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Recently retired Formula One veteran David Coulthard has been confirmed as part of BBC television’s presenting team for the 2009 F1 season.

The Scot and former team owner Eddie Jordan will be regular pundits as the sport returns to the BBC after a 12-year break. The F1 anchor man will be Jake Humphrey, a former children’s TV presenter who has become the youngest presenter to host Football Focus, Match of the Day and Final Score.

Coulthard’s deal had been widely anticipated; bigger ...Read the full article

So that's James Allen in the dole queue then!

Sounds like a good line-up, I'll certainly be watching F1 again now it's back with the BBC, I just found the adverts and the commentary style too irritating to watch ITV regularly.

 I think the appointments on the whole have been very good. Im not sure that James Allen did such a terrible job in replacing Murray Walker but there you go. It will be interesting to see where the Top Gear boys filter in into all of this.

I suppose it would bring new meaning to the term 'Top Gear Race'... 

ordinary bloke:

I just found the adverts and the commentary style too irritating to watch ITV regularly.

I liked the adverts.  Gave me time to get up for a pee!

That said in 12 years technology has moved on and if you have the equipment you can press "pause" on the telly now!

I hated the adverts but thought that James Allen had unfair treatment. He was knowledgeable and interesting to listen to. Should be retained by the BBC, I think.

It's a shame they're not carrying Steve Ryder over with it as well, he was a good front man - he does a slick & professional job with most of the sport he presents.

I have to admit I'm content to see James Allen go, he wasn't a particularly bad commentator but I was constantly aggravated by his poor use of the english language, bad metaphors and inability to get his facts right; usually resulting in a correction from Martin Brundle.

Carrying on all the worst bits of ITV, soccer pundits to do commentary or motor sport?   I suppose we will once again have to put up with all the crap that surrounds football, because uninterested program producers think the 2 events have the same audience.  Just think the latest football scores being shown just as someone tries to overtake, instead of after race roundup, we get the usual crap of the latest sending off’s at Manchester.

 

David Coulthard may be self opinionated but hardly inspiring.  People seem to believe that the BBC was ever any good at motor sport, but then they never had to live through it last time they had it.  Don’t forget this is the same organisation that believes owning a car or driving is against the very existence of human culture.  

 

It looks like between Bernie and the BBC the final nail has been well and truly hammered into the F1 coffin. 

 

Motor sport fans are even more likely to desert the sport for Motor GP and Super Bike.  

 

 "Motor sport fans are even more likely to desert the sport for Motor GP and Super Bike"

Isnt moto gp broadcast by the BBC as well!!!!! nice to see you have the glass half full there!

Lets not forget uncle bernie in all this, he would not allow the BBC to cut away to show some chavball highlights, of that i am fairly sure.

Also people were worrying that the show would be broadcast from a studio in the uk, doesnt seem like thats going to be happening since DC has already confirmed that he will be attending every GP next year. 

as well as this people were complaining that they would have no pit lane reporters, we now have 2. 

The BBC have very little sport left on their quota now and so i think (and hope) that the F1 will become their flagship. 

I for one am very much looking forward to next year and i think the line up is better than i would have expected.

ITV did a very good job with some annoying habbits, but they raised the bar and i think the BBC will now attempt to take it it further 

F1 return to BBC will make it the third best programme on TV, after Top Gear and Heroes. Shame we won't be seeing James Allen though, he was very good to listen to, unlike boring biased Brundle who should be retired to the scrap heap. Why haven't we got Suzi Perry or Vicki Butler Henderson, that's what we pay our licence fees for.

 Are you serioustly trying to tell me that Brundle is more biased than james "i cream myself whenever my darling lewis so much as turns the steering wheel" allan

 

i will remind you of one reason he is better off gone "easy peasy chocolate squeezy"!!!

At least this means that more of us are likely to get some coverage in HD now, assuming that the local TV media are recording picture in HD quality.

I know you can get ITV HD on calble tv or something but for the most of us BBC HD is more accessible...