Goodbye James Allen (2009 BBC commentary team revealed)

[Rubinho]

Maybe this has been discussed already but I've not seen the link thus far. According to Crash.Net the Beeb have revealed their 2009 commentary team. Most importantly, it does not include James Allen. Full story here:

http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/n..._revealed.html

No word in the story about the title music.

[ScotsBrutesFan]

Another re-hash of the pitpass story

It's already being discussed from this post onwards in the Armchair enthusiast thread

[Pingguest]

I can't receive ITV here in the Netherlands. But in the recent years I had to watch on ITV due to vacation. And I don't really understand most of the criticism on James Allen. But that's just my opinion.

[zac510]

The BBC are pretty good at self-promotion so as soon as it's live it'd be up on the BBC website. And it's not. Yet!

[Adam43]

"it has been claimed" doesn't really have the same feel as the headline.

Hey ho. They might be right, they might be wrong. However just like the pitpass story these people cry wolf so much that this news article is wrothless.

[Speedworx]

The team is announced after Brazil

[Clive]

Shame, I quite liked JA, didnt always agree with him but he was both experienced, knowledgeable and enthusiastic, as was a certain venerable Murray Walker!

[Dutton]

Does anyone know if the BBC will be flogging its production to the same clients that ITV did? I am hoping they will, as it helps fill their coffers. If not, I may be stuck with only Speed. That would suck a bit, as I would miss about 20-minutes more of the race.

[RaiseYourFist]

Speed might have a lot of commercials especially at the end of the race but their commentating team is top notch, they really give it their all.

[Dutton]

Certainly. That is where Speed is incredibly strong.

It doesn't change that I will miss a bunch of the race I wouldn't miss if I don't get the BBC feed on TSN in the place of the ITV one. This would suck.

[RotorFan]

Lee McKenzie, yes! A massive improvement over Louise

[andy_b]

Originally Posted by Dutton

Does anyone know if the BBC will be flogging its production to the same clients that ITV did? I am hoping they will, as it helps fill their coffers. If not, I may be stuck with only Speed. That would suck a bit, as I would miss about 20-minutes more of the race.

Asking around here, people knew Murray Walker, so it appears as if they did possible get the BBC feed.... Problem is BBC probably not going to account for the ad brakes.

...but I suspect it will be like TSN does now with commentary lights to flag, with old Gerald Donaldson in an old GPO phone box phoning in.

Personally, I watch the build up on Speed, then move over to ITV until a) Allen ****es me off b) adverts and then chop and change.

At lease we have a choice of two channels here. One thing I do like with Speed is Qualifying. We dont miss anything with the ads, so it isn't live by the end of Q1. At least we dont miss anything

[Dutton]

The BBC doesn't need to account for the ads as far as I am concerned. So the TSN coverage will cut off unannounced...I can live with that (just need to be primed and ready to hit pause and flick channels). I would not expect the TSN coverage to change at all otherwise.

I too tend to start with the TSN feed, given I am interested to hear what Martin has to say. Then I will switch to Speed at ads, if they are still running then I will often just leave it on Speed until they hit ads (then swtich to TSN and leave it on that until they hit ads again, and so on). The different perspectives the two teams give on different incidents can often help provide a greater overall understanding. The synchronising tends to work out well, although sometimes not (which is annoying).

I watch TSN qualifying, simply because I see it as live (I wil always choose this over delayed forms).

If TSN doesn't pick up coverage from somewhere, then I will simply have to make a point of getting RDS.

[Hitech]

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

"it has been claimed" doesn't really have the same feel as the headline.

Hey ho. They might be right, they might be wrong. However just like the pitpass story these people cry wolf so much that this news article is wrothless.

I agree with Adam, a complete lack of wroth.

[John Turner]

My wrath knows no bounds to these writhless spellink airroars!

[f1manoz]

The only person I want the BBC to sign from the current ITV squad is Martin Brundle. Don't care about the rest of them...

[Dutton]

I think Ted Kravitz would be a decent hire as a pitlane reporter (focusing on the same stuff as he does now). A season or three back he was a bit rubbish, but he is actually decent at it nowadays.

He seems to have got his tyre fetish under control, so, mostly, what he does is worthwhile.

[andy_b]

ah, but you havent seen Ted doing BTCC have you. He has more air time with Brundle esque grid interviews and its dire,,,,really really bad.

[Dutton]

Nope, I haven't seen that at all. I am not surprised he sucks at the larger roles. I am suggesting merely keeping him doing exactly the same thing as he does at the moment with ITV, with exactly the same scope of responsibilities and fields of coverage. That said, I really don't care if he isn't hired by the BBC - provided whomever they choose to do his job is at least his equal in such capacities.

I'm not foolish enough to suggest any form of expansion of roles for any of the ITV crew, with the exception of Martin Brundle (he is unquestionable a fully competent person). He is certainly the only ITV member that I think the BBC would be crazy not to take on. I don't think we've had any official word with respect to Brundle, have we?

[steve_r]

I heard a rumour that Brundle might be offered to share the anchor role in the BBC coverage, like what Mark Blundell, which to be fair, has what been what done for ITV.

[Tehillim]

Originally Posted by Dutton

I think Ted Kravitz would be a decent hire as a pitlane reporter (focusing on the same stuff as he does now). A season or three back he was a bit rubbish, but he is actually decent at it nowadays.

He seems to have got his tyre fetish under control, so, mostly, what he does is worthwhile.

That's the problem with Kravitz, he gets an idea in his head and goes on and on about it. I don't think any of them except for Brundle add value. Plus, after 11 years it will be nice just to have a change.

[Sodemo]

Seeing Kravitz doing the Hi-Five's followed by a "cool" handshake (bashing knuckles) on a rather embarrassed looking Matt Jackson after he won at Brands Hatch, made my skin crawl.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by f1manoz

The only person I want the BBC to sign from the current ITV squad is Martin Brundle. Don't care about the rest of them...

I think i'd agree with that comment!

Brundle is a jewel.

Blundell I liked as a driver but he's not a tv man even if he undoubedly knows his trade..
Kravitz seems to be very one dimensional.
Allen's fallen into the trap of not actually commentating, too busy waffling on
Goodman's is too blase and has a slightly condescending tone during interviews, which is guaranteed to get a few prima dona backs up!!!

[Dutton]

That's why you keep him on a leash and away from such situations, Sodemo, . Perhaps a remote controlled electrick-shock contraption attached to his nuts might help remind to keep things in check?

[Neil22]

Everyones a kritik.