British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Wimbledon

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Apparently, according to The Times, the Beeb is to be told to revamp its "stale, outdated" coverage of Wimbledon when the broadcast rights come up for renewal after next year's tournament. If that means ditching Clare Balding, John Lloyd & "Bouncy" & dispensing with the asinine, cringeworthy, post-match on-court interviews, I'm all for it!

seagull · Tennis legend

That probably means it will be dumbed down and we will have Rylan and Paddy McGuiness as presenters and to cater for the tik tok generation we will watch no more than 4 points from any match before switching to minor celebs telling us what an amazing day it is from the Pimms tent.

Be careful what you wish for!

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Yeah - luv to see the end of John Lloyd, in particular

But I never watch their talk stuff anyway - it's dreadful

And, yes, a snappy, soundbite, snazzy music clip, nonsense video amusement stuff, would just be ten times worse

emmsie69 · Masters Series Champion

seagull wrote:
That probably means it will be dumbed down and we will have Rylan and Paddy McGuiness as presenters and to cater for the tik tok generation we will watch no more than 4 points from any match before switching to minor celebs telling us what an amazing day it is from the Pimms tent.

Be careful what you wish for!

It'll be influencers.

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes, I'd be happy for no more Andrew Castle and more particularly no more John Lloyd. And I am sure there are possible innovations that J would like.

I'm actually OK with the post-match on-court interviews. They're generally not great but I'd rather have live interviews with the winners than not.

Anyway wait to see. I am sure there are folk with bright ideas in their own minds capable of making an overall not great presentation worse.

Tennpar · Club Coach

indiana wrote:
Yes, I'd be happy for no more Andrew Castle and more particularly no more John Lloyd. And I am sure there are possible innovations that J would like.

I'm actually OK with the post-match on-court interviews. They're generally not great but I'd rather have live interviews with the winners than not.
Anyway wait to see. I am sure there are folk with bright ideas in their own minds capable of making an overall not great presentation worse.

Very much in agreement with you Indie re AC & JL, and the on-court interviews, which I'm rather fond of smile

dodrade · Futures qualifying

Tennpar wrote:
indiana wrote:
Yes, I'd be happy for no more Andrew Castle and more particularly no more John Lloyd. And I am sure there are possible innovations that J would like.

I'm actually OK with the post-match on-court interviews. They're generally not great but I'd rather have live interviews with the winners than not.
Anyway wait to see. I am sure there are folk with bright ideas in their own minds capable of making an overall not great presentation worse.

Very much in agreement with you Indie re AC & JL, and the on-court interviews, which I'm rather fond of

Call me old fashioned but I miss the days when the players would leave the court together and bow to the Royal Box on their way out.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

dodrade wrote:
The expansion plans get the green light from the Deputy Mayor and Government.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/articles/cy89n5k8j1no

But run into further difficulty in the High Court on the basis of evidence presented by the Save Wimbledon Park campaign group.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Stircrazy wrote:
Apparently, according to The Times, the Beeb is to be told to revamp its "stale, outdated" coverage of Wimbledon when the broadcast rights come up for renewal after next year's tournament. If that means ditching Clare Balding, John Lloyd & "Bouncy" & dispensing with the asinine, cringeworthy, post-match on-court interviews, I'm all for it!

But Alyson Rudd, in yesterday's Times, argued for the "hands off" approach. I was playing devil's advocate a bit in posting the earlier article, but agree wholeheartedly with this paragraph in Rudd's article:

The best tweak the BBC could make would be to learn from its own radio coverage. Radio 5 Live adds spice while staying true to the character of the tournament. The commentary is outstanding, the pundits express themselves with freedom and chattiness and knowledge, and there are all manner of quirky background stories. Just because you have access to the pictures should not mean you get lazy about the words that accompany them. On the other hand the silences punctuated by the sound of the racket hitting the ball and the grunts or exhalations of the players are beautiful and mesmeric and should not be interrupted by inane chattering designed to keep teenagers engaged.

And a point made by one reader in the comments section which is frequently echoed on here:

I understand the argument that the Wimbledon coverage should suit the more dignified nature of the event, but the BBC could improve presenters. Clare Balding should go; she's too dull, not that knowledgeable and doesn't bring out the best in interviews/panels.. Ditto some of the other talking heads and pundits. Nick Kyrgios - who I didn't like much as a player - was an excellent commentator; far better than John Lloyd or Andrew Castle have ever been. They could bring in fresh faces and voices, some of whom might have played more recently and are less "clubby."

SuperT · Futures level

Stircrazy wrote:
Stircrazy wrote:
Apparently, according to The Times, the Beeb is to be told to revamp its "stale, outdated" coverage of Wimbledon when the broadcast rights come up for renewal after next year's tournament. If that means ditching Clare Balding, John Lloyd & "Bouncy" & dispensing with the asinine, cringeworthy, post-match on-court interviews, I'm all for it!
But Alyson Rudd, in yesterday's Times, argued for the "hands off" approach. I was playing devil's advocate a bit in posting the earlier article, but agree wholeheartedly with this paragraph in Rudd's article:
The best tweak the BBC could make would be to learn from its own radio coverage. Radio 5 Live adds spice while staying true to the character of the tournament. The commentary is outstanding, the pundits express themselves with freedom and chattiness and knowledge, and there are all manner of quirky background stories. Just because you have access to the pictures should not mean you get lazy about the words that accompany them. On the other hand the silences punctuated by the sound of the racket hitting the ball and the grunts or exhalations of the players are beautiful and mesmeric and should not be interrupted by inane chattering designed to keep teenagers engaged.
And a point made by one reader in the comments section which is frequently echoed on here:
I understand the argument that the Wimbledon coverage should suit the more dignified nature of the event, but the BBC could improve presenters. Clare Balding should go; she's too dull, not that knowledgeable and doesn't bring out the best in interviews/panels.. Ditto some of the other talking heads and pundits. Nick Kyrgios - who I didn't like much as a player - was an excellent commentator; far better than John Lloyd or Andrew Castle have ever been. They could bring in fresh faces and voices, some of whom might have played more recently and are less "clubby."

I certainly agree that Clare Balding should be ditched as she adds nothing of value to the experience. Personally I'd like to see Annabel Croft as the lead presenter as I think she's great and very much under valued.

dodrade · Futures qualifying

SuperT wrote:
Stircrazy wrote:
Stircrazy wrote:
Apparently, according to The Times, the Beeb is to be told to revamp its "stale, outdated" coverage of Wimbledon when the broadcast rights come up for renewal after next year's tournament. If that means ditching Clare Balding, John Lloyd & "Bouncy" & dispensing with the asinine, cringeworthy, post-match on-court interviews, I'm all for it!
But Alyson Rudd, in yesterday's Times, argued for the "hands off" approach. I was playing devil's advocate a bit in posting the earlier article, but agree wholeheartedly with this paragraph in Rudd's article:
The best tweak the BBC could make would be to learn from its own radio coverage. Radio 5 Live adds spice while staying true to the character of the tournament. The commentary is outstanding, the pundits express themselves with freedom and chattiness and knowledge, and there are all manner of quirky background stories. Just because you have access to the pictures should not mean you get lazy about the words that accompany them. On the other hand the silences punctuated by the sound of the racket hitting the ball and the grunts or exhalations of the players are beautiful and mesmeric and should not be interrupted by inane chattering designed to keep teenagers engaged.
And a point made by one reader in the comments section which is frequently echoed on here:
I understand the argument that the Wimbledon coverage should suit the more dignified nature of the event, but the BBC could improve presenters. Clare Balding should go; she's too dull, not that knowledgeable and doesn't bring out the best in interviews/panels.. Ditto some of the other talking heads and pundits. Nick Kyrgios - who I didn't like much as a player - was an excellent commentator; far better than John Lloyd or Andrew Castle have ever been. They could bring in fresh faces and voices, some of whom might have played more recently and are less "clubby."
I certainly agree that Clare Balding should be ditched as she adds nothing of value to the experience. Personally I'd like to see Annabel Croft as the lead presenter as I think she's great and very much under valued.

Pretty unlikely given Balding is considered the Beeb's top sports presenter even if she's not from a Tennis background. Isa Guha who is her no.2 is still primarily a cricket presenter/commentator.

Elegant Point · Futures qualifying

Stircrazy wrote:
Stircrazy wrote:
Apparently, according to The Times, the Beeb is to be told to revamp its "stale, outdated" coverage of Wimbledon when the broadcast rights come up for renewal after next year's tournament. If that means ditching Clare Balding, John Lloyd & "Bouncy" & dispensing with the asinine, cringeworthy, post-match on-court interviews, I'm all for it!
But Alyson Rudd, in yesterday's Times, argued for the "hands off" approach. I was playing devil's advocate a bit in posting the earlier article, but agree wholeheartedly with this paragraph in Rudd's article:
The best tweak the BBC could make would be to learn from its own radio coverage. Radio 5 Live adds spice while staying true to the character of the tournament. The commentary is outstanding, the pundits express themselves with freedom and chattiness and knowledge, and there are all manner of quirky background stories. Just because you have access to the pictures should not mean you get lazy about the words that accompany them. On the other hand the silences punctuated by the sound of the racket hitting the ball and the grunts or exhalations of the players are beautiful and mesmeric and should not be interrupted by inane chattering designed to keep teenagers engaged.
And a point made by one reader in the comments section which is frequently echoed on here:
I understand the argument that the Wimbledon coverage should suit the more dignified nature of the event, but the BBC could improve presenters. Clare Balding should go; she's too dull, not that knowledgeable and doesn't bring out the best in interviews/panels.. Ditto some of the other talking heads and pundits. Nick Kyrgios - who I didn't like much as a player - was an excellent commentator; far better than John Lloyd or Andrew Castle have ever been. They could bring in fresh faces and voices, some of whom might have played more recently and are less "clubby."

Perhaps something along the AO bluezone on TennnisPlus channel ? hmm No idea who the presenters are, but not my bag! Lolling around on the sofas, constantly fiddling with their hair, stuffing their faces etc. Too random..

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Elegant Point wrote:
Stircrazy wrote:
Stircrazy wrote:
Apparently, according to The Times, the Beeb is to be told to revamp its "stale, outdated" coverage of Wimbledon when the broadcast rights come up for renewal after next year's tournament. If that means ditching Clare Balding, John Lloyd & "Bouncy" & dispensing with the asinine, cringeworthy, post-match on-court interviews, I'm all for it!
But Alyson Rudd, in yesterday's Times, argued for the "hands off" approach. I was playing devil's advocate a bit in posting the earlier article, but agree wholeheartedly with this paragraph in Rudd's article:
The best tweak the BBC could make would be to learn from its own radio coverage. Radio 5 Live adds spice while staying true to the character of the tournament. The commentary is outstanding, the pundits express themselves with freedom and chattiness and knowledge, and there are all manner of quirky background stories. Just because you have access to the pictures should not mean you get lazy about the words that accompany them. On the other hand the silences punctuated by the sound of the racket hitting the ball and the grunts or exhalations of the players are beautiful and mesmeric and should not be interrupted by inane chattering designed to keep teenagers engaged.
And a point made by one reader in the comments section which is frequently echoed on here:
I understand the argument that the Wimbledon coverage should suit the more dignified nature of the event, but the BBC could improve presenters. Clare Balding should go; she's too dull, not that knowledgeable and doesn't bring out the best in interviews/panels.. Ditto some of the other talking heads and pundits. Nick Kyrgios - who I didn't like much as a player - was an excellent commentator; far better than John Lloyd or Andrew Castle have ever been. They could bring in fresh faces and voices, some of whom might have played more recently and are less "clubby."
Perhaps something along the AO bluezone on TennnisPlus channel ? No idea who the presenters are, but not my bag! Lolling around on the sofas, constantly fiddling with their hair, stuffing their faces etc. Too random..

I've no idea what the "AO Bluezone" is (I doubt very much that I'd watch it, even if I had access to the TennisPlus channel, on the basis of your description) & my ageing memory may be playing tricks on me, but didn't the Beeb experiment with something along those lines, a "jazzed up" version of Today at Wimbledon, a few years back? The result was so dire & drew so much flak from viewers that it was unceremoniously killed off after a few days. If it is what I'm dimly remembering, I lasted for about 10 minutes before giving up, it was so indescribably awful! I gave up on watching Today at Wimbledon itself when the Beeb started scheduling it when there were still matches in play.

Elegant Point · Futures qualifying

Stircrazy wrote:
Elegant Point wrote:
Stircrazy wrote:
Stircrazy wrote:
Apparently, according to The Times, the Beeb is to be told to revamp its "stale, outdated" coverage of Wimbledon when the broadcast rights come up for renewal after next year's tournament. If that means ditching Clare Balding, John Lloyd & "Bouncy" & dispensing with the asinine, cringeworthy, post-match on-court interviews, I'm all for it!
But Alyson Rudd, in yesterday's Times, argued for the "hands off" approach. I was playing devil's advocate a bit in posting the earlier article, but agree wholeheartedly with this paragraph in Rudd's article:
The best tweak the BBC could make would be to learn from its own radio coverage. Radio 5 Live adds spice while staying true to the character of the tournament. The commentary is outstanding, the pundits express themselves with freedom and chattiness and knowledge, and there are all manner of quirky background stories. Just because you have access to the pictures should not mean you get lazy about the words that accompany them. On the other hand the silences punctuated by the sound of the racket hitting the ball and the grunts or exhalations of the players are beautiful and mesmeric and should not be interrupted by inane chattering designed to keep teenagers engaged.
And a point made by one reader in the comments section which is frequently echoed on here:
I understand the argument that the Wimbledon coverage should suit the more dignified nature of the event, but the BBC could improve presenters. Clare Balding should go; she's too dull, not that knowledgeable and doesn't bring out the best in interviews/panels.. Ditto some of the other talking heads and pundits. Nick Kyrgios - who I didn't like much as a player - was an excellent commentator; far better than John Lloyd or Andrew Castle have ever been. They could bring in fresh faces and voices, some of whom might have played more recently and are less "clubby."
Perhaps something along the AO bluezone on TennnisPlus channel ? No idea who the presenters are, but not my bag! Lolling around on the sofas, constantly fiddling with their hair, stuffing their faces etc. Too random..
I've no idea what the "AO Bluezone" is (I doubt very much that I'd watch it, even if I had access to the TennisPlus channel, on the basis of your description) & my ageing memory may be playing tricks on me, but didn't the Beeb experiment with something along those lines, a "jazzed up" version of Today at Wimbledon, a few years back? The result was so dire & drew so much flak from viewers that it was unceremoniously killed off after a few days. If it is what I'm dimly remembering, I lasted for about 10 minutes before giving up, it was so indescribably awful! I gave up on watching Today at Wimbledon itself when the Beeb started scheduling it when there were still matches in play.

Now you mention it, I do remember something along those lines, also where Liam Broady and others were sat around having brunch?? and chatting.

The Bluezone is another level.

*Internet superstars Elle Ray and Louis Hanson are joined by sports presenter James Tzanoudakis to host the show streaming live to YouTube, TikTok and Tennis Plus every night of the AO.

AO BLUEZONE targets the non-traditional tennis viewer, those keen on the vibes as much as the tennis. It's like your all-access pass to everything that makes the AO so much more than just a tennis tournament. The hosts take you behind the scenes, face off in unique challenges and are joined by players, content creators and super fans to ensure youve got the best seat in the house.* biggrin