No experience of cycling. Can’t stand his over the top commentary
A
Anonymous
5 years ago
Makes the programme worth watching.
KEEP CARLTON KIRBY. Best commentator there is.
K
Keith Neail
5 years ago
Thank god for ITV 4
K
Keith Neail
5 years ago
He's back - Arghh. Why is he still there?He needs to be retired immediately, his intake of breath followed by his inane comments is excruciating
C
Chris Grundy
5 years ago
The man is an idiot. Rude and ignorant. Spoils my viewing on Eurosport.
J
Joel
5 years ago
I would enjoy the Tour a lot more if it was commentated by Dan Lloyd, Blythe, Hatch, King Kelly, coach Brian etc.
Carlton does my head in, I wish he'd stop with all the stupid comments, catchphrases, and one liners. I don't understand how he still can't recognise who most of the riders are considering he likely watches nearly every race going. He also constantly down talks the riders, broadcasters, support teams, race organisers, etc etc, we can do without that negativity.
I
Ian
5 years ago
Agree, he is driving me mad with his inane commentary
J
João Santos
5 years ago
Began watching Eurosport coverage of the Tour in the mid-80s, here in Portugal, years before the Portuguese broadcast (going strong, and with a great team, btw). The commentator was David Duffield. More recently, on different vacations, I followed a couple of editions commented by Carlton Kirby and was absolutely gutted by the sheer lack of knowledge and grace. Having the opportunity of following the Portuguese broadcast, I nevertheless sympathize with my fellow petitioners.
J
Julian Evans
· petition starter
5 years ago
Excellent comment.
Please send it to Eurosport yourself. The more of us do this, the more likely they might finally listen.
P
Peter
5 years ago
Cliché ridden, bad calls, poor knowledge of cycling and regional culture. A stream of self-satisfied chuckles and inanity.
R
Rob Cameron
5 years ago
It is so cringeworthy. The standard of his fellow commentators also sky-rockets when paired with anyone else.
D
Dougan Collins
5 years ago
Meanwhile frankly he's hopeless
B
Bernard Schonne
5 years ago
Meanwhile he continue to ruin races Dauphiné etc... Continue to prononce Gaudo instead of Gaudu! Please let him out from coming Tour de France
W
William Keane
5 years ago
Please Eurosport, leave him off the team for the Tour! He seems to have a small number of ardent fans who enjoy his particular form of humour but I am willing to bet these people are massively outnumbered by those of us who cannot stand his commentary. Why do we hate it so much? Firstly, the fact that despite his long years watching cycling, he is stunningly clueless about race strategy, team structure and rider palmares. This isn't a matter of taste or style - the guy just makes constant errors, some of which leave poor Brian Smith speechless. The worst ones are those that criticise a rider incorrectly - criticising a performance when it is clear the rider is not in the race for that purpose, has cooked themselves chasing a break for their leader or has sat up on team orders. He has a small number of (mostly British) riders that he can recognise in the peloton but with everyone else, he seems to have no idea. Sometimes, you can almost hear him looking up a rider from the race number and pretending to know something about them, before dropping an absolute clanger ("I really expected more from him today..." about a first-year domestique who has cooked himself getting into the break). Secondly, his chattering is incessant, largely irrelevant and occasionally offensive. Sure, commentators need to fill some time on flat stages etc but the time can be filled much more effectively by discussing strategy, recent events in cycling, recent or upcoming stages, parkour, the local area or even the weather. Instead, Kirby delivers free-associated word salad and cringeworthy wordplay. He thinks he's Ronnie Corbett or Stephen Fry but he is actually the lovechild of David Brent and Alan Partridge. Thirdly, "quite frankly", "to be honest", "meanwhile", his various tics and repetitive word-crutches are just painful. If he is going to take regular audible breaths through his teeth, he should use a mic set up (like cricket commentators) that doe
D
David Wearden
5 years ago
Have you considered that it might not be what's wrong with everyone else??
G
Gordon
5 years ago
Enough of the uneducated, ill-informed puns and incomprehensible segues that do not add anything to the viewing experience.
G
Gordon Plenderleith
5 years ago
Enough of the uneducated, ill-informed puns and incomprehensible segues that do not add anything to the viewing experience.
L
Liz McNicol
5 years ago
Totally agree. He needs a trip to specsavers.
A
Anonymous
5 years ago
Agreed he has to go. I shudder when I turn a race on and hear that inane chatter. P.
L
Lockyer Barry
5 years ago
total ego tripper. Knows nothing about any of the sports he covers on Eurosport - its all about massaging his own ego and its ruining watching the racing.
No experience of cycling. Can’t stand his over the top commentary
Makes the programme worth watching. KEEP CARLTON KIRBY. Best commentator there is.
Thank god for ITV 4
He's back - Arghh. Why is he still there?He needs to be retired immediately, his intake of breath followed by his inane comments is excruciating
The man is an idiot. Rude and ignorant. Spoils my viewing on Eurosport.
I would enjoy the Tour a lot more if it was commentated by Dan Lloyd, Blythe, Hatch, King Kelly, coach Brian etc. Carlton does my head in, I wish he'd stop with all the stupid comments, catchphrases, and one liners. I don't understand how he still can't recognise who most of the riders are considering he likely watches nearly every race going. He also constantly down talks the riders, broadcasters, support teams, race organisers, etc etc, we can do without that negativity.
Agree, he is driving me mad with his inane commentary
Began watching Eurosport coverage of the Tour in the mid-80s, here in Portugal, years before the Portuguese broadcast (going strong, and with a great team, btw). The commentator was David Duffield. More recently, on different vacations, I followed a couple of editions commented by Carlton Kirby and was absolutely gutted by the sheer lack of knowledge and grace. Having the opportunity of following the Portuguese broadcast, I nevertheless sympathize with my fellow petitioners.
Excellent comment. Please send it to Eurosport yourself. The more of us do this, the more likely they might finally listen.
Cliché ridden, bad calls, poor knowledge of cycling and regional culture. A stream of self-satisfied chuckles and inanity.
It is so cringeworthy. The standard of his fellow commentators also sky-rockets when paired with anyone else.
Meanwhile frankly he's hopeless
Meanwhile he continue to ruin races Dauphiné etc... Continue to prononce Gaudo instead of Gaudu! Please let him out from coming Tour de France
Please Eurosport, leave him off the team for the Tour! He seems to have a small number of ardent fans who enjoy his particular form of humour but I am willing to bet these people are massively outnumbered by those of us who cannot stand his commentary. Why do we hate it so much? Firstly, the fact that despite his long years watching cycling, he is stunningly clueless about race strategy, team structure and rider palmares. This isn't a matter of taste or style - the guy just makes constant errors, some of which leave poor Brian Smith speechless. The worst ones are those that criticise a rider incorrectly - criticising a performance when it is clear the rider is not in the race for that purpose, has cooked themselves chasing a break for their leader or has sat up on team orders. He has a small number of (mostly British) riders that he can recognise in the peloton but with everyone else, he seems to have no idea. Sometimes, you can almost hear him looking up a rider from the race number and pretending to know something about them, before dropping an absolute clanger ("I really expected more from him today..." about a first-year domestique who has cooked himself getting into the break). Secondly, his chattering is incessant, largely irrelevant and occasionally offensive. Sure, commentators need to fill some time on flat stages etc but the time can be filled much more effectively by discussing strategy, recent events in cycling, recent or upcoming stages, parkour, the local area or even the weather. Instead, Kirby delivers free-associated word salad and cringeworthy wordplay. He thinks he's Ronnie Corbett or Stephen Fry but he is actually the lovechild of David Brent and Alan Partridge. Thirdly, "quite frankly", "to be honest", "meanwhile", his various tics and repetitive word-crutches are just painful. If he is going to take regular audible breaths through his teeth, he should use a mic set up (like cricket commentators) that doe
Have you considered that it might not be what's wrong with everyone else??
Enough of the uneducated, ill-informed puns and incomprehensible segues that do not add anything to the viewing experience.
Enough of the uneducated, ill-informed puns and incomprehensible segues that do not add anything to the viewing experience.
Totally agree. He needs a trip to specsavers.
Agreed he has to go. I shudder when I turn a race on and hear that inane chatter. P.
total ego tripper. Knows nothing about any of the sports he covers on Eurosport - its all about massaging his own ego and its ruining watching the racing.