Ben Edwards to join BBC commentary team
Television
Ben Edwards
Ben Edwards will commentate on F1 for the BBC in 2012, according to the presenter.
Edwards told his Twitter followers: “So, it looks as though it’s really happening. I will be the BBC F1 commentator in 2012 and I can’t wait.
“It took a while for things to be sorted, and thanks to ITV for being so understanding. Really looking forward to working with the crew.”
Edwards previously commentated on F1 on Eurosport and on the pay-per-view F1 Digital+ channel which ceased operations in 2002. He has also voiced many of the F1 season review DVDs.
He has commentated on a range of other motor racing series including the British Touring Car Championship on ITV.
The BBC have already confirmed Jake Humphrey Lee McKenzie, Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard will remain on their team in 2012. Last week Sky announced David Croft, Anthony Davidson, Natalie Pinkham and Ted Kravitz had left the BBC to join them for next year.
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Image © BTCC.net
ElBasque (@elbasque) said on 14th December 2011, 0:56
The only people i like better than Ben’s BTCC coverage are those guys who seem to commentate on all the bike series on Eurosport. They always have people coming and going into the commentary box and generally just mess about.
peteleeuk (@peteleeuk) said on 14th December 2011, 1:01
I think this is about the best news we could have had. Dodged a Legard bullet there. I think this Edwards/Coultard combination should work really well, I love Edwards style already and can imagine them complimenting each other well.
Over on the dark side I have serious doubts about Brundle and Croft gelling, think it could be a right mess, Legard style. We’ve heard what happened before when a successful F1 radio commentator transferred to TV with both commentators wanting to take a lead roll, even Brundle couldn’t make that work last time and I don’t see why he will this time.
Only time will tell……
davidhunter13 (@davidhunter13) said on 14th December 2011, 1:42
I’m glad the BBC are getting him, definitely a good commentator and thank god Legard isn ‘t coming back! :p
I’m also glad they’re not sharing the commentary team as was proposed since I didn’t see how that could really work when for instance Brundle goes to Ted in the pits, there’d be so much stuff either muted or whatever, just wouldn’t have worked. I’m lucky I’ve got Shy HD so will be watching it on Sky, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be watching the BBC highlights show for every race to get further perspectives on the races, so the different commentary line up will be great for that.
For the record I think Sky are assembling a great channel and clearly making a great effort to really please us F1 fans, I wish people would stop with the vitriolic and childish comments about being betrayed or Brundle going where the money is or whatever, that’s so nonsensical and not based on reality. Brundle and co want to cover F1 more in depth than the BBC can ever realistically afford. It’s a shame it won’t be free to view anymore but at least there is still some pretty comprehensive coverage on free to air, and half the races completely live, it could have been a lot worse and ultimately if you want to follow F1 you’ll still see more or less everything whether you pay or not. I do think, give it a couple of seasons and I can see F1 being a more popular sport, the casual fans who don’t pay Sky might indeed actually prefer the BBC approach with extended highlights, it might lure some people in who initially balk at the thought of watching cars go round in circles for an hour and a half and don’t ‘get’ it initially. For those into the sport who do invest they’re going to get a fully comprehensive engaging channel dedicated to their past-time, not sharing the limelight with football or boxing on the Sports channels or whatever. Will help make the committed fan even more of a diehard. In many ways all bases are covered with the new F1 deal in the UK. I’m pretty positive about it.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) said on 14th December 2011, 9:11
@davidhunter13
Couldn’t agree more. The BBC/Sky deal is a disgrace but don’t take it out on Brundle.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner) said on 15th December 2011, 13:48
@keithcollantine @davidhunter13 A guy with the talent he has would be wasted on the BBC. He almost has an obligation to be at the forefront of our television for all things F1.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999) said on 14th December 2011, 9:27
Wow this is a surprise. Not the fact that it’s Ben Edwards, but that BBC will even run their own commentary. So he’ll be commentating on 10 races live; and in 9 races; he will commentate for 90 minutes to 2 hours; for 30 to 60 minutes of it to be deleted?
sumofmarc (@sumofmarc) said on 14th December 2011, 10:36
@raymondu999 Hardly unusual in the world of Sport coverage – especially where ‘Free TV’ is covering highlights of an event shown live on Sky.
Think Football and Match of the Day, or the Cricket highlights that go out on Channel Five. They commentate on the matches live, in full, even though its only being shown in highlights form.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner) said on 14th December 2011, 13:14
Not at all familiar with this guy so I will tune into the BBC at some point to listen in…providing of course that us Virgin Media customers don’t get a raw deal from Sky/Virgin Media!
stephenhiggins53 said on 14th December 2011, 15:09
Mixed feelings for me.
Don;t get me wrong, Ben is a brilliant commentator (I remember him screaming “KANAAN HAS GONE PAST !! during one of his Eurosport ChampCar commentaries a few years ago)but personally I think it’s a shame we’ll be losing his partnership with Tim Harvey from the BTCC next year.
Also, under the contract between the BBC/Sky/Satan, he won’t have that many races to commentate on live, and he’ll need to form the same kind of partnership with David Coulthard.
I think he should have made this move when the Beeb first came back in ’09′, but I know he’s a pro and he did great job for F1 on Eurosport wth John Watson in the 1990′s.
So who now will front and commentate on the BTCC ??
Should the Beeb and and buy the BTCC rights back for when the F1 contract totally expires and Sky get to show ALL the races ??
sumofmarc (@sumofmarc) said on 15th December 2011, 10:49
@stephenhiggins53
Edwards/DC will still be commentating live, even when we’re not able to watch it live on BBC
KeeleyObsessed (@keeleyobsessed) said on 14th December 2011, 15:46
I’m still waiting to see if I’m having Edwards/Coulthard or Brundle/Croft on my TV… I have to admit I don’t mind given the two lineups… Brundle might just swing it for me, but I’m not against Edwards at all…
Coulthard’s ‘DRS has been disactivated’ line still gets me…
TomEF1 said on 17th March 2012, 13:57
Admittedly he has just begun to commentate but so far (for me anyway) he doesn’t know when to keep quiet! Hopefully he will settle and I certainly will give him a chance but at this time I find him too frenetic.
TomEF1 said on 17th March 2012, 13:57
Admittedly he has just begun to commentate but so far Ben Edwards (for me anyway) doesn’t know when to keep quiet! Hopefully he will settle and I certainly will give him a chance but at this time I find him too frenetic.
Tom Edwards said on 12th May 2013, 13:27
I hope this Ben Edwards does not stay long at the BBC commentating on F1. I have never heard a more annoying person. If a driver twitches in the car he gets so excited and becomes totally incoherent. His voice gets higher and higher and faster and faster he actually destroys my enjoyment. Please move him to horse racing or any other sport I don’t care for.