I'd love to stomp the offices of the GM of BWF and of the stupid broadcast channels, and kick their butts back into the stone age, where they belong. How can they allow a single commentator for 2 or 3 entire days, for a sport catering to an international audience? Where is the research and the interesting one-on-ones with star names? There is the dialogue? Where is the initiative? Why the second-class-citizen treatment? If they want better returns they need to wake up, and yesterday already! These unimaginative dimwits are wasting every opportunity that the sport gets to go head-to-head with tennis, soccer, TT, basketball.... Meanwhile, dedicated people like Gill get roasted because they can't come up with new phrases every game, or because the editor wasn't paying attention to the game or to her commentary on the talkback. What a shame! Thank you Gillian, for all your dedication, for raging against the dying of the light. You rock, girl!!!
Agree with Cobalt. There needs to be a bigger search for good commentators because everyone currently who ISN'T Gill just doesn't seem to cut it. Back on topic, I was listening to her commentary this week and it stuck out to me that she really likes saying "super" =).
12 pages for GC and going strong. Only the top players have more pages than GC on BC. Was pleasantly surprised she commentated on the BAC instead of the European version.
On the subject of bad commentators, these are the worst I've ever seen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5POGztly9B4 Such a shame as well, the video was uploaded in super high quality, then ruined by these commentators
^^ it's not that the others are bad, but gill is just too good in comparison... she has set the standard and it is very high indeed.
Well I though he was bad by any standard. Sounded bored all the time and couldn't remember LYD's age for one minute...and said that the Indonesians would be playing with Nova in the front most of the time Anyhow, I agree that Gill is a superb commentator, very knowledgeable about the sport and the athletes background, so if there's a slightly less interesting passage of play she always has something to talk about^^ (Like Ko's physique )
Gill is also extremely knowledgeable about tennis as well - she managed to dredge up the name of a player whose Wimbledon umpire called the wrong score and was sent packing... at least four Wimbledons ago. Either a photographic memory, or OCD (or both).
the world champ at wembley last year, her desk was just feet behind us. about 30 mins before the game she sat on the stair with about an inch thick of A4 prepared notes to go thro'. that's what i call professional!
Oh my goodness! I never, ever thought I'd hear what I just heard!! GC at the IO SSP Finals, as Simon makes his entrance for the MS title game v/s Du Pengyu... "The stadium here, Istora stadium in Jakarta, is literally r-r-rocking!!" ...and she goes on to describe it, "the volume, the noise, is making the stadium vibrate!" Her own voice is shaking and choking with emotion as she says all this, and you can literally see her smiling and caught up in the energy and emotion of the moment. Beautiful, so descriptive, so apt! Gill, don't stop!
I also like her under-the-breath "unbelievable" in the midst of machine-gun flat rallies (when she hasn't got time for anything else).
Awww, that's so cute: Cobalt is in love. __________ Does anyone know with whom she is teaming up for commentating duty? It's nice to have someone clever like Morten Frost.... but I'd be just as happy with someone excitable like John Burgess. (We would just have to get Gill to lift the court-mandated restraining order she's had in her contract since 2008 ). What an interesting concept it would be for BWF to have a "Guest Commentate with Gillian Clark" contest for badminton fans. We have plenty of clever and excitable people on BC.
cobalt is always in love...! __________ Her duet with MF is always great to listen to. She wisely gives over to MF, just feeds some observations or questions, and I absolutley enjoy MF's keen observations and predictions! ...not to mention his beautiful accent... Yes, two thumbs up for this idea! As for the BC angle, I wonder if Mark A or any of the rest will manage to meet GC and tell her about her exalted status here, and get some comments from her...
On another angle for the "guest commentator"... Some of the more articulate players for example? Imagine PG or PHY or own Toby sitting with GC for the duration of a game or an interval, pitching in with "inside news" or anecdotes, and observations of the on-court action, as well as how they are enjoying the Olympics experience... maybe challenging GC to a mini-game?
We really need to start a pool - how many times will Gill say "Goo'ness me!" and/or "Unbelievable!"? Closest guess wins... something. I'm taping every nanosecond of badminton that will appear on BBC, so I can verify the result.
Can you? Our commentary team for BBC badminton is Gail Emms & David Mercer:crying:. Gail Emms is possibly the worst commentator/presenter my ears have had the displeasure of listening to. I hope i am wrong and the commentary team features others (hopefully GC) as well as there is a massive amount of air time to be covered. source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18070768
I've produce a small spreadsheet just for the job. Just copy the quotes from the first few pages of course you can analysis it by game match or t'ment as you go along. Have fun https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B1h-Y2fdTl08X3laa2gtNFhKRm8
