Bryce Posted September 10, 2018 Report Share Posted September 10, 2018 I was just listening to a Doctor Who podcast in which a Michael Grade interview was being discussed. As part of the discussion he was asked about how vociferous Doctor Who fans could be. He was quoted as saying that they were the most involved apart from the speedway lobby. He said that in the 80s they regularly had to fudge the vote results for SPOTY because otherwise a speedway rider would win every year. So the head of BBC 1 in the 80s has confirmed speedway was deliberately sidelined. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OveFundinFan Posted September 10, 2018 Report Share Posted September 10, 2018 It’s a WOW for that statement, but there again shouldn’t be too surprised, seems these telephone voting for whatever are often considered rigged, which makes a mockery of it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted September 10, 2018 Report Share Posted September 10, 2018 40 minutes ago, Bryce said: I was just listening to a Doctor Who podcast in which a Michael Grade interview was being discussed. As part of the discussion he was asked about how vociferous Doctor Who fans could be. He was quoted as saying that they were the most involved apart from the speedway lobby. He said that in the 80s they regularly had to fudge the vote results for SPOTY because otherwise a speedway rider would win every year. So the head of BBC 1 in the 80s has confirmed speedway was deliberately sidelined. ...Interesting story but not surprising. I stopped watching that debacle many, many years ago...I guess that it's that time of year again when it's about to appear on our screens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moxey63 Posted September 10, 2018 Report Share Posted September 10, 2018 (edited) 2 hours ago, Bryce said: I was just listening to a Doctor Who podcast in which a Michael Grade interview was being discussed. As part of the discussion he was asked about how vociferous Doctor Who fans could be. He was quoted as saying that they were the most involved apart from the speedway lobby. He said that in the 80s they regularly had to fudge the vote results for SPOTY because otherwise a speedway rider would win every year. So the head of BBC 1 in the 80s has confirmed speedway was deliberately sidelined. The beeb just didn't get speedway, often having a posh gentleman on commentary on the very rare occasions it was on which was more alined to all the other sports they covered. Just didn't seem right for speedway. The thing is, these sort of cheats by SPOTY to keep speedway out of the limelight possibly caused all sorts of damage in attracting new fans. Then it prevents the question, just what is the programme all about, when it has to dodge votes for certain sports. I recall sitting through the snoozefest, the last time about 1980 during England's Grand Slam, just hoping to catch a five-second glimpse of a speedway rider in many a show usually a horse would be paraded on as a sporting personality. Now I think it should be replaced by a programme looking at where all the personalities in sport have gone. It'll end up one day soon going the same way as Top Of The Pops. Edited September 10, 2018 by moxey63 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecialOne Posted September 10, 2018 Report Share Posted September 10, 2018 13 minutes ago, moxey63 said: It'll end up one day soon going the same way as Top Of The Pops. Whats Top of the Pops? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briggo Posted September 11, 2018 Report Share Posted September 11, 2018 SPOTY has always been rigged. I have heard from a reliable source that there was a successful campaign to get Justin Fashanu in the winners circle. The Beeb quashed the results that year of course, and he never received the winners trophy. RIP Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOBBATH Posted September 12, 2018 Report Share Posted September 12, 2018 Typical BBC elitist(Grade et al)-I feel sorry that you Brits are forced to buy TV licenses to support that crap channel. If a political party promised to drop the TV license tax -I reckon they would win in a heartbeat. Recently dropped BBC World News from my TV package here in Canada because it is so clearly left wing biased as to be unbalanced and I refused to buy it.. Only people who would lose out if BBC was voluntarily supported would be all the Oxbridge luvvies who would be unemployed and would finally have to work for a living!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted September 13, 2018 Report Share Posted September 13, 2018 (edited) 6 hours ago, BOBBATH said: Typical BBC elitist(Grade et al)-I feel sorry that you Brits are forced to buy TV licenses to support that crap channel. If a political party promised to drop the TV license tax -I reckon they would win in a heartbeat. Recently dropped BBC World News from my TV package here in Canada because it is so clearly left wing biased as to be unbalanced and I refused to buy it.. Only people who would lose out if BBC was voluntarily supported would be all the Oxbridge luvvies who would be unemployed and would finally have to work for a living!! ...Despite it's many failings I'd personally rather watch the BBC than many of the commercial stations that continually, and at great regularity, ram adverts than one's throat. The number of times I've ceased to watch a programme on ITV or any of the 'free view' stations because of banal interruptions... and before anyone asks I don't have a playback facility preferring to watch my vast collection of DVDs instead as TV I generally find rather mundane nowadays especially when inundated with sport events that saturate the listings! Edited September 13, 2018 by steve roberts 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted September 17, 2018 Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 Left wing bias, BOBBATH!? I don't think Jeremy Corbyn would agree with you there, nor most of the Labour Party. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted September 29, 2018 Report Share Posted September 29, 2018 Not just in the 80s.....http://www.bikesportnews.com/news/news-detail/david-miller-bbc-to-ensure-rea-sports-personality-success-is-never-repeated 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOBBATH Posted October 5, 2018 Report Share Posted October 5, 2018 On 9/29/2018 at 1:40 PM, norbold said: Not just in the 80s.....http://www.bikesportnews.com/news/news-detail/david-miller-bbc-to-ensure-rea-sports-personality-success-is-never-repeated I can never understand why some political party doesn't make an election commitment to eliminate the license fee-despite upsetting the luvvies no end, bet most people would vote for it and they'd be elected. Last time this was suggested I think it was The Monster Raving Loonie Party headed by Screamin' Lord Sutch (R.I.P). Dave Sutch was a great character, I recall him asking the question "Why is there only one Monopolies Commission?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted October 5, 2018 Report Share Posted October 5, 2018 45 minutes ago, BOBBATH said: I can never understand why some political party doesn't make an election commitment to eliminate the license fee-despite upsetting the luvvies no end, bet most people would vote for it and they'd be elected. Last time this was suggested I think it was The Monster Raving Loonie Party headed by Screamin' Lord Sutch (R.I.P). Dave Sutch was a great character, I recall him asking the question "Why is there only one Monopolies Commission?" The Monster Loony Party suggested it and got what percentage of the vote?Kinda own goal there I guess lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Dyer Posted October 7, 2018 Report Share Posted October 7, 2018 Big shake up for SPOTY this year with only 6 nominees. Names not being revealed until the programme goes live with public vote then open for approximately one hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Third Man Posted October 7, 2018 Report Share Posted October 7, 2018 Much easier to get the winner the BBC wants that way 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 I don't know why so much kudos is given to BBC Sports Personality of the Year. It hasn't meant a lot for many years now. There was a time when anyone could vote for whoever they wanted - although it seems that even that was filtered anyway. These days it means little more than winning I'm a Celebrity or Strictly Come Dancing. Just an evening phone vote - which has now, apparently, been made even more of a closed shop to ensure they get who they want. As soon as it became like REality TV it became pretty pointless really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OveFundinFan Posted October 8, 2018 Report Share Posted October 8, 2018 All been pointless to me for years now, stopped watching it a long while back. Just a money making machine now via phone calls. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Central Posted October 9, 2018 Report Share Posted October 9, 2018 On 10/8/2018 at 9:56 AM, OveFundinFan said: All been pointless to me for years now, stopped watching it a long while back. Just a money making machine now via phone calls. For many years you have been able to vote for free online. I believe that is where the vast majority of people chose to do so. To pay 15p to vote by phone would be an option ... If you were either wishing to donate it to Children in Need ... Or just a bit thick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OveFundinFan Posted October 9, 2018 Report Share Posted October 9, 2018 Didn’t know that GC, now that might influence my thinking as to whether I vote, now let me think........... er, NO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepturningleft Posted October 10, 2018 Report Share Posted October 10, 2018 Briggo's runner up place in '66 has been well documented and speculated over. Some say he actually won, but the idea of a speedway rider winning in the year that England won the football world cup was not what the BBC was prepared to accept. Supposedly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split Posted October 11, 2018 Report Share Posted October 11, 2018 On 10/10/2018 at 10:22 AM, keepturningleft said: Briggo's runner up place in '66 has been well documented and speculated over. Some say he actually won, but the idea of a speedway rider winning in the year that England won the football world cup was not what the BBC was prepared to accept. Supposedly. Briggo's 'success' in 1966 was a result of a campaign run by the Speedway Star for all readers to vote for him to promote the sport in the media. I recall reading an article in the Sunday Mirror by a journalist named Sam Leitch condemning the result because Barry Bloggs (sic) was not a household name and that in his opinion Briggo’s second place was not a true reflection of his place in sporting history. It led to a flood of mail from irate speedway fans saying that Sam ‘Bleach’ (who also worked as a sports presenter on the BBC) had no idea just how popular the sport was. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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