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The British horseracing journalist John McCririck has died at the age of 79 - one of British television and sport's most unique characters.
Along with Derek Thompson (the sports presenter, not the actor who plays Charlie Fairhead in Casualty), McCririck was the joint face of Channel 4 Racing for many years sporting, (no pun intended) his iconic sub-Sherlock Holmes deerstalker hat and flamboyant dress sense, giving the odds to what the chances of any racehorse winning in that afternoon's race, surrounded by punted and fans - of horseracing, that is. He hardly ever did big events like the Grand National (mostly as it was on BBC 1 for he was contracted to Channel 4 when pre-Countdown films were not being shown in the afternoon), but he was probably the most famous person in Great Britain associated with horseracing who had probably never rode a horse.
McCririck appeared in at least two outtakes seen on It'll be Alright on the Night - one was from the fifth edition in 1987 where a windy day at the racecourse nearly made him lost his trademark hat for good. "Me hat's gone - get me hat", our hero shouted when he realised that he was a bit lighter on top due to the windy weather. The next one was in the following edition first shown in 1993 where McCririck was referring to a big horseracing event. "Come racing", he said, next to a bell on a rope - our hero rang the bell by pulling the rope, making it ring out for the best part of ten seconds before the rope detached itself from the bell. "I think I've broken it", he said in a lower voice, in an almost sub-Mr Bean embarrassment.
John McCririck had been a guest on many chat shows including Alan Titchmarsh's, and he also made the redtop newspapers once or twice because of speculation on his private life - an occupational hazard to anyone who happened to be well-known and in the public spotlight. As a result, he had been seen as a little bit controversial, probably due to his eccentric persona, but on the whole, I think that he was always seen as affectionate and was the flagship person in Great Britain for what he was famous for - giving tips on the racecourse in front of several thousand viewers who were mostly in the same category as those who probably spent half their Saturday afternoon in Ladbrokes on a flutter for Newmarket or Aintree. The timing of his death is slightly ironic in that respect considering the controversy that bookmakers William Hill are having at the moment, although apart from that, the two are obviously sperate. I am not a betting man myself as I have not even played the lottery for a few years.
I am not too much into horseracing myself, but just like a lot unique characters that we knew and love from television, he will be missed - I have always liked those who are eccentric as they are unique and the world would have been a boring place without them. RIP indeed.
Along with Derek Thompson (the sports presenter, not the actor who plays Charlie Fairhead in Casualty), McCririck was the joint face of Channel 4 Racing for many years sporting, (no pun intended) his iconic sub-Sherlock Holmes deerstalker hat and flamboyant dress sense, giving the odds to what the chances of any racehorse winning in that afternoon's race, surrounded by punted and fans - of horseracing, that is. He hardly ever did big events like the Grand National (mostly as it was on BBC 1 for he was contracted to Channel 4 when pre-Countdown films were not being shown in the afternoon), but he was probably the most famous person in Great Britain associated with horseracing who had probably never rode a horse.
McCririck appeared in at least two outtakes seen on It'll be Alright on the Night - one was from the fifth edition in 1987 where a windy day at the racecourse nearly made him lost his trademark hat for good. "Me hat's gone - get me hat", our hero shouted when he realised that he was a bit lighter on top due to the windy weather. The next one was in the following edition first shown in 1993 where McCririck was referring to a big horseracing event. "Come racing", he said, next to a bell on a rope - our hero rang the bell by pulling the rope, making it ring out for the best part of ten seconds before the rope detached itself from the bell. "I think I've broken it", he said in a lower voice, in an almost sub-Mr Bean embarrassment.
John McCririck had been a guest on many chat shows including Alan Titchmarsh's, and he also made the redtop newspapers once or twice because of speculation on his private life - an occupational hazard to anyone who happened to be well-known and in the public spotlight. As a result, he had been seen as a little bit controversial, probably due to his eccentric persona, but on the whole, I think that he was always seen as affectionate and was the flagship person in Great Britain for what he was famous for - giving tips on the racecourse in front of several thousand viewers who were mostly in the same category as those who probably spent half their Saturday afternoon in Ladbrokes on a flutter for Newmarket or Aintree. The timing of his death is slightly ironic in that respect considering the controversy that bookmakers William Hill are having at the moment, although apart from that, the two are obviously sperate. I am not a betting man myself as I have not even played the lottery for a few years.
I am not too much into horseracing myself, but just like a lot unique characters that we knew and love from television, he will be missed - I have always liked those who are eccentric as they are unique and the world would have been a boring place without them. RIP indeed.
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