

And all this time I thought it was a documentary on a meta-morphing, non-binary, time-traveller.

[delbert]

In fairness mate, Dr Who hardly falls into the “historically accurate serious drama” category. If they want to cast a black Bill Shakespeare or an Asian Elizabeth 1 I’m not going to lose any sleep.

Although I somehow doubt we’d get a white MLK.

I've long suspected that it wasn't based on fact, my suspicions were originally raised when those 6 foot pepper pots could navigate untold light years all over the gaff but couldn't managed a flight of stairs.
I see the twisting of the racial make up of the country in this context as a way of appealing BAME viewers. However that in itself could be seen as either laughable* or blunt and rather insulting..........

* My option of choice.

[Billydinho]

I've only dipped back into this thread to defend Clare Balding.

She's comfortably the best presenter involved in this Olympics. When she's on with Alex Scott it really shows the gulf in quality between them.

[Turns to Stone]

I've only dipped back into this thread to defend Clare Balding.

She's comfortably the best presenter involved in this Olympics. When she's on with Alex Scott it really shows the gulf in quality between them.

I remember her when she used to do the sports on Chris Evans' breakfast show 30 years and she never put up with his nonsense. She's clearly knowledgeable, well-respected and has served her time across a wide genre of sports. She's the best the BBC has.