The Anonymous Widower

Where’s the Tour de France

On a day, when we’re going to win France’s most prestigious sporting trophy, where is the action?

Radio 5 has some golf and you can only get fleeting bits between the adverts on ITV4.

The Black Prince, Henry V, Hawke, Cochrane, Nelson, Wellington and John Churchill will all be spinning in their graves. I suspect too,that even the French won’t be very pleased, as I think they’d prefer to see France shown at its best to Les Anglais and also as they’ve rather taken to our Bradley. Perhaps we can all take a leaf out of his book and learn to speak better French.

July 22, 2012 Posted by | Sport | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tour de Force In The Tour de France

It has been fascinating watching Team SKY control the most difficult stage in the Tour de France today.  As ever ITV’s coverage has been ruined by advertising breaks. At least there is a decent commentary onf BBC Radio 5 Live.

I suppose if Team SKY get some of their riders on the podium in Paris, we might get the Tour coverage on one of their channels.

July 12, 2012 Posted by | Sport | , , , , | 1 Comment

Another Tax on the Poor

I’ve just been interrupted by an advert on ITV4, where I’m watching the cycling for something called the People’s Postcode Lottery.

Reading about it, it would appear it only promotes itself in Scotland, Wales and the North of England.

I don’t like lotteries, as they are only a tax on the poor and stupid.

Certainly, if you don’t watch ITV or buy tabloid newspapers, it would appear you don’t hear about it.

June 30, 2012 Posted by | World | , , | 2 Comments

The Last Match on ITV

Tonight’s match is last one, that I’ll have to watch on ITV.  Yippee!

But I’ll be listening to the match commentary on my laptop.

It’s certainly the best way to watch football with adverts.

I wonder what percentage do it this way or listen to a radio for the commentary?

June 23, 2012 Posted by | Computing, Sport | , , , , , | 2 Comments

Where Is The Africa Cup of Nations?

I’ve always enjoyed this football tournament, as I said here.

But this year it’s on Eurosport and the only way to see that is by using Sky. All you get is highlights on ITV4 and that’s not in my guide.

January 21, 2012 Posted by | Sport | , , , , , | Leave a comment

ITV Chooses the Wrong Film

Today on ITV3 at 12:55, you could have watched that glorious film, Carry on Cruising.

Isn’t it rather a bad choice considering the news at the moment?  But then ITV doesn’t have a Taste and Tact Department.

January 21, 2012 Posted by | World | , , , | Leave a comment

What Is It With ITV And Football?

I’m just watching Peterborough against Sunderland on ITV.  Watching being the key word, as the sound isn’t working properly.

But then ITV has form in providing crap football coverage!

January 8, 2012 Posted by | Sport | , , , | Leave a comment

The Americanisation of the FA Cup

I hope the idiot, who thought it would be a good idea to ask Budweiser to sponsor the FA Cup, has done the right thing and gone to repent for the rest of his life in a monastery in Nepal or on Mount Assos.

The FA Cup is a British institution and although, it has been sponsored for some time now, all of the sponsors, hsve either been British or come from countries, where football is the national game.

Budweiser is an American company and luckily I’ve never ever sampled any of its products.  In fact as a coeliac, I can’t unless I want to be ill.

Just imagine what would happen if British Airways say, wanted to sponsor a major sporting event in the United States.

Yet again, the FA has shown that the fans don’t count.

One of the outcomes of this deal or perhaps the fact that the television rights have gone to ITV and ESPN, was that the BBC weren’t able to broadcast a radio commentary of the game this afternoon.

November 13, 2011 Posted by | Sport | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Watching England Against Spain

I only watch football on ITV under sufferance, as their commentators aren’t the best and they tend to interrupt everything with pointless adverts.

So tonight, as I often do, I have the ITV pictures with the sound off and I’m listening to the Radio 5 Live commentary. I get a better description and no adverts.

But tonight, the radio commentators are on one side of the pitch and the television cameras are on the other. It could be a bit confusing for some, but I’m finding it enjoyable, especially as with a minute to go,England are winning.

I suspect, it’s also some fiendish plot to get us to watch the match, rather than listen to it, so we have to watch the stupid adverts!

November 12, 2011 Posted by | Sport | , , , , | 2 Comments

Were BBC Radio 5 and ITV Watching Different Rugby Matches?

At half time in the England-Romania match, I switched over to BBC Radio 5 to avoid the adverts.

Whereas the ITV commentators were gushing about England’s performance by leading comfortably, Ian Robertson on the BBC was more professional and clinical in his analysis.

Here is a typical comment from Robertson.

If I was a fanatical England supporter I wouldn’t be thrilled.

I know he’s a Scot and I know little about rugby, but England did seem to make too many mistakes for my liking against Romania’s second team.

But then ITV commentators are more interested in ratings to get more adverts, than good balanced commentary.

But could you expect any more from a channel that produces some of the rubbish it does?

September 24, 2011 Posted by | Sport | , , , | Leave a comment