At last, some great news

[Beach Hut]

Re: ITV To The 'Rescue'

I think it has passed its sell by date.

Was better when John Snagg commentated.

 

[Easy 10]

What was the point on the BBC wasting a lorry load of licence payers' money on two sets of steroid-laden chinless inbreds going backwards on a plank of wood 4 miles up the widest sewer channel in Europe?

Marvellous put-down. Sums up my feelings perfectly.

 

[Titanic]

The real story here is that the 'owners of the race' wanted to sex up the coverage a bit - more build up programming in the weeks running up to the event; more blatant sponsorship; more money for the TV rights - and ITV were the ones with the 'vision for the Boat Race in the 21st century'.

I expect Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell to be announced as their 'expert presenters' along with some trusted pair of hands like Gabby Roslin.

More sporting excellence from ITV !

 

[Gullet]

Re: ITV To The 'Rescue'

ITV has won exclusive rights to televise the Oxford v Cambridge University Boat Race.

The race will be shown on the BBC this year and on ITV from 2005 to 2009.

LUCKY THEM!!!!!

 

[clapham_gull]

Thats f*cked them.

They won't be able to fast track into an unfunny BBC "comedy" career now will they ?

Look forward to some Oxbridge in-bred nob presenting..

"An audience With The Worlds Worst CCTV Diy Disasters in the Jungle from Hell..."

Now, if Channel Five get Wimbledon and ask Jordon to present it, it will make my f*cking year.

 

[Hunting 784561]

I wanna know how come the same two teams get to the final every year ? Eh ? Eh ?

 

[alan partridge]

blimey, it was one of those annual things that you'd sit with your mum and watch like the Grand National, London Marathon (or is it a Snickers) Eurovision, FA Cup Final, Wimbledon Final, Worlds Strongest Man (with Geoff Capes), World Darts, Horse of the year show and the World Snooker Championship and all that useless stuff you wouldn't dream of watching any other time.

I don't think many of them get the viewing they used to in the early 80's

i'd agree with most of your list there, apart from, the boat race and world's strongest man. oh and maybe horse of the year show.

most of the others i watched cos my grandad would be round smoking like a chimney in charge of the telly (well darts and snooker anyway)

 

[ditchy]

how the Fcuk are they going to get an advert in there .. Just imagine .. "and Oxford have reached the Surrey bend first, with that lets go for a quick break murray ".

 

[Sorrel]

It would be a more entertaining race if they picked the students to row in it through a raffle of all the students at the university.

 

[Simster]

The BBC have dumped the boat race coverage, this year will be the last. I've been waiting 30 years to see the end of that anachronistic pile of shite. Sounds like the organisers tried to play hard-ball over the rights - and their bluff has been well and truly called. A great day for sport.

Good post. The boat race is bollocks and means nothing except to a handful of ra-ras. I don't need the presence of a few steroid fuelled dickwads and untold cliquey, be-scarfed, posh bints all called trinny to enjoy a few beers by the river.

Oxford & Cambridge sport is weird. Cricket matches played against counties actually count as first class matches in the batting/bowling averages, the boat race is a bore, and "Twickers" is packed to the rafters for the annual sub standard varsity rugby match. On the other hand, I played football with a mate who captained Oxford at football in the days when the varsity match was played at Wembley & later Craven Cottage. he could never understand why the biggest gate he played in front of was 8,000 instead of the 78,000 the rugby teams played in front of.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Can't wait for the Andy Townsend 'Tactics Truck' analysis at the finish. I actually like rowing, you've got to be hard as nails and it is a proper sport. It's just the Boat Race. The contrast between that and, say, the Olympics couldn't be greater. It's like showing live the old East Anglian university football derby between UEA and Essex, only with fewer punch-ups. Far less entertaining.

 

[pasty]

As an ex-rower, I'm a bit niffed it's going to ITV. I nearly always prefer BBC coverage to ITV for any sport.

 

[Titanic]

Pasty,
That's a pretty good post for a "steroid-laden chinless inbred"!

 

[pasty]

Pasty,
That's a pretty good post for a "steroid-laden chinless inbred"!

Carefull, or my girlfriend (or is that sister) will have something to say about that. Now where's my nandrolone ?