- 20 Mar 08, 09:29#36462Poor old James Allen, he doesn't seem terribly liked, does he? In his defence I'd just say he does his best to make it exciting, but part of his problem is that no-one could have fully replaced Murray Walker. He goes over the top too often, and while with Murray it was endearing, with James it's a little irritating.
I think Brundle has now established himself as one of the best commentators on any sport, with a good balance of authoritative experience, forthright views and a dry wit, so the Beeb would be mad not to move mountains to hire him. Louise Goodman is another key person. Perhaps they could look at some print journos like Matt Bishop or Nigel Roebuck for the analysis stuff, although Blundell and Rider do a pretty good job at the moment. Rider is definitely contracted to ITV so I wonder what the situation there is.
To be honest though I'm surprised at the switch because I think ITV have done far better than the Beeb used to. I remember how it used to get switched between BBC1 and BBC2 all the time, and how sometimes the coverage was shortened to fit in with everything else. At least we now won't have to play second fiddle to Coronation Street though!
Jim Clark, Monza, one lap down...