15 June 2014

World Cup on telly

BBC or ITV?  In an anti-competitive cartel-like arrangement, the matches have been carved up between the two national broadcasters so that the punters are obliged to put up with the idiocies of both.  The Observer comments:

The BBC has settled on their first-choice lineup: Gary Lineker and his trusted sidekick Alan Shearer, joined by new faces Henry and Rio Ferdinand. Everything about their production is as smooth as the Stevie Wonder track that plays over the opening titles. All is polished and shiny: Lineker's shoes, the studio floor, Shearer's crotch.
On the BBC, there is deferential genuflection towards Henry, whose cardigans are set to become as iconic as José Mourinho's overcoat. On ITV, a Fast Show-style "Ted and Ralph" dynamic is developing between Chiles and Cannavaro. "The four of us are going for a dip after this is finished," announced Chiles on Friday. "I hope you've got your trunks on underneath there, Fabio."
Cannavaro smiled beatifically and said nothing. Not for the first time, he didn't seem to know what Chiles was going on about.
For entertainment value, try counting the number of times Andy Townsend refers to “a little bit” (as in “they need to pull themselves together a little bit” or “he’s a little bit one-paced”).  That is, when he remembers to speak into the microphone.

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