Thursday, 24 June 2010
Fact: England players find comfort in BBC bosom
Good one, no? Pub trivia par excellence.
I anticipate it's my favourite World Cup bang so far. That's because, like all the best facts, it's a amount of old cobblers, yet it aswell credibility appear a truth.
It's cobblers for basal statistical reasons. (See the basal of this cavalcade for a abrupt summary.*)
But the accuracy it credibility adjoin is that England amateur — no amount what the aftereffect — are just bigger on the BBC.
England alternate to the acceptable bend of Auntie's bust bygone and set about Slovenia like they knew it. Compared to their arid ITV appearances, the accomplished affair had added joy, excitement, the activity of a affable alliance with an old flame. Darling, I've absent you! Darling, I've absent you too! Now here's Mark Lawrenson.
England, acutely alive they were on licence-payers' time, played with added action and conduct than at any time this agenda year.
To reciprocate, the Beeb put on a thoroughly abundant show.
Gary Lineker fronted up, bright as if he had been handed a backward call-up to awning for Jermain Defoe. He presided over a bright 45 account of adduce afore the bout even kicked off.
Talking active prophesying, celebrity cheerleaders fist-pumping. The binding cutaway shots of Steven Gerrard celebrating; Frank Lampard snarling. It all looked somehow clearer, added brilliant.
My favourite moment was a attempt from the larboard field. Five account to kick-off. It's not ... Yes! It is! Brian Blessed, reprising his role as Prince Vultan from Flash Gordon! With bonfire about him! And an even bigger bristles than usual! It was extraordinary.
In fact, the accomplished affair was absolutely able-bodied done. And Lineker, in the average of it, looked like the jug-eared cat that got the cream. As able-bodied he might. He has had the allure assurance over his above amateur Adrian Chiles during this World Cup.
In avant-garde punditry there are alone two accordant modes: baleful austere and avin a josh.
Chiles acreage damply in the middle. His offbeat, Eeyorish amusement is too wry if the po-faced this matters' being is required. But it's not absolutely laddish abundant if Andy Townsend wants to accept a bit of a lark.
Lineker, on the added hand, can be appropriately humourless about the bold because he still has the peacock airs of a above professional. Yet he can aswell segue into absolutely bloke-ish affinity with his stooges, Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer. Alan, Alan and Gary: if they hit badinage approach you feel that this is what they would be accomplishing whether the cameras were rolling or not.
The BBC has sandwiched some appropriate guests amid Alan, Alan and Gary during the endure fortnight. (Yesterday it was Lee Dixon but anybody has an off day now and then). The best of the citizenry accept been Harry Redknapp and Roy Hodgson: both accomplished in their bendable auditions to alter Fabio Capello, astute but candid in altered but commutual ways.
The adopted countless accept not disappointed, either. Manu Adebayor has been aberrant but amusing, while Jurgen Klinsmann is the acquisition of the clash – as ablaze a Teutonic gem as has been unearthed back Boris Becker abutting the Beeb's Wimbledon team. The alone bum agenda hit has been in commentary, area Mick McCarthy's vuvuzela bombinate is like alert to pipes babble in the night.
So: hurrah. No amount the pseudo-stats and the commutual Slovenia result, the BBC accepted bygone it artlessly does it better. How accept to ITV's apparel accept been feeling? Poor, hapless ITV. Not abundant has gone appropriate for it at all. Not alone did it get two of the affliction England performances on record, it has been beneath blaze from all abode back the alpha of the tourney.
It has been berated by Nike for acid abbreviate the premiere of its World Cup ad. It has been berated by 1.5m ITV HD admirers who absent Gerrard's ambition adjoin the USA to watch an ad-lib Hyundai ad. It has been berated by FIFA because Robbie Earle's acquaintance accustomed 400 tickets he'd acquired via the channel.
It has even been berated by the TV authorities because Edgar Davids wore a T-shirt logo on camera that breached point 10.3 of some abominable Ofcom wassock's rulebook.
And worse than all of that, ITV is aswell amenable for James Corden's World Cup Live. But actually, we'll charge addition cavalcade for that.
*From 1982 to today: England accept won 64 per cent of their matches buried alone on the BBC, 30 per cent on ITV. They won 50 per cent if buried on both channels. But the sample admeasurement (34 games) is too baby to accommodate the abstracts absolute statistical significance. Well, you asked.
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