Review: Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

Todd Antony/BBC

The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow have given the BBC a chance to showcase what they do best these days: broadcasting massive sporting events in great depth and with real flair.

The country has been basking in something of a mini-London 2012, and the feeling of national pride (amplified by the fact the home nations are split into individual teams for these Games) has been simultaneously driven and reflected by the BBC’s coverage.

Although Glasgow’s showcase of sport is on a much smaller scale than London 2012, we have still enjoyed (or tolerated, depending on your point of view) coverage from dawn until midnight, across most of the TV networks and BBC Radio 5 Live. Many of our favourite faces from BBC Sport have been rolled out to front it, including Hazel Irvine, Gary Lineker and Clare Balding, whose usual warmth and impressive knowledge of swimming statistics have made the nightly visits to the pool a must-watch.

‘Dame’ Clare has also been paired with Mark Chapman for a late-night summary, Tonight At the Games – an irreverent and celebratory hour in the company of the day’s medal-winning athletes. The jovial atmosphere is helped along nicely by a live audience and live band, all served with cocktails (yes, cocktails in Glasgow!) from the bar. This is a new format that was not seen in London, and I think the experiment has paid off well.

Jason Mohammad seems to be enjoying an upsurge in his television career, having reported from Sochi and Rio earlier this year, and now presenting on BBC1 during the day at the Commonwealths. Personally, I find Mohammad’s style a little bland, and I wonder whether his onscreen persona is distinctive enough for him to become a Des Lynam or Steve Rider of the future.

Throughout the week we’ve heard from a host of new pundits, thanks to several retirements from Team GB post-2012. Sir Chris Hoy, analyzing the cycling in the velodrome named after him, has a relaxed presence onscreen, and sitting alongside him is Dame (a real one this time) Sarah Storey. It is encouraging to see another Paralympian join Tanni Grey-Thompson in talking about able-bodied sports, just as able-bodied athletes are often asked to commentate on the Paralympics.

Whilst the overall scale of the coverage is certainly justifiable, with impressive viewing and listening figures, my only quibble would be that TV and Radio 5 Live send their own reporters to interview competitors immediately after an event. When every other BBC department is suffering from drastic cutbacks, would it not make sense to send one reporter to each event and ‘pool’ the interviews for television and radio?

Apart from this, everything has been pitch-perfect. I have complained before about Auntie Beeb’s arts coverage which, when it appears on the mainstream channels, is often hugely truncated and patronizing to its audience. Director General Tony Hall recently announced a raft of measures that will strive to improve the visibility of the arts across the BBC. But I think that if they are serious about making improvements in this area, they need to look at emulating the ‘set pieces’ they deliver for occasions like Glasgow 2014 or London 2012. These events prove that when they throw all of their best resources and talent at something, the BBC is capable of producing truly world-class, compelling coverage to match. 

The Commonwealth Games continue across the BBC until 3 August