The worst presenter on the box?
I have just got back from 2 weeks in the States and so have only seen US Olympic coverage which was very US centric (inevitably) and also quite stuffy. My yank friends were very disparaging about their main anchor on the NBC Olympic show and I was forced to both agree with them and also be fairly smug about the higher quality of our sports presenters. (I was also pretty smug with them about the fact that China beat the US in the rush for gold medals - and that even we outperformed them in winning more golds per capita.)
I got home today to find the BBC broadcasting "Olympic Heroes Return" - a programme based sround "Team GB" arriving home at the airport and giving powder puff interviews as they got off the plane and then met up with their families. Not particularly demanding TV but if done reasonably well this sort of thing is not a bad way to spend a sentimental sporting hour on a Sunday afternoon.
The main presenter of the programme, however, was Kate Silverton. I think she either reads the news or sits on the breakfast couch these days. I find her slightly irritating at the best of times. She doesn't interview with any great human empathy and frequently comes across, to this viewer at least, as being more than a bit silly. And for some reason her glasses really annoy me.
She outshone herself this evening. She repeated the same empty questions without variation to each medal winner. Indeed she asked fellow presenter Roger Black the exact same questions half a dozen times between the interviews. She exhibited a seeming complete ignorance of the subject she was dealing with. She talked over and across her interviewees & was insensitive to what was a huge personal moment for the athletes. She even tried to shrilly re-organise an official photoshoot at one excruciating point. She appeared to be as over-excited as a 12 year old horsey girl (full of fizzy drinks and candy floss) at a gymkhana. And she looked as pleased with herself as could possibly be throughout. I thought it was the worst piece of presenting since Mick & Sam did the Brits. She made Anthea Turner look as though she has integrity.
I nominate Kate as the worst presenter on British TV at the moment!
Now, to be fair the woman, I may be completely wrong about this as I am jet lagged to high heaven and a tad over hung. But can anybody name a more irritating TV professional?
Rant over!
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FEARNE
COTTON! Although she's actually alright doing the charts on the radio with "Reggie" - they're the first presenters in YEARS to get over the childish excitement of watching favourite or hated records going up or down - she is quite literally really shit at telly.
Steve Jones is pretty hateful too, especially when he's talking over the brilliant Lauren Laverne with his oh-so-modern irony-slathered smugness.
Beat me to it
Fearne Cotton. Why?
No, really - can anyone tell me why someone so talentless lands presenting gigs? She the anti-Lauren Laverne (you're right about her too, Joe.)
Yeah Yeah Yeah!
When TOTP moved to Sunday in it's brief "revitalized format", The Flaming Lips were on and played The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song. The camera then panned to Fearn who said "that has to be one of the happiest songs ever!!".
The girl needs an education. Badly.
Konnie Huq
I had the misfortune to watch her on BBC New 24 this weekend in a segment of news aimed at the yoof. All bizarre camera angles, fast zooming in and out and inane chatter with her co-presenter mate. Innit?
I am now of the opinion that when she was attacked by anti-China protestors in the Olympic torch relay they were actually after doing her harm and not the torch.
For the programme in question…
I’d have thought the BBC could have got Clare Balding or Gabby Logan or John Inverdale back in time to do it – apart from anything else, they would probably have been a more familiar face to the athletes as they got off the plane.
Kate Silverton is not very good at live outside broadcasts – she made a similar hash of the Oscars a couple of years ago. I feared the worst as soon as I saw it was her presenting it and she lived down to expectations.
I’m not warming to the two weekend presenters on BBC Breakfast – I don’t know whether they’re permanent appointments or just covering summer holidays.
Kate Silverton
is a decent journalist who's been promoted to TV fluff at the whim of a BBC Exec.
Trying in vain to fill a
Trying in vain to fill a Kaplinsky sized hole in the BBC auto-cutie roster. She is rotten.
Vernon Kaye
... or Dermont O'Leary actually. I'd include Russell Brand but I'm not sure if what he does on the radio is technically presenting.
I'll carry on my rant
from the Reading Festival thread about tv music presenters...
how can the wonderful, exciting, emotive and passionate art form of music be covered by such talentless, ill informed and plain dull people?
1. Zane Lowe, there's just two words I can use without swearing... how and why?
2. Jo Whiley, is there anyone more irritating and pointless than her?
3. Jools Holland, probably the most embarassing and awkward interviewer since, well, Jo Whiley.
4. That gurning twat with the stupid ginger moustache (can't remember his name).
I do like Lauren and Mark Kermode on the Culture show.
You know in football on TV they have current and ex-players offering insight, opinions and criticism (well, maybe not on MOTD) - can't more ex-musicians be involved in TV coverage?
Something to give it a bit more other than just a sycophantic crawl to the record and tv companies?
EDIT
EDIT
The gurning twat
that'd be Rufus Hound at a guess. Yes, FUCKING RUBBISH.
Stupid name too!
Where do these people come from? Are they on the radio?
NBC
I have to say that Bob Costas did a pretty good job in presenting the US Olympics on NBC....but each to their own. I think he's presented them for the last 20 odd years...did a professional job I think.
If its any consolation....Fearne Cotton is over here now, co-presenting Last Comic Standing (a stand up comic competition)....her voice makes my ears bleed! I just hope she doesn't come back next year.
Jo Whiley
Well I remember when the Who played Glastonbury a year or two back and after they'd finished a rousing "Won't Get Fooled Again" the camera went back to the studio where Whiley's co-host expressed the opinion that we'd just heard one of rock's greatest tracks. She looked at him like he had two heads and said something to the effect that she'd wouldn't know. Well why wouldn't you missus? You're a DJ and a supposed music fan and you're seven years older than I am! Yet another desperate attempt to be down with the kids and disparage anything that's over a year old. She's easy on the eye but very hard on the head.
Davina McColl / Ian Wright / Radio 1
Davina McColl - from Big Brother to The Brit Awards, why on earth would anyone give this woman a live show? She hashes almost every line and has to constantly apologies for her mistakes on air. Talentless.
Ian Wright - hugely irritating.
Almost everyone on Radio 1 - I would not listen to a music show to be told that everything is brilliant, some critical opinions please! I totally agree with the column in this month's issue, these people do the BBC Glastonbury coverage and have absolutely nothing of worth to say throughout.
A presenter on radio 2 diss'ed some music
It's so rare that it's notable.
Sarah Kennedy played a song on her radio show this morning. Sounded to me like a Mel C solo track. Unfortunately I didn't get the details of the song and I can't see todays playlist on the BBC website. Anyway, when the song was over she said, "You know how you get painting by numbers? Well this sounds to me like singing by numbers. I'm back in my box. Don't write letters."
Rare on 2
I guess it is rare on 2 as well then, although I got the impression that there is less pressure for them to play the latest (insert name here) and tell us all how "amazing" it is, regardless of personal preference.
I tend to go for the podcasts over the full shows though these days, so I miss most of the music.