[Closed] Clare Balding

Never mind she looks like Gordon Ramsay too

sorry, just had to vent!

does she have a particular talent, what does she do?

Horses

And bikes, caught a bit of her on a Britain by bike programme on BBCFour. I tuned in to see if there was anything interesting on it, turned out she was on it so i quickly tuned out.

She looks so uncomfortable on that dawes galaxy

i was thinking she looks like ray mears

[img] [/img]

I'd rather do Eddie

I for one think she's OK. Her winter Olympics coverage was very good and she seems to be more 'real' than alot of image obsessed TV presenters. There are few enough women in prominent positions in society, yet they make up 50% of us. It seems unkind for her to be judged on her looks.

...and her manly mannerisms.

She's a monster. End of. If the One show can go to all that effort to get another good looking girl on then surely BBC Sport can do the same and get shot of Balding, Barker etc... (although that little Scottish lass who does the snooker I quite like).

We are mindful of her being an actual lesbian and such, presumably?

You can be attractive and homosexual though

Comfortable shoes!

So you are judging Balding on her looks not on her skills or knowledge.

She has no skills or knowledge.

[i]So you are judging Balding on her looks not on her skills or knowledge.[/i]
Nah, I'm judging her on being a hypocritical superficially obsessed **** based on her interview with that winning jockey where she said to him that he'd be able to buy some nicer teeth now.
🙂

She is more knowledgeable and deserving of a role as a TV sports presenter than many men (as is Gabby!). Problem is, talented presenters then turn up on a variety of programmes and viewers get bored of them...

Wiki: In 1989 and 1990, she was a leading amateur flat jockey and Champion Lady Rider in 1990

Which is more than I've ever achieved in sports. Ugly bint though.

No idea why she's fronting a series on bicycle touring. Clearly, she is virtually unable to actually ride a bicycle, let alone make any swift or graceful progress.

The program is Railway Walks crossed with Coast.
Anyone could present that - and that's the problem here.

So you are judging Balding on her looks not on her skills or knowledge.

Yup, its a fair point, I am in fact that shallow!

In a visual and notouriously lightweight medium I think I might be forgiven for wanting bubble gum for my eyes surely??

Now that Gabby Pppppppppppppppppphooaw..... if it weren't for that fact that she married William Wallace I'd ......(fill in your own disgraceful ephitet)......

Gabby Logan would be a much better presenter than CB for a lot of sports, she seems genuinly enthusiastic and knowledgable. CB should just stick to the horses if thats what she knows, she seems to have little knowledge of anything else.
The whole presenting line up for the winter olympics was a disaster IMO, a complete lack of knowledge and very little enthusiasm for the sports themselves, only ever getting excited about British performers rather than apreaciating the best performers. The poor Canadian girl who was brought in as an expert must have wondered what the fork was going on.

There are few enough women in prominent positions in society, yet they make up 50% of us. It seems unkind for her to be judged on her looks.

I agree. My problem is however that she is on almost everything, why not give more women the opportunity to present instead of the BBC having seemingly found a presenter they like and putting her on the TV/Radio at every opportunity. Commenting on things she clearly knows nothing about.

So you are judging Balding on her looks not on her skills or knowledge.

Yep. I don't have a problem with it either.

Clare is a presenting god compared to almost all the mail sports presenters on tv. She is also very good on the radio 4 programmes that she presents. What she looks like is unimportant, unless your view of presenters is how hard your rod gets.

She irritated me until the cancer thing. Now I have the utmost respect for her!

Kate Humble on the other hand - 😕

I tuned in to see if there was anything interesting on it, turned out she was on it so i quickly tuned out.

two cycling programmes after were good though

...the mail sports presenters on tv

tee hee...

I think she is a good presenter but no idea why she's doing that cycle touring show as she doesn't seem to belong on one and every time she gets to a hill starts moaning - much as I do to be fair....

So who would be better? Peter Snow maybe?

Plenty of idiot male sports presenters on telly that are just as annoying.

Btw the jockey/teeth thing she admitted as a horrible gaffe. Since having your teeth bashed in is a common occupational hazard for jockeys, she assumed that the guy's mangled gob was a badge of honour for his sport. It wasn't, those are just his natural teeth. I think she felt terrible about it afterwards 🙂

Somebody like Mark Lawrenson is equally as bad and if someone was to say he was useless and annoying then people wouldnt try and defend him on the basis of him being an ugly bastard and that criticism of him is because he is an ugly bastard and not eye candy. So Balding being an ugly lesbian is immaterial to how useless and annoying she is.

Only sports presenter i find more annoying than Balding is John Inverdale...that bastard got bbc lawyers to threaten libel action against me for a comment i posted about him on an internet forum 😀

So who would be better? Peter Snow maybe?

Nick Crane!

.that bastard got bbc lawyers to threaten libel action against me for a comment i posted about him on an internet forum

What was the comment?

I overhead him say something on an open mike (live broadcast on the bbc had finished but it was still being broadcast over course radio) and I repeated what he said. Cant go anything further than that!

well, if he said it and it was heard by others then it can't be libel can it?

Unless you commented about what he said as well?

So he denied he'd said what you heard?

I find her strangely attractive.
that is all.
i shall go now.

I think she does a great job - she did a good Radio4 series recently about the SDW.

I think the thing with being a presenter is that you have to be able to present. There's no point putting someone who knows everythign about a sport/activity in front of a camera if they can't articulate that knowledge in a way that enthuses and engages others.

He denied it and as no complaints had been made and there was not recording it was basically my word against his. The course radio was not public access but for marshal use and international broadcasters so the audience would be in the 10s rather than 1000s but despite the small audience I know others heard it - i was laughing about what he said with them at the time! I would have been able to get someone to corroborate what i'd heard but like the shitebag i am i figured it was really not worth the hassle particularly with the way libel laws are like in this country so retracted.

I like her, she is very good, although I don't fancy her. It is allowed to have TV presenters that you do not necessarily fancy. Oh and the Jockeys teeth incident was very funny.

Hmmm...you might have been able to make some good money out of this if you'd have involved The Sun....

well ive watched two episodes now, if you take the bike away theres nothing to interest me so thats my lot

I used to find her annoying when she was doing horse racing a few years ago, a role which she got because of 'family connections', I understand, but she's matured as a presenter really well and I think she's actually pretty good at her job. As for being pretty, well, so she's not blessed with a 'TV face' but so what? Loads of male presenters are ugly bastards, and I'd rather have someone who's good at the job than some airhead that we seem to get on so many other shows. I thought their bike programme was very good actually. I enjoyed it.

Her sexuality is utterly irrelevant. To even mention it displays ignorance and bigotry.

I think Clare is a very good presenter. Certainly on horse-racing matters she is most knowledgeable - her father is a trainer and owns stables in Kingsclere (beautiful Watership Down area).

Last night's programme I found to be better than the previous week's. The bike is really just a vehicle to appreciate the stunning scenery of this land.

I would much prefer to see her presenting than that ghastly Gabby Logan who is smugness personified. 👿

Edit: 'Looks' should not come into the equation.

They all seem brilliant in comparison to the Irish geezer who was on the BBC world darts this year

Personally I cant stand Fiona Bruce. She appears to only be able to speak as if addressing 7 year old children.

I find she presents quite well - and struggles up hill as much as I do. Only women preesenters I can think of who actual cycle are Kate Silverton and Mariella Fostrup.

A positive about Claire is that she might encourage other people, particularly women, to cycle. Nick Crane seemed the obvious person for a series like this so good to see a woman. Looks and sexuality are an irrelevance as others have started to point out.

Balders is ace, as is her family. Top people, in my experience and opinion.

She appears to only be able to speak as if addressing 7 year old children

Yep, another bossy middle-class/public school woman. NuLab's full of 'em too.

I like the fact she can actually present. I also admit I would like to take her to a hairdressers BUT I really like her natural style on the telly.

Go Balders 😀

Champion Lady Rider in 1990

I knew she was a lesbian, but hadn't realized she was that good!

Looks - not fussed either way but the pearls over the top of a turtle neck jumper that she favoured when she first started was never going to endear horsey types to the masses.

For some reason I just imagine her as a very prim head girl at school, reporting all misdemeanours and giving the younger girls a damned good talking to, whilst being far too over enthusiastic in some amateur dramatic Gilbert & Sullivan shudderfest. Just a bit straight laced for me!

Just a bit straight laced for me!

Wrong. 🙂

She's a top lass!

She's very much an old school BBC presenter - totally professional and knowledgeable. And I think that's a good thing.

Aren't there enough gushing bimbos on telly? Clare is quite refreshing.

Wrong.

She's a top lass!

Not met her like you have clearly done so I guess I can only go from her TV persona.
Just did the google thing and I got most of it bang on though - head girl at her girl's school (couldn't kick the habit - Cambridge Union president at university) and partial to a bit of Am Dram in her youth! She might not have been a snitch though 😉

Total minger!
Thanks.

I was at the Epsom Derby this year and we were down by the finishing line, Clare was doing some soundbites but they stopped for the race.

Anyhow I was getting annoyed as my horse started strong and in the lead looked like it would burn itself before the final sprint so said to my brother think the horse has blown it.

Clare buts in and says which horse have you got so I said, she then proceeded to give us a personal running commentary explaining if the horse did this at this point what it would mean for the race and why, she was convinced early on that it would win.....which it did she was absolutley spot on from a long way back, she is both professional and extremely knowledgeable, far better than when we once met John McCririck, she's very down to earth, actually topped the day of nicely that and the win of course 🙂

John McCrirrick is a nasty festering old dinosaur.

Just watched the bicycle touring programme. Actually really quite good. Like Wainwright's Walks but on a bike. Lovely old Dawes tourer, teeny bit big for her mind. Clare presents the show very well, and isn't up her own arse like some celebs who've done this type of thing. Gryff Rhys Jones etc.

colwyn58 - Member
Total minger!
Thanks.

She speaks very highly of you, too.

John McCrirrick was pretty rude, he used to give it the "come racing" line on the TV alot which is good for the sport but, we saw him a few years back and asked him about a race and I think he basically told us to foxtrot oscar so we said "come racing eh John good advert" he just scuttled off. 🙄 but we had the last word 🙂

I'll defend her too, although I only caught the last 15 minutes of the cycling programme it seemed interesting and she presented professionally and with enthusiasm IMO.

She is good at her job and unlike many of her 'colleagues', who are nothing more than a pretty face who can read an autocue, has competed at her chosen sport to a high level.