extracts from article.. ...The 50th televised broadcast of the GN was as fine a production as you could wish for. This is my take on the now-wasted talent that the BBC has at its fingertips.By and large our money was well spent. Clare Balding oozed class.She is a rare beast.Her knowledge of the sport was ingrained into her before she ever met a microphone. Commentator Jim McGrath, " has a true understanding of horses" according to O'Sullevan. He also has a way of telling the uninitiated what they need to know .... Richard Dunwoody is a joy to listen to. And he has the ability to inform without patronising. But what ther BBC does so well with our financial resources is the background scene setter.
However, confusingly, he then ends .....
...It must market the race in a package which commits a broadcaster to creating a proper narrative.By treating the GN like the Boat Race,the corporation "'underlined their complete lack of comprehension of the sport", as O'Sullevan put it.