remember when McCririck used to be on the telly ?

Spoke to his wife Jane yesterday, Johns not 100% but he's  ok,
knock him if you like, but would you prefer him and the old format of ch4 Racing with him in the ring,
Or ITV's version.?

Remember when Michael Owen said he was an embarassment to Horse Racing which I thought was a real cheek of him to say so, as McCririck like him or not, had done far more to promote the sport over many years than Owen had ever done, he was just a johnny come lately celebrity horse owner who probably could never learn half as much as McCririck had forgot. Suppose Owen is quite a reserved conservative fella so it also seemed a bit snobby.

He wouldn't be wanted now sadly as its all politically correct and different to how it was presented in the 90s

But he said it as it was.

I suppose he played a character.
The game deffo better for him.

Interesting series of interviews. A shadow of the man he once was

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fjl542d5_pQ

Was shocked to see him recently, was like the walking dead

Prob not the healthiest of lifestyle.

one of the rudest people ive ever had the displeasure to meet on a race track - that said he deffo did a great job promoting the sport

I rarely dislike people, but made an exception for McCririck.

I don't think he promoted racing, more the opposite probably - he almost definitely turned off women

Was at a function and was on the same table as Brough Scott.
Told us that McCririck was detested by all he worked with but they also realised he was good for racing.

akbula, i heard the same from many people about Thommo

WHoa Big Fella

legend in his own lunch hour.

The only man I know who promoted bookmakers to show their overrounds and t&c Re: 1/4 1/5 the odds in 16 and above runner handicaps.

He might have not been for everyone but no one is

Not knocking him at all, Dambuster. He might be an old dinosaur but he was hugely entertaining and C4 Racing was far better when he was on it.

Just discovered a very recent interview with him on GMTV - shocked to see how he looks now. Must have lost about 30 stone

As a result of this thread, just watched the GMTV interview. Absolutely shocked!!!

Gotta be cancer. You don't go from obese to skeleton in just a couple of years.

John McCririck appeared on an episode of Hell's Kitchen (season 3, episode 8) in which Head Chef Marco Pierre White refused to serve him after McCririck told him that his consommé was 'greasy', in spite of being informed that it contained foie gras and truffle oil.


Marco commented after the sequence: "I know John. He's awkward, he's got no taste. All you have to do is look at how he dresses !


After failing to get into the diplomatic service, he was briefly a waiter at the Dorchester hotel. During the era when off-course betting was illegal in the UK, he worked for an illegal bookmaker, before becoming a bookmaker himself, which he admits that he failed at. He then became a tic-tac man.

He began his career in journalism at The Sporting Life, where he twice won at the British Press Awards for his campaigning journalism; he was sacked in 1984. He joined the Daily Star, but was later sacked by the newspaper after allegations emerged that he was in debt to his bookmaker; he later successfully sued the paper at an employment tribunal.

Spoke to him after he had opened a betting shop in the late 1980s told him this firm never laid the prices they had on screen, his reply so what

Both sides are right imo. The original campaigning Mac was good for the game, then on telly he did a good deal to promote the sport, and to stand up for punters.

But then he became a parody of himself and did a huge amount of damage to racing with his loony right-wing misogynist act (and it mainly was an act imo) -- repelling women, advertisers, and probably even television companies.

But I hope he is still around for the telegram from the Queen.

I think it was an act as well

His wife wouldn't have stayed with him if he was really as "vile" as they claimed him to be

Do not deride the Bic Mac. He was successful enough to buy a house in Primrose Hill, an affluent area of NW London AND THEN BOUGHT THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR FOR STORING HIS EXCESS POSSESSIONS!

rancid character

When people his age lose weigh through whatever, it usually results in them appearing frail and ill because fat hides a lot.
It comes as a shock if you haven't seen them since they were overweight.

He's 78. He is slurring his speech a tad though.

Why no Big Mac autobiography (or authorised biography) for Christmas?

He knows too much, the same reason Bazza hasn't written one, too many people don't want them to.

My wife met him at a lest we forget dinner, that was ten years ago and she said he was a very sick man then ....but he was hiding something

Exposed malpractice at the Tote resulting in a clear out at the top.

He was the public's view of racing once...I think he did well.

We have got Matt Chapman now, not really the same

I loved the team they had on channel 4

detested what they replaced it with..

just as well it has gone back to ITV

I thought he was wrong to claim age discrimination....and he lost anyway

He was working in the Media, and sometimes changes are needed.

I missed the rest of the team more than him.

He took himself too seriously, although it clearly hurt him.


But he was the face of Horse Racing to the general public for a while.

I was in his company at sandown when he was in his pomp & his behaviour was very poor,although I agree most of his rudeness was an act to match up with his media persona,on the racecourse he just became too big for his boots.i guess we need Barry Dennis to come on & tell us what the real mcririck was like he must have spent more time with him than most away from the spotlight.

dambuster    18 Nov 18 21:05 
Spoke to his wife Jane yesterday, Johns not 100% but he's  ok,
knock him if you like, but would you prefer him and the old format of ch4 Racing with him in the ring,
Or ITV's version.?



You mean Jenny !!

FACTS...........jenny is diminutive form of jane...........hope this clears it up for you

Remember when he lost his hat on a very windy day at Newmarket and the sight of the great man trying to catch it up,and everytime he thought he had it another gust of wind took it away,this went on for about 5 minutes before they went fir an ad break, they come back live on air and the silly old sod is still chasing after it with no luck

cardifffc... I thought 'jenny' was a diminutive form of 'jennifer'?
just a thought.

His 'act' of repelling women was no act.

saw him many times on racecourses very rude,self serving individual trying to say he was a man of the people then hobnobbing and dining with indulgent rich.

lockup sums him up pretty well.

Wasn't he married to the actress Doris Hare when he was a much younger man ?

more like Hartley Hare

Big Brother legend. His shocking weight loss..not sure it's down to illness or his age. You don't see many fat 78 year olds.

True, but he was a fat 75 year old (if you look at some tv footage).

I just don't think 3 years is long enough for that kind of massive weight loss.
And then there's the slowing down, slurred speech, and weaker voice. He's almost unrecognisable now.