MotoGP: BBC TV boss in commentary team dispute

Whether anyone believes the Eurosport team is superior is immaterial.  Whilst we've all become comfortable with Toby and Julian and their certain depth of insight they aren't employed by the company with the contract.  They may not be everyone's favourites but the BBC crew are reasonably competent people and Auntie is happy with them.  End of story.  Compare the coverage and content we get here in the UK with the dreadful dross North Americans are forced to endure and you'll find we're actually very well served.

However, I will miss Randy Mamola's insider pit-lane analyses every bit as much as his frequently fractured English and Spoonerisms. 

I don't know what the viewing figures are exactly, but I would be surprised to find the BBC's coverage of MotoGP outweighing that of Eurosport, despite the Beebs widescreen format and lack of ads.

The consensus would appear to be in favour of the programme with the better commentary team and I have to agree that the Beeb will be making an error in judgement by leaving Moody, Ryder & Mamola 'on the shelf'.

 I have friends in the US who have nothing nice at all to say about their dose of MotoGP - awful commentary, dire coverage of races, little interest generally if it's not 'made in the US'. My mate resorts to streaming races off MotoGP.com

It is a win win for BBC! They do not need to pay more for a better team and they have now gotten themselves a captive audience. Before I got a Sky box I used to have to sit through the BBC coverage...and record BSB/WSB at all sorts of crazy hours on Ch 4.

Eurosport coverage, commentary and analysis is just in another league when compared to the BBC team. The only plus side is that I will have to do what I used to do and press the 'mute' button during the race. Though it would be glorious to see an option that allows you to turn off the commentary and just 'listen' to the race and have the constant scrolling of postions like in AMA coverage...you reading this forum Belinda??

Sorry BBC, compared to Eurosport you will always be the weakest link

Katana, I guarantee that the beeb get ten to twenty times more viewers for the live races.  The simple fact is that the beeb coverage is free to all and eurosport was not, therefore more people watched.  Just look at the figures for BSB when it was on ITV as opposed to now.

More people are aware of Cox, Parrish and Perry so it is unlikley that the public would understand sacking them for a bunch of people no-ones ever heard of (apart from a few disgruntled bikers).

Paul, it's not about who has the better commentary team.  The BBC has been awarded this contract in part because they convinced Dorna that they can deliver MotoGP to more viewers due to its free-to-air nature and also because they wrote a bigger cheque.  Only the viewers have an interest in the make-up of the commentary team.  You can be sure Dorna cares little who sits in the broadcast booth.  The BBC is not leaving Toby, Julian and Randy "on the shelf".  Toby and Co. don't work for the Beeb.

I believe you'll find the BBC MotoGP team is very aware of all the recent foaming-at-the-mouth blather on web sites.  How about we give them a few races to demonstrate their competence?  If you recall, Toby's hystrionic approach to commentary in his first year of GP coverage bordered on that of a methamphetamine-dosed kiddie's birthday party clown.  It was only after doing Dakar commentary that he calmed down somewhat.

Meh! It's not as tho this is the first run of MotoGP on the Beeb - they've had coverage for a while now and the negative comments about the team's commentary have been around for a while too. Have they developed their skills? No. Have they tried to up their game? No.

 As for what it's about - why is it not about the commentary team? We, the viewer, have no influence over who Dorna give the contract to and whilst I appreciate Dorna's wish to make MotoGP more accessible to the masses I don't really think the BBC will do this incentive justice. If they were prepared to dedicate one of their main channels to the weekend's coverage (think F1 coverage), that would be different. But they're not. It's going to be Red Button stuff for coverage which doesn't constitute as The Main Event. The digital switchover doesn't complete until March/April next year for many areas of the UK, so unless people already have satellite or cable it won't be available to them anyway. And those that do have sat/cable were already watching it on Eurosport. So I can't see how that exposes MotoGP to more of the masses.

Anyway - I prefer the ES team. Others may think differently. There was a choice once.

Paul, like most, I'm also partial to the Eurosport team because their informed commentary.  When you ask why it's not about the commentary team you then go on to answer you own question.  In the world of media it's only about viewer numbers (impressions) and money. Emotional attachments to broadcast personnel are not part of the game.  If you're unhappy with the BBC line-up then your best course of action is to write to Belinda Rogerson at the BBC.  It's her responsibility and I doubt whether any of the posters here has the authority to hire or sack the BBC MotoGP team.

Perhaps though we should be very thankful we're getting Charlie Cox and not Barry Nutley.

This is simply a statement that the BBC don't see a need to change their commentary team, regardless of what the viewers might think.  They are happy with the team they have, and as victor9098 stated they have no competition now so there is no need to up their game.  I suspect that they don't care enough for the viewing public to add costs either, why should they?  Frankly we have Dorna to blame for this, not the BBC, they are just taking a business approach.

Personally I find Cox irritating and I dislike Parrish's "I'm the best racer ever" style.  As for Suzi, I think she does a surprisingly good job on the gadget show, for someone who's been to more top end bike races than many racers she demonstrates an amazing lack of knowledge, plus I find her approach when interviewing certain racers (always the same ones) somewhat sickening.

I think the point I was trying to make was that we may be able to influence the decisions about the commentary team more readily than who Dorna sell the broadcast right to. My email is wizzing thru the ether as we speak ( belinda.rogerson@bbc.co.uk ) although I expect it to be sumarily ignored   However, if it isn't, you'll know who did get the BBC's team replaced (kiddin') cuz I'm sure I'm the first person to bother...

The fact that Belinda felt the need to make a comment on this seems to indicate she is getting flak from somewhere...maybe higher up? The statement is nothing more then a promo for the BBC (Bad Bike Channel?) and has not done anything to help their position.

Sure we can wait and see...but does anyone honestly think the team has come full circle since last year? BBC is not Honda afterall, so we will be stuck with this lot until the 2010 season and the way things are going MotoGP will be lucky to make it that far with more then 4 bikes on the grid.

MotoGP also has much riding on the new GP2 grid, which the current commentary team just will not do justice to. Dorna was foolish, there was little wrong with the original set-up. Dorna should be the target of our frustration as they have been virtually silent on the issue.

I will miss Eurosport and will endure MotoGP on the BBC...we just need to make sure they do not get WSB or BSB, then we would be

iBurty wrote (see

  Frankly we have Dorna to blame for this, not the BBC, they are just taking a business approach.

On the money iBurty.

While I will miss the Eurosport team,my main beef will be that I will no longer be able to watch all the build up of practice and qualifying.Plus because the 125 and 250 races will be on the interactive button and can't be recorded,I'll never be able to see them.

It's one in the eye for true bike race fans,but they've shit on us regardless of opinion.

TBH its not the commentry that winds me up, its the reduction in coverage, If I watch live then I can get it on the red button, or if I want to watch it low res then I can get it later on iplayer.

 I will miss being able to record all the races on Sky+ and watch when I can, including the Brits in 125 and the warm ups, qualifying etc.

I have no real opinion on this as I never watched the Eurosport coverage - no Sky - and now rarely watch the Beebs coverage due to work. However, what little I have seen seems to be reasonably well done and the commentators seem pretty keen. As for Suzy Perry I'd watch her paint a wall (preferably in skin tight leathers or a small bikini) so my thoughts on her are probably best kept to myself.

With regard to the red button coverage though I'm surprised you can't record it as it's on channels 301 and 302 of freeview so surely all you have to do is record direct from the channel? Or is that not possible for some reason?

The other issue I have is the paucity of the grid. And now that Kawasaki have pulled the plug it'll be even smaller. Who's next to feel the pinch and throw in the towel? Suzuki haven't exactly set the world on fire with their results. When will it be easier for them to save face by claiming poverty due to falling sales? And then who falls next?

And, worst case scenario, what happens if you're left with just two manufacturers fighting it out with, say, 4 bikes each? That's the real issue as far as I'm concerned because then there will be no MotoGP commentators to moan about because there won't be any MotoGP.

98% of the time I'm right. Why worry about the other 3%.

falcorob wrote (see)

With regard to the red button coverage though I'm surprised you can't record it as it's on channels 301 and 302 of freeview so surely all you have to do is record direct from the channel? Or is that not possible for some reason?

victor9098 wrote (see)

It is a win win for BBC! They do not need to pay more for a better team and they have now gotten themselves a captive audience. Before I got a Sky box I used to have to sit through the BBC coverage...and record BSB/WSB at all sorts of crazy hours on Ch 4.

Eurosport coverage, commentary and analysis is just in another league when compared to the BBC team. The only plus side is that I will have to do what I used to do and press the 'mute' button during the race. Though it would be glorious to see an option that allows you to turn off the commentary and just 'listen' to the race and have the constant scrolling of postions like in AMA coverage...you reading this forum Belinda??

Sorry BBC, compared to Eurosport you will always be the weakest link