Sonic'

Read this today that Hamster Hammond is top favourite to present Formula 1 when it moves to the BBC next year, instead of replacing Richard & Judy from their TV slot

Didnt realise that it was actually ITV that decided to drop F1 as it was no longer commercially viable (seems a bit strange but there you go)

little-ginge

I heard about that last week.... will he still do TG? Lets hope they don't allow in him on the cars as a taster!

Sonic'

I am assuming he may still be able to do TG as he will still be contracted to the BBC, the Richard & Judy thing was another channel wasnt it ?

I doubt they will let him near an F1 car again after the way he drove that Renault

Chrisgr31

I wouldn't guarantee that ITV had decided F1 was not viable! Speculation seems to be that there was a behind the scenes deal involing ITV, BBC, Bernie, Champions League football.

Snazy

Yeah heard that he was gonna be doing it. Nice guy but not sure if he has the energy to be delivering and presenting a program like F1. Hope he has a good pit crew of his own.

ScoobyWon't

There was talk that Bernie didn't want Brundle at any GPs this year after Brundle wrote in his weekly national paper column that the FIA fooked Mclaren on purpose. As ITV kept him on as commentator, it seems Bernie decided to take F1 to the BBC.

EddScott

I thought Brundle was going to BBC - he was to be the only one carried over from ITV.

I did wonder if Bernie was taking away Brundles soapbox.

Looking forward to Tamara doing the grid walk then

Leslie

I think he will be a good presenter, he has demonstrated that before in other programmes than TG.

I sincerely hope that Brundle will also be on the BBC F1 programme, he is the one chap with good recent F1 experience and is also a very good accurate commentator.

Les

Funkii Munkii

No thanks, I'd rather it stayed on ITV and had more adverts than Mr Look at me i'm the fecking Hamster !!

Brundle would be a good move, I always thought Jonathan Pearce had the energy for the commentary.

Interesting points about Bernie, F1 truely is rotten , they do what they like and get away with an awful lot, whilst Bernie wakes up and decides what his next idea is and makes everyone jump to his tune, the sooner he and Moseley leave the sport the better imo.

Freak

hes a focking moron
id rather have james '****' allen for the whoole bloody show than 10 mins of hamster

Jamz3k

i also cannot be fukked seeing hamster on yet another programme. as nasty as it is to say, since his accident he seems to have become a completely cockbag!

I really hate his column in one of the newspapers too! pure drivel init and get on like he's one of the the "common folk" whilst he's off buying £100k Morgans etc etc

EddScott

Got to say, I've never really disliked James Allen. I dont' quite see why he gets so much grief.

I don't mind RH presenting but I wouldn't want him commentating. Top Gear may well suffer if he's got too much on his plate. Wouldn't surprise me to see TG go on a sabatical.

To be fair, ITV didn't really want F1 as it costs a fortune to air apparently. I think the BBC would do well to pick up on Brundel and even Blundell if they can. Do a "5th gear" on them if you like.

Who would be a good commentator then? The chap that used to do Robot Wars would be amusing. Have a few in there like they do on the V8 Supercars - they come out with some hilarious stuff sometimes.

BIGJAY - re your sig, my Misses is a Team Fortress 2 widow. I know how you feel. Daren't buy COD4!

Gav

I think Jason Plato would be a good commentator/ presenter

ScoobyWon't

Hammond would, IMO, be a good presenter, plus he won't actually have that much screen-time after all, he'll just be filling in the links between segments before handing over to the commentators.

Leslie

I would like to see good old Murray Walker commentating again, he has still got it alright.

Les

p1mark

They should get Keith Heuwen, who does (did) BSB commentary on Sky last year, and is also the link man for the speedway GP's and a few other motorsport events. He is a natural, and although a biker at heart he swots up on the car stuff very well and is very good at both.

Not that there is much wrong with James Allen IMHO. There is a few coloquialisms he comes out with that are a bit annoying granted but all round i think he does a good job and is pretty sharp and knowledgeable.

Murray Walker was well past his sell by date when he packed it in. Half of what he said was OTT and a load of bollox. Bringing him back would be a bad move.

CupraDave

iTrader: (1)

Hammond? Plato? Heuwen?

If the Beeb are to change the presenting and commentating team then at least get people who have a clue about the sport

S'pose this never really stopped ITV with that **** Allen but still, if it was touring cars then Plato yes, but what do Plato, Huewen and especially Hammond know about F1?

Note to the BBC: Please build your team with people who have intimate knowledge of the sport, not just people who can read an autocue after researchers have done their thing.

p1mark

So are you suggesting Nigel Mansell then?

moff1888

How come folk on here are assuming Richard Hammond has no knowledge of Formula 1. I'm sure he is at least a big fan of F1 if nothing else and what would be wrong with the PRESENTER being a fan with a team of knowledgable or whatever commentators?

Easy to assume this as all people really know of RH is that he messes around on TG.

With ref to him being loaded and so on, yeah he is now but he did start off with nothing and was constantly sacrificing loads just to run/buy these cars, in the begining that is, surely that rings true with owners of Scoobies etc.

Oh and I only say this as I'm currently reading his book and so far its a good read

mattvortex

Hhmm? to me, Hammond always comes across as if he just going through the motions and could'nt really give a damn. From Top gear, i suspect that he has little interest or knowledge of cars and just wants to be famous and a presenter intead. I might be wrong but, thats the impression he gives me.

dazdavies

iTrader: (22)

Hammond doing the bit that Jim Rosenthal did and Martin Brundle as is could work very well. I don't mind James Allen too much but for **** sake I hope they replace whats her face, Louise Goodman. Saw her at the Autosport show this year. How rough did she look in real life? Its amazing what a bit of make up does infront of TV cameras.

There was a rumour that Murray was to be involved again but I'm sure that a rumour is just all it is.

moff1888

From reading his book he is indeed very tecnically/mechanically minded starting with bikes and progressing to repairing his own cars.

From watching Top Gear alone he is always the one who is getting right in there when it came to the mechanical challenges - Supercars under 10K i believe. Of course there was repairing Oliver in Africa (?) granted there was another mechanic there but he was in amongst it too.

I suppose the impression of Top Gear presenters can come across as buffoons but only JC has ever said he is a mong at mechanics although i doubt he is that bad.

lordretsudo

I'd hope that Brundle will be kept on, he's an excellent commentator IMO and very insightful, plus he knows everybody and hence gets people to speak to him on the grid. I just hope they get rid of Mark Blundell - he's *awful*. James Allen gets a lot of criticism, but he's marvellous in comparison to Blundell. What happened to Tony Jardine? He was infinitely better...

bugeyeandy

It's £200 million over 5 years. ITV no doubt did the sums and realised that the ad revenue wasn't good enough to fork out that much.

I'm a huge fan of F1 but for the BBC to bend over and hand out £200M of licence payers money when there were no opposing bids is just madness. Especially when 95% of those licence payers would rather be watching something else on a Sunday afternoon.
They should have thrown Bernie £20M and stuck it on BBC3

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

it will be ****e if it does go to the BBC

moff1888

How so?

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

Commentators make a coverage show.

All the beeb commentators are pants.

when i watch motogp, i splash back to bbc when eurosport adverts, then i realise everytime i can put up with adverts when i hear the drivvle the bbc ones come out with,that oz guy for one !

If the ITV commentators go over to bbc,then cool.

martyrobertsdj

iTrader: (1)

F1 on BBC again eh? I just hope they still use Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" as the theme tune.

Also.......Hamster Hammond....... I care not what you say...I like the bloke.

He seems pretty genuine to me and he has a "normal" background. Sure...the boy's done well and now has dosh-a-plenty, but he's worked his way up to tha position.

Good luck to him

moff1888

Stating the obvious but only time will tell. I think it could be really good especially if RH does present it. Don't know for the commentary but it could well be good.

ScoobyWon't

I'd love to see James May do the pit chats. If it is anything like when he commiserated Hammond on losing the Arctic challenge it'd be a hoot.

"Hammond? May. Bad luck."