Carlton Kirby

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

line71

Guest
The man is off his trolley,dont know what has become of David Harmon but the rambling hysteria of Kirby is spoiling my enjoyment
Declan Quigley who partnered Sean Kelley on the Giro would have been more appropriate,even Chris Boardman would be better or Magnus Backstedt but Brian Smith would ruin it completely so i suppose we are stuck with mad carlton
 

festival

Über Member
Yes, Carlton 'OH MY GOODNESS' Kirby is hard work at times but having tried listening to Phil 'Lance is innocent' Liggett for a few minutes I decided I preferred the loony to the sanctimonious pratt.
I believe Harmon has taken on less commentating to spend time building his PR company but remember him saying he will join the race at a later date.
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
Kirby is an avuncular, excitable presenter with many flaws but is still streets ahead of the ITV4 Muppet Show. He is, at least, speaking off the cuff rather than regurgitating PR fodder.
Declan Quigley showed some promise at the Giro but made too many mis-identifications. IMHO, Eurosport should nail down Robbie Hatch asap if Harmon is on long term leave.
 

oldroadman

Veteran
Location
Ubique
I like Carlton Kirby, he's like the new Duffield for getting excited (nothing wrong with that), without the food and wine commentary. As has been said, miles ahead of the tired old ITV4 commentary. The presenters on ITV4 do a dednt job, and then are let down by the commentary. Declan Quigley has a way to go yet, Robbie Hatch does a reasonable job, and provided Sean Kelly or Magnus (who REALLY know what is going on) is in support I would always go for Eurosport.
 

oldroadman

Veteran
Location
Ubique
he's fun, he gets excited, thats a good thing.

why would we want boring sedentary commentating?

We used to grumble when there wasn't much cycling on TV, now there's loads but still we seem to need something to grumble about.

just enjoy it!
Exactly.
 
Mmm. I liked Kirby best when he was back in Paris dishing out stats and all sorts of useless information. I think his favourite phrase is 'so there you go' and he does 'um' and 'er' frequently but, as has been noted, he is far and away the best of the rest. Cannot disagree with Lee_M.
Very sad about Harmon if ColinJ is correct.
 

deptfordmarmoset

Full time tea drinker
Location
Armonmy Way
CK strikes me as someone who is fully aware he's talking absolute drivel but does it anyway. There are some who lack this awareness entirely. And some who need a producer....
 

Beebo

Firm and Fruity
Location
Hexleybeef
yesterday he was taling about geological time, and the likelyhood of one of the big boulders falling into the road to disrupt the race.!!

It's a bit like Test Match Specilal where they talk about everything and anything, sometime even cricket. It is not easy to keep talking for 4 or 5 hours when there isnt much to talk about.
 
yesterday he was taling about geological time, and the likelyhood of one of the big boulders falling into the road to disrupt the race.!!

It's a bit like Test Match Specilal where they talk about everything and anything, sometime even cricket. It is not easy to keep talking for 4 or 5 hours when there isnt much to talk about.

i thought that bit was brilliant!

i loved Duffers for the random talk on a long stage where bog-all was happening. Harmon is missed though, he is excellent at calling a rider on a break - i'd trust his call over race radio most times. i hope he returns soon.

Sean is brilliant, he has a droll sense of humour that takes a while to get. his knowledge is great too. it did take me time to get used to his accent and style, but when he's not on i miss him. he knows his stuff and isn't big headed. if you didn't know who it was you'd have no idea he is a legend.
 
Dave Harmon is a miss this year, but Kirby and Kelly are so way beyond the ITV team. Kelly's insight into the pro-peloton is always worth listening to. With the over excitable CK they sort of complement each other. TBH I'm pretty neutral about Liggett, it is his pet monkey who infuriates me. The man simply has nothing to say. Anything insightful on ITV usually comes from Liggett which is frequently then regurgitated almost verbatim by the simian. I know they feel they've got reach a diverse audience but telling us time and time again that OPQS are the team of Mark Cavendish etc etc just becomes wearing in the end. Fortunately I am able to watch the stages whilst at work the only downside are the commentators.
 
Top Bottom