Adrian Chiles - the genuine all-rounder
They say that Adrian Chiles is being courted by ITV to front their football coverage. The sums of money being talked about are inflated if not made up. But I still think he's probably worth it and the fact that he's being targeted at all is in itself A Good Thing.
He's not some clothes hanger who has to read somebody else's jokes off an autocue; he's not somebody who's had two hits and is therefore deemed qualified to front a chat show; he's not been hired because he's had a high profile affair and he's not a former footballer. More importantly he is a very professional broadcaster who can converse on most subjects off the top of his head and looks like a member of the human race. I think the BBC should work hard to keep him because between him and Clare Balding they have a couple of presenters who could do pretty much anything from a sporting event through a serious interview and Children In Need to a state funeral, which hasn't always been the case.
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Tip top in Apprentice, part 2, after the original, on BBC2
Even better than the normal show.
Seconded
It's so refreshing to not feel patronised by TV presenters.
I am worried he's being...
dragged into the ex footballer chummy nonsense, cycling round uk with Shearer was a slippery slope but on the whole he's excellent. As for Claire Balding easily the best person on BBC sport.
The 5Live connection
It's putting in the hard miles on five-live that made yer Chiles and Balding as polished as they are. And there are plenty more ready to come off the production line: Eleanor Oldroyd, Sheilagh Fogarty etc.
And Simon Mayo is easily the best broadcaster in the country. (As was recognised recently, I think)
I agree
Seems like a thouroughly likeabale bloke. I've always thought that Tim Lovejoy (Soccer AM and that cookery thing in the morning at the weekend that is a good hangover cure) was a bit of a wasted talent doing what he's doing.
However these two genuine, fairly normal blokes only stand out because everything else on telly is so sparkly, glossy and fake. I realise that's a massive sweeping statement and to be honest I don't really watch enough TV to be an expert on the subject. Radio 2 alone is more entertaining than all the TV channels put together.
Yes to Adrian Chiles
He is also savvy/grounded enough to know that NO-ONE EVER moves from BBC to ITV and improves or advances their TV career. If Des Lynam, Bruce Forsyth and Eric Morecombe can't do it, Adrian Chiles won't either.
His problem is that Gary Linekar - also very good IMHO - is in front of him. A mention for Sue Barker too - a tad irritating maybe but very natural.
Chile
Never seen him in anthing else apart from the Apprentice, he seems a decent chap, hope he doesn't move across to the other side. He has a very natural presenting style which is to be commended in this TV age of dum witted "presenters".
Why is ITV such a graveyard
It is true that no one ever improves with going to ITV. I can't think of one person. I hardly ever watch it and I cannot remember the last drama series I have enjoyed that was on ITV.
Adrian Chiles is very good, agree on Simon Mayo as well - excellent. Not sure about Clare Balding though.
Thumbs Up For Adrian Chiles, But I blame Philipa Forester for...
well perhaps not her, but whoever decided to wheel her out as 'window dressing' to front Tomorrow's World back in the nineties - she couldn't have answered a question without an autocue. That's when the pattern for style over substance, and sexperts instead of experts started to snowball.
agreed
met Adrian at a footy match a few years back.top man indeed and excellent broadcaster.
I also like John Inverdale and Danny Kelly both seriously into Music and sport. Danny Baker still the King of Radio Though.
Apprently the big Record Collecter on Five Live is Footy commentator Mike Ingham.Don't know what kind of music he likes.
I think you're right about Mike Ingham
I think it's Mike Ingham who often tries to sneak an osbcure music reference into match reports. Something along the lines of "Kevin Keegan may be the most disappointing second coming since the Stone Roses..."
That's what I want from a sports commentator.
Quincy Jones
There is some bizarre but true (I think) connection between Mike Ingham and Quincy Jones - I believe that they're actually mates, but I can't remember where i heard this.
Mike Ingham
This is surprising stuff to read. Ingham is my 2nd least fave commentator (no-one is worse than Motty) and is irritatingly righteous and very very dull. And always wise-after-the-event. EG 'You know I just think Arsene Wenger needed to strengthen after Thierry Henry left' which follows 6 weeks after 'You know I just think Arsene Wenger has done the right thing blooding his youngsters rather than buying expensive stars'.
I'd be amazed if he'd even heard of The Stone Roses never mind got into them. Your quote sounds like a 'Gordon Brown has Arctic Monkeys on his iPod' to me.....
Five Live football commentators ....
Dont get me started on that unlistenable,hysterical bunch!
Alan Green - AAArgh!
And as for "summariser" Graham Taylor - theres an oxymoron for you! "In my opinion,as I say,at the end of the day,to my mind,believe you me,in the cold light of day,as i just said ..."
Referees
Although I do actually like Alan Green as a commentator, his constant criticism of referees, both in commentary and especially on 606, shows precisely the same disrespect that the BBC will chastise footballers about. Yet more hypocrisy from the BBC.
Gary Imlach
I met Gary Imlach at a friend's wedding (he used to do American Football when it was on Channel 4, nowadays he fronts ITV's Tour de France coverage). Turned out he was obsessed with the jazz singer Jimmy Scott. He'd been trying to get a documentary made, wanted to write a book, etc. I kept trying to steer the conversation back to cycling, but he wasn't having any of it. Genuine fan, very nice fella.
He wrote
an excellent book called My father and Other Working-Class heroes, about the mist-shrouded era when footballers weren routinely ripped-off and callously cast aside unlike the much-feted gilded peacocks of today
From His Wikipedia page.
He(Mike Ingham) is a keen record collector and music fan, and occasionally hosted Andy Peebles' show on Radio 1 during the early 1980s.
And he can handle big name rock stars too...
My mum
My mum likes him as well. He's married to Jane Garvey isn't he? She's excellent too.
Couldn;t agree more
But sadly, in all aspects of the media - 0'cept the Word of course, ahem - trained journos are being elbowed aside in favour of transient celebs and grinning jackanapes (hiya Rossy, so worth the salaries of a gazillion Beeb hacks). I could launch into a detailed polemic here, but suffice to say that we're increasingly ending up with magazines. and TV shows full of finely filegreed faeces with all the depth of a puddle in the Gobi. As someone wittier than me wrote, the outlook\s as grey as a Grimsby tramp's bandage.......
Fine filigreed faeces......
what a fabulous turn of alliterative phrase! It's brightened the tedium of ploughing thru' football related sewage. (Suppose that should be silage, to fully extend the metaphor.)
ta! but
apols for my spelling. I blame a long day at t\cole face (oh yeah) and a very gammy eye....Next up I'll shoe shoe-horn in pettyfogging petty thuggery
I recommend...
his book 'We Don't Know What We're Doing', Chiles' personal account of life as a West Brom obsessive over one ill-fated season in the premiership. So good you don't have to be a baggie to enjoy it... though I am so in my case it was easy.