Games are golden success for BBC

One of the great attractions of sport is its ability to give you those ‘I remember where I was’ moments that fans and spectators cherish for a lifetime. I personally will never forget the tears shed on my sofa as Jonny Wilkinson struck that drop goal in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final, nor the beach on which I listened to Steve Harmison’s last-gasp dismissal of Michael Kasprowicz in the so-called ‘Greatest Test’ at Edgbaston. Moments such as these are rare, and usually occur only once or twice a year. However, once every generation or so, there is a sporting event that is so overpowering in its ability to grip, surprise and uplift people that every single moment qualifies. Thanks to their coverage of this summer’s Olympic Games, the BBC gifted us with such an occasion.

If I went on to list every Olympic event that had me glued to the sofa (or more often than not jumping off it) then this article would probably take up the majority of this newspaper; there really wasn’t a moment that I, or anyone I know, regretted watching and surely that is the mark of good television. But I suppose I should try to denote some of the great success within the BBC’s coverage that made this summer even more memorable.

I personally couldn’t help but revel in the drama that unfolded at the Velodrome, and much of this excitement can be put down to the broadcast and commentary team that the BBC stationed there. In Jake Humphreys, they have one of the most natural and genuinely enthusiastic presenters around, and his on-screen camaraderie with fellow presenters and pundits is a testament to his abilities. Jamie Staff, a gold medal winner in Beijing, helped to explain the intricacies and technicalities of a complex sport, whilst world champion sprint-cyclist Mark Cavendish, entertained viewers with a passion for his teammates and for the sport, despite not being the most gifted man in front of a camera. Hugh Porter and ex-GB cyclist Chris Boardman were equally passionate in the commentary box, making every race feel like the most important in the Olympics, and adding emotion to events that already had my family hollering at Sir Chris Hoy, Laura Trott or the ridiculous nature of the keirin.

BBC stalwart John Inverdale, alongside Sir Steve Redgrave, once again did the rowing regatta complete justice with their coverage at Eton Dorney, combining pure excitement and passion with emotive outpourings of empathy. This was perhaps most evident shortly after Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter’s silver medal-winning performance. The pair’s disappointment in their failure to regain the Olympic title was clear for all to see as they stuttered through Inverdale’s questions. Both interviewers tried with heartfelt attempts to stifle their sadness, but this merely prompted more tears.

One of the greatest aspects of the BBC’s London Olympics coverage, however, was not in the drama and emotion that they presented to us in places such as the Velodrome or Eton Dorney, where success was rather expected, but in fact in the ability of the Olympic broadcaster to have spectators engrossed in sports that had hitherto seemed unimportant and uninspiring. A great example of this was the equestrian events in Greenwich Park. I am allergic to horses, and even standing near one for a few moments makes my nose run, my eyes water and my throat sore, so I have never felt a particular affinity for the four-legged beasts. But that was before the British equestrian team started to win medals left, right and centre: the team cross-country had me jumping as they secured a brilliant silver, and by the time that Peter Charles had cleared the final fence in the team jump-off against the Netherlands to secure an historic gold medal, I was screaming and hollering so much at the TV that my voice had gone hoarse (excuse the pun).

Many people commented on how the strength and success of Team GB was having a knock-on effect in other walks of British life, cheering the country up despite the wettest summer in years and giving us all something positive to discuss as opposed to tax-evading politicians or cheating footballers. This effect appeared to grip the BBC as much as it gripped the rest of us. In the Olympic Stadium, Michael Johnson and Denise Lewis were capable of at one minute informing viewers of the favourites and possible outcomes of an athletic event before immersing themselves in the electric atmosphere of the moment and showing themselves to be genuine fanatics. Elsewhere, Gabby Logan’s late evening show, ‘Olympics Tonight’, was an effective yet light-hearted look back at the day’s events, mixing the drama of the 30th Olympiad with John McEnroe pushing a gold medal sticker up a fake Big Ben to the sounds of Spandau Ballet’s ‘Gold’. Only Gary Lineker could undermine an otherwise perfect cast of presenters, as his knowledge seemed to be lacking in many of the Olympic sports and thus made his interviews both bland and, on occasion, a little cringeworthy.

Even the commentators outdid themselves in the nature of the Olympic spirit. Matt Baker, whom most of our generation will remember as a Blue Peter presenter, could barely contain his sheer elation upon Great Britain’s men’s team taking bronze in the gymnastics. Equally, ex-diver Leon Taylor’s voice was close to breaking following Tom Daley’s final dive in the individual event; you could literally feel the emotion emanating through the television. And then there was Steve Cram’s description of Mo Farah’s epic long-distance victories: absolute, unadulterated joy. “Mo Farah, for Great Britain! It’s gold! Oh yes, oh yes!”

But, as with each Olympic event, there can only be one true gold medal winner, and despite all the success stories of the BBC’s coverage of this summer’s games, that accolade must be awarded to Claire Balding. From her informative presentation of the swimming coverage in week one to the elation she showed for every member of Team GB’s successful equestrian squad, Balding was a pleasure to watch throughout, mixing genuine interest and knowledge with an undeniable love for the Olympics and the mammoth achievements of our record-breaking Olympians. The versatility she showed in being able to talk at length on any of the sports covered, from swimming to taekwondo, was incredible, and her decision to present the evening slot on Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympics was testament to her obvious passion for the Olympic and Paralympic movement as a whole.

So what of Channel 4? They boldly decided to bid (successfully) for the Paralympics, and after the BBC’s 2012 Olympics coverage was such an undeniable success, the pressure was on. Could they succeed despite inferior funding and a team of presenters lacking in the calibre and experience of their BBC counterparts, or would they fail in the manner that Team GB’s football team failed to inspire any Olympic spectator?

Quite simply, they couldn’t touch the BBC.

Almost every time I turned on to update myself on the continued success of Paralympics GB, I was instead witness to an acting cameo by Stuart Pearce as he volleyed a football into the chest of the Go Compare man, or otherwise I was no doubt being informed that I was entitled to thousands of pounds in compensation if I had wrongly been sold PPI. It honestly seemed that adverts were the main order of the day and that, every now and again, Channel 4 were to show a quick snippet of Paralympics action before they could return to the business of money-making.
The largest problem, however, was that the situation didn’t improve once the ads finished…

From the moment in the Paralympic Opening Ceremony that John Snow (the newsreader) passed over to Krishnan Guru-Murthy (oh, another newsreader- isn’t this supposed to be a sporting event?), there was a sense that the Channel 4 coverage of the 2012 Paralympics was going to be notably lacking in quality. Ade Adepitan, whilst not failing in his enthusiasm, entertained viewers with many awkward presenting faux-pas and often had Claire Balding with her head in her hands, whilst Rick Edwards, a charismatic host on many Channel 4 programmes, just isn’t a capable sports presenter.

Even the sporting action itself was sometimes marred by the way that Channel 4 dealt with it. As Sarah Storey claimed her historic fourth gold of the games in the women’s C4-5 road race, I couldn’t help but laugh bemusedly, as Channel 4 decided instead to show viewers the outcome of the sit-down volleyball match between China and Germany. Just days later, and I found myself having to regularly update my Twitter feed to find out how David Weir was getting on in the men’s wheelchair marathon, as he went in search of his fourth gold of the games; this time we were kindly gifted all of the last 200 metres to watch Weir succeed once again. Whilst the BBC granted us constant access to all of Team GB’s medal successes and disappointments, Channel 4 viewers often had to trust the presenters or online text coverage as to who had been the day’s winners and losers.

It is safe to say that the BBC triumphed over Channel 4 in their successful coverage of London 2012, a fact that is surely due in part to the wealth of experience they boast over their rivals in coverage of large sporting events. Thanks to both, however, we were treated to a brilliant sporting summer of highs and lows, winners and losers, and a new sense of what it is to be a fan of British sport.