John McCririck loses Age Discrimination case against Channel 4

The former Channel 4 pundit has lost his Employment Tribunal in which he alleged Age Discrimination after he was dropped from the C4 racing team after almost 30 years.

After the hearing, 73-year-old McCririck said: "This is an historic setback for all employees in their 30s to their 70s.

"After such a landmark judicial verdict, my failed legal action ensures that anonymous suits and skirts, who control the media, numerous other businesses and the public sector, will now enjoy complete freedom to replace older employees whatever their unimpaired ability and merit.

I have let them all down along with my wife, the Booby, my legal team, friends, colleagues and countless members of the public who supported me throughout. My grateful thanks and apologies to every one of them.

Former Labour home secretary David Blunkett MP said in August: 'The way TV executives worship the cult of youth seems to be an unstoppable fetish.' It is now."

IMHO C4's racing coverage is excellent, but it is sanitised and lacks personality. He's not everybody's cup of tea, but at least he was a contrary voice in what has become, without him (and John Francome), a soul-less love-in.

The verdict was correct. The reason they got rid of him was nothing to do with age. They just didn't like his style anymore.

^

So the person channel 4 employed for years, and was actually a big draw to their programmes for casual horse racing viewers, was suddenly a joke, compounded by the fact he appeared on Channel 4's big brother, wait? what?

Like the woman on country file and like Arlene philips on strickly, are and looks DO have a whole heap to do with it, especially for females.

c4 racing is shit now...claire bores me as do most of the others

as 'entertaining' as some fans found mccririck, there is no longer room on the telly for men like him...... loud. obnoxious, sexist, homophobic, and surely well past the age they should have kicked his fat arse off the telly anyhow...??

isn't the retirement age for men supposed to be 65? so why does this not apply to tv and radio, in that bruce forsyth is something like 84?

p.s. and jimmy young wasn't far behind, so i've just been told....??

(14-11-2013 00:05 )kelly1066 Wrote:  loud. obnoxious, sexist, homophobic, and surely well past the age they should have kicked his fat arse off the telly anyhow...??

Most of that is an act, and quite frankly, I'd much rather people be honest rather than jump on pc bang wagons to make themself seem trendy. There's nothing more I dislike then 'fag hags' or women desperate to have 'gay best friends', or all the pop girls wanting footballer' boy friends.

People like Forsyth are very much the minority, and it seems he's slowly being replaced by two attractive young women.

(14-11-2013 00:41 )tuesdayslump Wrote:  Most of that is an act

But they didn't want that act anymore.

Whether you think the decision to get rid of him was the right one or not, it was nothing to do with his age.

(14-11-2013 00:05 )kelly1066 Wrote:  isn't the retirement age for men supposed to be 65?

Not anymore. I thought that had been abolished.

(14-11-2013 00:41 )tuesdayslump Wrote:  Most of that is an act, and quite frankly, I'd much rather people be honest rather than jump on pc bang wagons

If it's an act then he's not being honest.

(14-11-2013 12:14 )Digital Dave Wrote:  

(14-11-2013 00:41 )tuesdayslump Wrote:  Most of that is an act, and quite frankly, I'd much rather people be honest rather than jump on pc bang wagons

If it's an act then he's not being honest.

Think Tuesday is referring to McCrirrick's critics not being honest .
McCrirrick's been doing the same pantomime act for 30 years ,it was why C4 Racing hired him in the first place .Because he brought a "personality" to their coverage .Now they want to go all serious because they're the last man standing on UK tv horse racing coverage .(I'm not including the Sattelite channels ,before anyone points this out)
P.S. He knew all the bookies tic-tac sign language - who's going to do that now !
Another British eccentric bites the dust !