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Trying to think of a racing presenter from the late 60's - 70's who appeared on ITV World of Sport / ITV Recing , think his name was John and used to share duties with John Oaksey and Brough Scott. Always wore a trilby or similar and had a small moustache probably in his mid 50's at the time. Any idea who he was??? Thanks!!!!
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John Rickman
mustache, trilby hat .... "Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to ...."
mustache, trilby hat .... "Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to ...."
Thats the man, racking my brains for hours trying to think of his name... many thanks chaps!!!
Those were the wonderful ITV 7 days every Saturday when we could dream of making millions from the game.
Looked like he may have worked upto the early 90's accordong to his obituary (he died in 1997).
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-john-rickman-1236582.html
Yep remember the ITV7 very well, sometimes it was a ITV6 or rarely ITV5 too (if bad weather affected the racing)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-john-rickman-1236582.html
Yep remember the ITV7 very well, sometimes it was a ITV6 or rarely ITV5 too (if bad weather affected the racing)
Talking of old commentators......anyone remember Ken Butler who appeared at the same time as the others?? Can't kind out anthing about him...was his racing background as a journalist, jockey, trainer etc etc?
Think Ken Butler retired from racing, and became/went back to, or possibly never left his business as a wine distributor.
Were'nt there consolations on the first 5/6 right if failing in the last
two more names from ITV racing....John Penney and Raleigh Gilbert
"tommo " and the "fat clown" not in the same class
The ITV Seven was an essential part of World of Sport in the United Kingdom. It started on 4 October 1969 when the programme began to show horse racing from two courses each week rather than one, under the title "They're Off". In the early 1970s it changed to the ITV Seven, reflecting the number of races it showed each week. The ITV Seven was also the title of a fiendishly difficult accumulator bet where vast sums of money could be won if you correctly predicted the winners of all seven races.
The weekly live coverage came from racecourses such as Sandown Park, York, Newmarket, Doncaster, Newcastle and Redcar. More minor tracks like Warwick, Catterick and Market Rasen were also extensively featured, especially during the National Hunt season in the winter, when ITV had the rights to fewer of the big races. Meetings from Goodwood and Haydock Park appeared occasionally, and a meeting from Ascot was shown as a one-off in 1977 when the BBC were covering the Grand National at Aintree. From January 1980 onwards, meetings from Kempton Park were shown regularly - before that time, Kempton meetings were on the BBC and were featured on Grandstand.
Over the years, the live coverage was presented by John Rickman (until 1977), Brough Scott, Ken Butler, Lord Oaksey (initially known on the programme as John Lawrence, and subsequently becoming John Oaksey after he succeeded to the peerage), and Derek Thompson and Jim McGrath (from 1981 onwards). Race commentators were Tony Cooke and Bob Haynes (in the first couple of years), John Penney and Raleigh Gilbert (the main commentators from 1972 to 1980) and Graham Goode (the main commentator from 1981). When racing was impossible due to the weather, greyhound racing would often be shown instead (those were the days before all-weather horse racing).
The feature was sometimes known (especially in later years) as the ITV Six, the ITV Five or even the ITV Four if fewer races were being shown. On these occasions, the bet would be on the remaining televised races, and would be comparatively easy to win, although still exceptionally hard. In the 1980s ITV reduced its racing coverage, and often in the last years of World of Sport only one meeting would be shown. The last ITV Seven came from Kempton Park and Thirsk on 7 September 1985, three weeks before the last World of Sport, which only covered one meeting, at Redcar. ITV's midweek racing coverage had already been on Channel 4 since 22 March 1984; from 5 October 1985 the Saturday afternoon coverage also moved to the fourth channel, permanently becoming Channel 4 Racing, although it was reduced in scope considerably at the start of 1986, and would not become as extensive as it was in the ITV era until the late 1990s.
The weekly live coverage came from racecourses such as Sandown Park, York, Newmarket, Doncaster, Newcastle and Redcar. More minor tracks like Warwick, Catterick and Market Rasen were also extensively featured, especially during the National Hunt season in the winter, when ITV had the rights to fewer of the big races. Meetings from Goodwood and Haydock Park appeared occasionally, and a meeting from Ascot was shown as a one-off in 1977 when the BBC were covering the Grand National at Aintree. From January 1980 onwards, meetings from Kempton Park were shown regularly - before that time, Kempton meetings were on the BBC and were featured on Grandstand.
Over the years, the live coverage was presented by John Rickman (until 1977), Brough Scott, Ken Butler, Lord Oaksey (initially known on the programme as John Lawrence, and subsequently becoming John Oaksey after he succeeded to the peerage), and Derek Thompson and Jim McGrath (from 1981 onwards). Race commentators were Tony Cooke and Bob Haynes (in the first couple of years), John Penney and Raleigh Gilbert (the main commentators from 1972 to 1980) and Graham Goode (the main commentator from 1981). When racing was impossible due to the weather, greyhound racing would often be shown instead (those were the days before all-weather horse racing).
The feature was sometimes known (especially in later years) as the ITV Six, the ITV Five or even the ITV Four if fewer races were being shown. On these occasions, the bet would be on the remaining televised races, and would be comparatively easy to win, although still exceptionally hard. In the 1980s ITV reduced its racing coverage, and often in the last years of World of Sport only one meeting would be shown. The last ITV Seven came from Kempton Park and Thirsk on 7 September 1985, three weeks before the last World of Sport, which only covered one meeting, at Redcar. ITV's midweek racing coverage had already been on Channel 4 since 22 March 1984; from 5 October 1985 the Saturday afternoon coverage also moved to the fourth channel, permanently becoming Channel 4 Racing, although it was reduced in scope considerably at the start of 1986, and would not become as extensive as it was in the ITV era until the late 1990s.
I think John Rickman had a 2yo called The Wig that was placed a few times, including at least one time when ITV were covering the race. I think Scobie Breasley rode it.
John Rickman was apparently a prolific tipster and picked all 3 places in the epsom derby possibly 73 or 74 (Moreston 25/1 or Snow Knight 50/1 won in those years) where all the prices were enormous odds.
The only thing that Rickman could 'tip' was his hat.
He came across as a scatterbrain bumbling buffoon - from a privileged background, who had little or no perception of the real world.
Rather like most people in racing in those days - and many still now
He came across as a scatterbrain bumbling buffoon - from a privileged background, who had little or no perception of the real world.
Rather like most people in racing in those days - and many still now
I believe Ken Butler lives near Lingfield and, as someone said earlier, was in the wine business.
onlooker - I must admit I had the same impression as you, but I think I just got that as a kid from my dad, who whenever John Rickman appeared on TV, said "he couldn't tip himself out of bed".
However, reading his obit in the Independent (link up above), shows he won the naps table a few times, and wrote a few books, and had Gladiateur's trainer as his great-grandfather, so I'm inclined to look on him with a bit more respect now!
However, reading his obit in the Independent (link up above), shows he won the naps table a few times, and wrote a few books, and had Gladiateur's trainer as his great-grandfather, so I'm inclined to look on him with a bit more respect now!
I have several copies of his book 'Homes of Sport'
Only for the black & white photographs of the racecourses as they were in the 1950's when most of the photographs were taken.
The hand drawn maps, contained therein, look as if they were drawn by a 5 year old - and the copy could have been written by a travel guide for Thomas Cooks.
Only for the black & white photographs of the racecourses as they were in the 1950's when most of the photographs were taken.
The hand drawn maps, contained therein, look as if they were drawn by a 5 year old - and the copy could have been written by a travel guide for Thomas Cooks.
http://www.cliftonrfchistory.co.uk/1930s/jrickman1970.jpg
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