PSA: Rachel and Gee Atherton BBC 2, 10pm Clare Balding Show

Enjoy.

Cringesome…

I think they did okay – yardsale, grinder? So many MTB words and phrases, but not heard them before.

I really like Gee and Rachel, and they’re good at being mainstream media friendly – but I can’t hell but think there’s a couple of other UK riders who are a bit less professional, but have a bit more charisma.

Not sure if it was the editing, but i didn’t feel they came over that well tbh, a bit “Niche sounding” perhaps?

(tbf, the other guests didn’t exactly sparkle either……..)

A link to the iPlayer of the show – the Atthertons are on at 20.30 or so.

Something’s died on Jimmy whites head…

About 2 kilos of black polyester I think…

I thought they came across very well.

I think they did as well as they could. It’s a pretty lightweight programme which I won’t be watching again. The programme should have made more about their achievements rather than Gee posing nude and if the roles had been reversed and she had been making comments about Rachel and the size of her hands I think there would have been outrage.

I didnt think they came across well at all. Lots of throwaway comments and mtb slang portrayed them as ‘dudes’ rather than ‘top sportsman/women’. When asked about bringing young women into the sport, Rachel’s reply of ‘as long as they don’t beat me’ seemed extremely selfish.

As above, whether this was due to editing i dont know.

^^^ agree, but did anyone see the 1hr version they show on BT Sport? I’d assume less brutal editing makes for a better show?

Rachael has shown a few times lately that she’s a knob! And Gee was just what you’d expect from Gee; dead behind the eyes. I cringed as well.

I would have tuned in but I had some emulsion drying in the spare room that captivated me.

Ratboy nailed it perfectly years ago

Getting enthused about downhill riders really should be the preserve of 12 year olds not grown men..

@BoardinBob – that was a superb moment. Only surpassed by Ratboy trying to sing it himself…

About what you’d expect, I like Clare Balding but she’s not gonna be stealing Alan Carr’s job anytime soon.

The pair of them came over pretty well I thought. Gee cracked a joke I think.

Rachael has shown a few times lately that she’s a knob!

Do elaborate.

Watching that interview, you can’t help but think the only time Gee leaves the house is to ride a bike! Rachel was chatty and played along with Balding’s attempts at jokes at least, her brother… Well he was doing nothing to dispel the myth about some of the most extreme athletes actually being pretty boring people!

“everybody forgot about Dan”

Pretty lightweight stuff. but then its not Oprah

“Dead behind the eyes” 😆 😆

Yes, as much as I admire the Atherton Corporation on some vague distant begrudging level. I can’t get past their almost total absence of verve. Just seem to take themselves waaaay tooo seriously.

Ratbouy has it totally nailed.

Rach comes across well. Gee seems a little too self-conscious (of protecting his own coolness). Dunno who the other old fossils on the sofa are though.

On another note: is this what amounts to TV these days??? Chhhhrrriiist… so glad I don’t own one.

On another note: is this what amounts to TV these days??? Chhhhrrriiist… so glad I don’t own one.

The STW Pretentious-O-Meter just spiked again

On another note: is this what amounts to TV these days??? Chhhhrrriiist… so glad I don’t own one.

Fantastic series currently on the Beeb about China ATM, learning loads.

Fantastic series currently on the Beeb about China ATM, learning loads.

+1 for that series.

Atherton piece was the usual mtb feature for broad appeal sports programming. Not aimed at us so no surprise it didn’t light anyone’s fire. As for claimed Atherton self centred-ness; no one ever got to the top of anything by putting others first IMO.

Watched Clare Balding, and I thought it was just really badly presented. Think Gee and Rachel attempted a few jokes which fell completely flat, but Clare Balding didn’t help by completely missing them and/or her wooden response. Balding just doesn’t seem relaxed an interactive like the great chat show hosts.

Plus I thought Clare Balding was a bit grim as she tried to sensationalise it a bit with the charity pictures of Gee without clothes and the film of the crash. Plus Balding bounced around various subjects so nothing really got developed and it seemed a bit shallow.

I like Clare Balding as a sports presenter, but maybe it’s still early in her career as a chat show host….

I think it would of been better if Clare would of gone for a ride with the Athertons instead of just sitting on a sofa in there front room. I felt like she did not really understand them. Better still if she had competed in a world cup downhill.

I like the Athertons they seem to come across as just normal people trying to do well. I don’t really care that Gee doesn’t smile or go in for the stuff that some of the riders do, it’s a bit of relief to the “Look at me, I’m mad, me” antics that go on.

Yep, well I gave that 10 seconds…that was enough thank you very much.

I bet Rach is a bit pissed off with the editing. She’s done so much for women in the sport and the comment they leave in is the “ok, just don’t beat me” one, which i’m sure was said in jest and almost certainly followed by a more serious reply, which didn’t make it to air. She’s done loads of good stuff from the ladies Fox Hunts to tutoring novice DH for girls at the BDS rounds etc!

I thought they both came across really well. First time I’ve seen either of them outside an MTB environment. Professional people and great ambassadors

Just watched it on IPlayer. After reading most of the above comments, found it much better than expected.

Only thing I didnt like was confusing message that Rampage is downhill mountain biking.

I watched the full show on BT Sport and thought they did a pretty good job after they relaxed into it, but since when did the beeb buy other peoples repeats with our licence fee?! I expect it on Dave but not on BBC.