Martin Brundle to move to SKY?

Martin Brundle is expected to sign as the star of Sky Sports’ new Formula One coverage but it remains unclear whether he will continue to call the races for the BBC as well.

The two broadcasters are sharing coverage of the sport from next season as part of a controversial deal which will see the satellite station show all 20 grands prix live, with the BBC showing 10 live and the other 10 in an as yet undetermined delayed format.

With Brundle — by some distance the UK’s highest-profile F1 pundit — on the verge of moving to Sky for a sum believed to be in excess of £1 million per year BBC chiefs have a conundrum.

They can either go with the cheap option and use Sky’s commentary, which must be offered to them as part of the deal the two broadcasters cut and took to Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone this summer, or they can continue to produce their own coverage.

If they opt for the first option it is unclear what it would mean for the rest of the BBC’s production team. If they opt for the latter, believed to be more likely, it is understood that Speed TV’s Australian commentator Leigh Diffey is the favourite to sit alongside present pundit David Coulthard.

Brundle, for his part, will be paired with David Croft in the Sky commentary booth — the BBC Radio 5Live commentator’s colourful style is highly-rated by his new paymasters — which will mean a return to the co-commentating duties he only recently vacated at the BBC.

His departure, which he has been mulling over for months, is a blow to the BBC, who had hoped the lure of speaking to millions on terrestrial TV would see him commit to a new deal.

Last Friday Brundle told his Twitter followers that he had had offers from both the BBC and Sky and would be taking the weekend to “consider my future”.

The 52 year-old former driver is believed to have been persuaded not only by the double-your-money offer from Sky but by the promise that he will be the star of its F1 coverage, heavily involved with much of the extra programming it is planning in an effort to convince fans to sign up to its subscription service.

Sky, which has been chasing Formula One for years, is desperate to make a big statement from the outset. Although its productions budgets, like the BBC’s, have been trimmed, it still has a sizeable sum to spend on talent and programming.

The Daily Telegraph understands that Simon Lazenby, long-standing presenter of The Rugby Club, will likely present Sky’s coverage, while veteran sports presenter Steve Rider has been offered the chance to return in some capacity, possibly to front a feature looking at past drivers.

Sky is also understood to be keen on the BBC’s pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz who was seen in discussions with Sky executive producer Martin Turner in Singapore.

source: Daily Telegraph

Ah Theodore Slotover... He's the real star of F1. Can you find a better reporter?

Some line-up Sky appear to be getting. Maybe they could steal Jake and DC too? All the BBC will be left with is a confused EJ being thrown into the pit lane with a microphone...

It would be great if they could get DC on SKY as well. He complements MB perfectly in my opinion

That would certainly make the move more bareable/acceptable

Brundle has got great knowledge of the sport but he has called just as much action incorrectly as Legard did last season. Constantly mixing up drivers and sometimes even teams (RB/TR), calling the action a long time after it's happened, confusing replys with what is actually going on, etc.

Jeremy Clarkson?

liverbnz wrote:Brundle has got great knowledge of the sport but he has called just as much action incorrectly as Legard did last season. Constantly mixing up drivers and sometimes even teams (RB/TR), calling the action a long time after it's happened, confusing replys with what is actually going on, etc.

Has he? i've noticed the odd one or 2 but certainly not on the grand scale that Legard used to do it.

Well to be fair he's only human and i dont think its happened that often to compare it to Legard. He's not a robot, he is allowed to make mistakes, you cant expect him to get every call right.

Plus sometimes he's talking abotu something thats just happened and another event happens which distracts him from the original conversation.. its just hte way it is.

I think Brundle is prob the best man for hte job, hes not perfect, but then youre not goign to get a perfect commentator.

Bottom line - Murrey Walker is considered the greatest, im sure you'd agree, yet he made daft comments from time to time, got drivers mixed up etc yet is still one of the best and most remembered. My point proven i think.

It's going to be an extremely difficult task for Sky to improve upon the fantastic job BBC have done in covering F1 over recent years. If A1GP is anything to go by, then Sky's F1 coverage is going to disappoint. Of course Martin Brundle is going to sign for Sky, he's just trying to play down the attention because of the size of the deal Sky are offering him, whereas BBC are currently laying off numerous staff for financial reasons.

Lead Presenter(s)
- Simon Lazenby (Rugby specialist) or Georgie Thompson (no F1 knowledge)
Analysts
- Tony Jardine (An absolute bore)
- John Watson
- Mark Blundell

Pit Presenter
- Charlie Webster (Worked on GP2)

Commentators
- Martin Brundle
- David Croft

thoughts?

Critical_mass wrote:

liverbnz wrote:Brundle has got great knowledge of the sport but he has called just as much action incorrectly as Legard did last season. Constantly mixing up drivers and sometimes even teams (RB/TR), calling the action a long time after it's happened, confusing replys with what is actually going on, etc.

Has he? i've noticed the odd one or 2 but certainly not on the grand scale that Legard used to do it.

Well to be fair he's only human and i dont think its happened that often to compare it to Legard. He's not a robot, he is allowed to make mistakes, you cant expect him to get every call right.

Plus sometimes he's talking abotu something thats just happened and another event happens which distracts him from the original conversation.. its just hte way it is.

I think Brundle is prob the best man for hte job, hes not perfect, but then youre not goign to get a perfect commentator.

Bottom line - Murrey Walker is considered the greatest, im sure you'd agree, yet he made daft comments from time to time, got drivers mixed up etc yet is still one of the best and most remembered. My point proven i think.

And you had the cheek to call someone else out for their attitude on this site? You've got a way to go yourself.

And yes, it has happened a lot, so much so that it's beginning to bug me. Obviously, I have no hard proof (why would I?), but it's the simpliest of things he misses, like someone being overtaken or being surprised my someone in midfield is up in the podium positions. He has access to all sorts of info that we don't, like driver tracker and yet he makes these basic errors that are blatant to me and I'm only given the info that is fed to me by the TV.

I like Brundle, I wasn't slagging him off. I was merely pointing something out that I have noticed happening quite often. If it wasn't happening I would have no reason to mention it.

Edit: I think Brundle is better suited to the co-commentator role rather than calling the action.

liverbnz wrote:
And you had the cheek to call someone else out for their attitude on this site? You've got a way to go yourself.

Sorry.........what??

Where was the attitude in that post, that wasnt my intention. Apologies if you though i did.

When i say "you" i meant people generally not you personally.

"My point proven I think"

Translates to the reader as, 'I'm right, you're wrong'. If that's not the way it was intended then apologies for my sensitive nature in this case.

People can indeed make mistakes, as you pointed out the best of them did. Although I'd argue Murray Walker was only developed this proneness in the latter stages of his career. It's when it begins to bug the viewer it becomes an issue. But again, maybe I'm being over-sensitive to it.

Sorry i meant "my point proven" with using the Murray walker example where someone who was known to be a good commentator, still made mistakes. I was trying to use the analogy to back up my arguement.

And youre right its when it bugs the viewer where it becomes an issue. WIth Murrey it didnt, with Legard it did, with brundle - whether does make lots of mistakes or not, it hasnt annoyed me. Though thats just me.

liverbnz wrote:"My point proven I think"

Translates to the reader as, 'I'm right, you're wrong'. If that's not the way it was intended then apologies for my sensitive nature in this case.

People can indeed make mistakes, as you pointed out the best of them did. Although I'd argue Murray Walker was only developed this proneness in the latter stages of his career. It's when it begins to bug the viewer it becomes an issue. But again, maybe I'm being over-sensitive to it.

I agree - you're being WAY too picky.

Brundle is nowhere near as bad as Legard was (not having a go at JL here, but he came from a different background and was always playing catch-up).

What you're forgetting is that it could be precisely because they have access to so much info that they can easily miss something in the deluge. Ever heard of information overload? Its not just commentators either. I've lost count of the number of times I've cursed idiotic camera work / editing, cutting away from the action just as something exciting or important is about to happen.

I've been watching and listening to MB for many years now and its not often he makes a mistake. Put it this way, he's right a lot more often than any of his colleagues.

Getting back on topic, I can't really blame him for jumping ship. A top-class presenter / commentator is bound to go with the best programming / coverage. The BBC's F1 coverage is going to be very much second-rate from next season.

What background did Legard come from?

I agree DW, MB has got to look after his best interests, especially if he wants to stay in teh sport. Sky should be able to provide him with a long term future in the sport as a commentator (though we dont know what the future holds).

Legard: "And that's Rosberg going around the outside of Kubica!!"
Brundle: "That's Kubica going down the inside of Rosberg..."

lol lol

Thats sum Legard up nicely. I remember that haha. i laughed at the time too

Critical_mass wrote:What background did Legard come from?

I agree DW, MB has got to look after his best interests, especially if he wants to stay in teh sport. Sky should be able to provide him with a long term future in the sport as a commentator (though we dont know what the future holds).

I believe Legard did football commentary on 5 Live, prior to his stint in F1. I think its what he's gone back to.

Apparently, EJ has confirmed it!!

on that note i went searching and found this

French commentator Jean-Louis Moncet revealed in his Auto Plus column that he sat down for breakfast in the Buddh circuit paddock with Eddie Jordan, an expert pundit on the BBC coverage.

"He swallowed a few spoons of soup and then told me Martin Brundle is leaving for Sky next year," revealed Moncet.

"And he (Jordan) doesn't want to continue if, as expected, the BBC transmits only half the races," added Moncet.

Moncet, who calls races for France's TF1, quoted the former team owner Jordan as saying: "I will do everything or nothing."

fernando wrote:on that note i went searching and found this

French commentator Jean-Louis Moncet revealed in his Auto Plus column that he sat down for breakfast in the Buddh circuit paddock with Eddie Jordan, an expert pundit on the BBC coverage.

"He swallowed a few spoons of soup and then told me Martin Brundle is leaving for Sky next year," revealed Moncet.

"And he (Jordan) doesn't want to continue if, as expected, the BBC transmits only half the races," added Moncet.

Moncet, who calls races for France's TF1, quoted the former team owner Jordan as saying: "I will do everything or nothing."

In a strange way, that's good to hear. Nobody wants to see just half the races on the BBC. I think it's good the team are leaving one by one (most likely Brundle, Croft, Theodore Slotover). Maybe it will make the BBC stop and think about what they are doing.

Glad to hear it confirmed, would make the Sky pill easier to swallow if Brundle is going over to Sky too.

i cant stand brundle,so i hope not.

Does anybody yet know whether Sky will be taking ad breaks a la ITV? I sincerely hope not. In any case I am not looking forward to the switch over whoever they have on their team.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Does anybody yet know whether Sky will be taking ad breaks a la ITV? I sincerely hope not. In any case I am not looking forward to the switch over whoever they have on their team.

SKY have said there will be no ad breaks whatsoever during F1 coverage

No idea which channel it will actually be on yet either.

Belgarion of Riva wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:Does anybody yet know whether Sky will be taking ad breaks a la ITV? I sincerely hope not. In any case I am not looking forward to the switch over whoever they have on their team.

SKY have said there will be no ad breaks whatsoever during F1 coverage

Well at least that is something and I suppose the more familiar faces there are on Sky's coverage then the easier the transition would be. Of the current BBC team I'd take Martin Brundle as he has a wealth of knowledge, David Coulthard for similarly his experience and knowledge, Eddie Jordan as he brings a different slant to things with his knowledge of how teams are run and Ted Kravitz as pit lane reporter.

I wonder if the BBC will look at their Saturday and Sunday afternoon (or morning) ratings next year and wonder if it was worth it?

Sounds like Jake "The Hump" Humphries and Lee McKenzie will be the only familiar faces left.

Who do you suppose they might bring in to replace Brundle? Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell, Johnny Herbert, Mark Blundell?

Can i suggest reading the article Dyrewolfe it tells you who their looking to bring in

To be fair fernando, its a big article (as they usually are with you) and easily missed.

Especially a name I've never heard of before like Leigh Diffey. So, they're hoping to poach an Aussie commentator, who has never done any actual racing, let alone in F1.

Great!

More of a Murray Walker (who did have some limited racing experience) than a Martin Brundle. I was hoping the Beeb would be looking for another ex-driver to take over the reins from MB...but then again maybe they'd keep bumping into each other on the grid walks. Either way, I'm not a happy bunny.

I'm glad MB is going back into the co-commentator role, I think that suits him better. It'll be interesting to see where F1 ranks with Sky, with football and cricket both taking up airtime on a Sunday for a large part of the F1 season.