Commentary on TNT and other WB brands

[Eyeballs Out]

Got to love Hannah Walker's enthusiasm as a roving reporter. I suppose in these media friendly days you can just jump on a team bus on live tv (apparently uninvited) without getting kicked off with a load of expletives.

 

[wirral]

Jose Been joining Carlton Kirby's club of being unable to do very simple arithmetic to work out who is the GC leader.

 

[the delgados]

"There ain't no party at this Giro like a Plappy party" -- TNT commentator who shall remain nameless.
You see, this is what happens when commentators try to adopt CK's style by spending hours at home watching videos and trying desperately to mimic my man's brilliant turns of phrase and poetic lilt.
It falls flat on its face. I mean, what the hell was that? There ain't no party like a Plappy party? Good lord, man.
This is a perfect example why artists are artists and the rest of us are mere mortals. Just admit your shortcomings and try not to pretend. You'll just end up embarrassing yourself.

 

[Rackham]

A few things I've noticed with Max recently. I now get Carlton Kirby by default. I believe it's some sort of 'pan European' English commentary option for continental Europe or something but yeah, no more Sean Kelly or Rob Hatch for me. I don't mind. He's amiable enough and easy to listen to. He also sure as hell beats the French commentary team with Steve Chainel constantly screaming.

Also, I seem to be getting commercial breaks for some reason. No idea why.

 

[wirral]

Who was the ex-pro at 4 Jours de Dunkerque (not-TNT) interviewing the winners in French and English? I have never seen him before. It sounded as though he had had some tangles with Magnus Backstedt [from what was not said]. He also annoying had a tendency to answer his own question and then seemingly demanded the rider to agree with him.

 

[HashRouge]

A few things I've noticed with Max recently. I now get Carlton Kirby by default. I believe it's some sort of 'pan European' English commentary option for continental Europe or something but yeah, no more Sean Kelly or Rob Hatch for me. I don't mind. He's amiable enough and easy to listen to. He also sure as hell beats the French commentary team with Steve Chainel constantly screaming.

Also, I seem to be getting commercial breaks for some reason. No idea why.

I've never got the Carlton hatred from some people. Sure, he occasionally misidentifies riders, but he's certainly not the only commentator who does that. But as you say, he's very amiable, he tends to have excellent "filler" for the stages where nothing much happens, and he clearly really loves the sport and the riders. He's particularly good in combination with Robbie McEwan, though sadly it doesn't look like we're going to get that this Giro as he doesn't seem to be doing the UK TNT commentary at all. I've been a die hard Kirby fan ever since the awful Itzulia crash last year - his absolute rage at the long lingering camera shots of injured riders was actually quite touching. I also loved his absolute delight at Ben Healy's stage win in this year's Itzulia. He clearly really cares about the sport that we all love.

 

[RedheadDane]

Okay, I know I'm late to the party, but I've been having some giggles over their reaction to Pedersen's "I'm still looking at your ugly face every morning" burn.

 

[awavey]

I've never got the Carlton hatred from some people. Sure, he occasionally misidentifies riders, but he's certainly not the only commentator who does that. But as you say, he's very amiable, he tends to have excellent "filler" for the stages where nothing much happens, and he clearly really loves the sport and the riders. He's particularly good in combination with Robbie McEwan, though sadly it doesn't look like we're going to get that this Giro as he doesn't seem to be doing the UK TNT commentary at all. I've been a die hard Kirby fan ever since the awful Itzulia crash last year - his absolute rage at the long lingering camera shots of injured riders was actually quite touching. I also loved his absolute delight at Ben Healy's stage win in this year's Itzulia. He clearly really cares about the sport that we all love.

For me I like Kirby more than dislike, I love the filler in the boring bits.

But there are times why he goes a bit hyper/manic and it feels like he's calling a completely different race to the one you're watching, and that's not the kind of thing I want from commentary, or the pun competitions with Robbie.

For sure TNT have put together an increasingly large roster of worse commentators, but that doesn't mean we should ignore Kirbys bad habits either

 

[perico]

I’m a creature of habit. If I’ve been listening to a certain commentator for many years, then I tend to overlook their issues, so I tend to enjoy Kirby more so than the other lead commentators or TNT.

At the same time, I still enjoy Liggett, so it may just be that after 40+ years of watching the sport, I enjoy the familiarity more than I do knowledgeable or mistake free commentary.

Edit: I must also say that over the years, I find that McEwan is by far the most enjoyable #2 commentator in the sport among English speakers.

 

[Izzyeviel]

I've never got the Carlton hatred from some people. Sure, he occasionally misidentifies riders, but he's certainly not the only commentator who does that. But as you say, he's very amiable, he tends to have excellent "filler" for the stages where nothing much happens, and he clearly really loves the sport and the riders. He's particularly good in combination with Robbie McEwan, though sadly it doesn't look like we're going to get that this Giro as he doesn't seem to be doing the UK TNT commentary at all. I've been a die hard Kirby fan ever since the awful Itzulia crash last year - his absolute rage at the long lingering camera shots of injured riders was actually quite touching. I also loved his absolute delight at Ben Healy's stage win in this year's Itzulia. He clearly really cares about the sport that we all love.

& people forget cycling commentry isn't only his thing. You'll find him commentating on football & sportscar racing - especially at Le Mans. He does a great job in my view.

 

[RedheadDane]

Béen - commenting Dunkerque - making a point out of mentioning that Lund hasn't opted for a TT helmet during the sprint stages. (Unlike Van Uden).
Well, maybe he should have.

 

[HashRouge]

I’m a creature of habit. If I’ve been listening to a certain commentator for many years, then I tend to overlook their issues, so I tend to enjoy Kirby more so than the other lead commentators or TNT.

At the same time, I still enjoy Liggett, so it may just be that after 40+ years of watching the sport, I enjoy the familiarity more than I do knowledgeable or mistake free commentary.

Edit: I must also say that over the years, I find that McEwan is by far the most enjoyable #2 commentator in the sport among English speakers.

McEwan is my favourite, he's a really good commentator. I like NvH as well, though he doesn't seem to be on TNT for the Giro.

 

[awavey]

& people forget cycling commentry isn't only his thing. You'll find him commentating on football & sportscar racing - especially at Le Mans. He does a great job in my view.

Doesn't do Le Mans anymore he was perfect for those long rambling stories in the early wee hours, but he said it always clashed with the cycling opportunities he was offered and he preferred doing the cycling. Still does the highlights for Dakar but that often seems a they've got no one else available as he does them live at whatever random time they get shown
.

 

[RedheadDane]

Aaah, so today it's Geschke on the moto, the have a system I see:

Put the Germans on the moto!

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Steve Cummings really not committed to doing the roleplay of DS on the bus. "I don't know who is on my team", "Are you Jeff?", then as soon as he could looking to Orla like a Maths geek pleading with the teacher to call an end to the nativity rehearsal so that he can get back to the times tables.

 

[Potomac]

Steve Cummings really not committed to doing the roleplay of DS on the bus. "I don't know who is on my team", "Are you Jeff?", then as soon as he could looking to Orla like a Maths geek pleading with the teacher to call an end to the nativity rehearsal so that he can get back to the times tables.

He gave a lame performance, but the entire roleplaying team bus segment is lame to start with.

 

[perico]

Steve… Cummings… is… such… an… energetic…… and exciting….. addition….

To….

The… broadcast…. Team

 

[argyllflyer]

TNT/Discovery+ commentary pairings season 2025 (men's elite):

(WT=World Tour; PS=Pro Series, ET=Europe Tour, AT=Asia Tour)

WT: Tour Down Under (live from 21/1): Cox & Blythe
AT: AlUla Tour (live from 29/1): Cox & McEwen
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Calvia (live on 29/1): Hatch & Blythe
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Ses Salines (live on 30/1): Hatch & Blythe
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana (live on 31/1): Hatch & Blythe
WT: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (live on 2/2): Quigley & Smith
ET: Challenge Mallorca: Trofeo Palma (live on 2/2): Hatch & Blythe
ET: Grand Prix Cycliste La Marseillaise (live on 2/2): Been & Smith
ET: Etoile de Besseges (live from 5/2): Been & Backstedt
PS: Volta a La Comunitat Valenciana (live from 5/2): Hatch & Blythe (stage 1, 3-5), Steve Cummings (stage 2)
Tour de la Provence (live from 14/2): Been & Stephens
Vuelta a Murcia (live on 15/2): Hatch & Blythe
Clasica de Almeria (live on 16/2): Hatch & Blythe
Figuera Champions Classic (live on 16/2): Cox & Smith
UAE Tour (live from 17/2): Kirby & Stephens
Clasica Jaen Paraiso Interior (live on 17/2): Hatch & Blythe
Vuelta a Andalucia (live from 19/2): Cox & Backstedt
Volta ao Algarve (live from 19/2): Hatch & McEwen
Classic Var (live on 21/2): Been & Jon Mould
Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var ( live from 22/2): Been & Mould
O Gran Camino (live from 26/2): Hatch (stages 1-2), Quigley (stages 3-) & McEwen (stages 1-3), Field (stages 4-)
Faun Ardeche Classic (live on 1/3): Quigley & Walker (a rare thing - lead comms departs with 40km to go!)
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (live on 1/3): Hatch, Blythe & McEwen
Faun Drome Classic (live on 2/3): Cox & Smith
Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne (live on 2/3): Kirby & McEwen
Le Samyn (live on 4/3): Kirby & Smith
Trofeo Laigueglia (live on 5/3): Quigley & Smith
Strade Bianche (live on 8/3): Hatch, McEwen & Blythe
Paris-Nice (live from 9/3): Hatch & Kelly
GP Jean-Pierre Monsere (live on 9/3): Cox & Smith
Tirreno-Adriatico (live from 10/3): Quigley & McEwen
Milano-Torino (live on 19/3): Hatch & McEwen
Nokere Koerse (live on 19/3): Kirby & Blythe
Grand Prix de Denain (live on 20/3): Been & Walker
Milano-Sanremo (live on 22/3): Hatch, McEwen, Blythe & Van Hooydonck
Cholet Pays de la Loire (live on 23/3): Been (solo)
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya (live from 24/3): Kirby & McEwen
Classic Brugge-De Panne (live on 26/3): Cox & Blythe
E3 Saxo Classic (live on 28/3): Hatch & Walker
Gent-Wevelgem (live on 30/3): Hatch & Smith
La Roue Tourangelle (live on 30/3): Been & Smith
Dwars Door Vlaanderen (live on 2/4): Hatch & McEwen
Route Adelie de Vitre (live on 4/4): Been & Blythe
Gran Premio Miguel Indurain (live on 5/4): Kirby & Blythe
Ronde van Vlaanderen (live on 6/4): Hatch, Kirby, McEwen & Blythe
Itzulia Basque Country (live from 7/4): Kirby & Matt Winston
Scheldeprijs (live on 9/4): Hatch & McEwen
Paris-Roubaix (live on 13/4): Kirby, Hatch, McEwen, Backstedt & Blythe
Tour of Abruzzo (live from 15/4): Cox & Hutchinson
Ronde van Limburg (live on 16/4): Been & Smith
De Brabantse Pijl (live on 18/4): Kirby & Smith
Classic Grand Bescancon Doubs (live on 18/4): Been & Backstedt
Tour of Jura (live on 19/4): Been & Smith
Amstel Gold Race (live on 20/4): Hatch & Blythe
Tour Du Doubs (live on 20/4): Cox & Backstedt
Tour of the Alps (live from 21/4): Hatch & Blythe (stages 1, 2 , 4 and 5), Mould (stage 3)
Fleche Wallonne (live on 23/4): Quigley & Backstedt
Liege-Bastogne-Liege (live on 27/4): Hatch & Backstedt
Tour of Turkey (live from 27/4): Been & Stephens
Tour de Romandie (live from 29/4): Cox & Smith (Pro-2, 4-5), Hutchinson (stage3)
Eschborn-Frankfurt (live on): McEwen & Hutchinson
Boucles de l'Aulne (live on 8/5): Been & Stephens
Giro d'Italia (live from 9/5): Hatch, Stephens, Kelly, Blythe & McEwen with Vaughters & Cummings
Tour du Finistere (live on 9/5): Been &Hutchinson
GP du Morbihan (live on 10/5): Been & Mould
Tro Bro Leon (live on 11/5): Cox & Mould
Classique Dunkerque (live on 12/5): Been & Backstedt
4 Days of Dunkirk (live from 13/5): Been & Backstedt
Tour de Hongrie (live from 14/5): Cox (stages 1-4), Harris-Bass (stage 5) & Hutchinson
Mercan'Tour Classic (live on 24/5): Cox & Mould
Tour of Norway (live from 29/5): Cox & York
Boucles de la Mayenne (live from 30/5): Been & Mould
Tour of Slovenia (live from 4/6): Quigley & Stephens (stages 1-4), Harris-Bass (stage 5)
Criterium du Dauphine (live from 8/6): tbc
Brussels Cycling Classic (live on 9/6): tbc
Antwerp Port Epic (live on 9/6): tbc

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

I only seem to be able to get the choice of English commentary or ambient sound on TNT/Discovery. Am I doing this wrong or am I doomed to hearing Rob Hatch again tomorrow?

 

[Pogacsa]

In the past, I thought Rob Hatch was quite good but he has degenerated recently, or perhaps I was just wrong before! I don't doubt his love for the sport, but has no understanding of tactics. And his hyperbolic injections are increasingly absurd. "The breakaway has 1 minute 44 seconds. Can they dare to dream Sean" ... To which the appropriate rejoinder should have been "There are still 144 Fxxxing kilomoters to go you numpty.." That Sean Kelly doesn't say this is another reason why he should be pensioned off.

Robbie McEwan is good, and why didn't they get Dan Lloyd back who I thought was super last Giro. And I won't get started with Adam Blythe who last year was quite good on the motorbike, but this year has decided to show what a great Yorkshire character he is ... which he emphatically is not.

I wish the ITV4 crew would take over. So much better in all respects

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

In the past, I thought Rob Hatch was quite good but he has degenerated recently, or perhaps I was just wrong before! I don't doubt his love for the sport, but has no understanding of tactics. And his hyperbolic injections are increasingly absurd. "The breakaway has 1 minute 44 seconds. Can they dare to dream Sean" ... To which the appropriate rejoinder should have been "There are still 144 Fxxxing kilomoters to go you numpty.." That Sean Kelly doesn't say this is another reason why he should be pensioned off.

Robbie McEwan is good, and why didn't they get Dan Lloyd back who I thought was super last Giro. And I won't get started with Adam Blythe who last year was quite good on the motorbike, but this year has decided to show what a great Yorkshire character he is ... which he emphatically is not.

I wish the ITV4 crew would take over. So much better in all respects

I never particularly liked Hatch but I think he now thinks he is some kind of personality because of his Grupetto show and an award he somehow won. After this Giro I'd say he's even more irritating than Jed Cox.
Robbie McEwen has the patience of a saint sometimes.

 

[RedheadDane]

"He might be about to be joined by the broad shoulders of Ryan Mullen." (From Tour of Norway).
That's a... strange way to word it. Presumably the rest of Mullen is there too.

 

[awavey]

It's going a bit by eck northern on the commentary today 😳 there'll be trouble at mill before long 😆

 

[RedheadDane]

Admittedly, this has nothing to do with the commentating, but rather with the scheduling.

I bring excellent news!
Starting Wednesday with stage 1 of Slovenia, there will be at least one race live every day until 22/6! Even with the pretty obvious mistake of the Giro (men's) being listed on the schedule from 15/6.

 

[Potomac]

Admittedly, this has nothing to do with the commentating, but rather with the scheduling.

I bring excellent news!
Starting Wednesday with stage 1 of Slovenia, there will be at least one race live every day until 22/6! Even with the pretty obvious mistake of the Giro (men's) being listed on the schedule from 15/6.

Men's U23 Giro?