BBC’S Red Roses snub is disgraceful
Let me get straight to the point. It is a disgrace that England’s second-round match against Italy in the Women’s Six Nations at 2pm tomorrow has been snubbed in favour of a recycled episode of Flog It! (which was first aired in December 2014) on BBC Two.
How has our national broadcaster – which is supposed to have a public commitment to women’s sport – allowed this to happen? It was a similar story last weekend, when England’s opener against Scotland, broadcast live on BBC iplayer, was passed over in favour of 1978 film Death on the Nile, on BBC Two.
To add insult to injury, tomorrow’s Flog It! episode (which includes a set of Matchbox toys in pristine condition, if you are not already tempted) has been shown no less than six times before on the BBC main network. So, chances are the faithful have seen the damn thing anyway.
It is baffling why the Red Roses should not be deemed worthy of the main network, especially when the team’s autumn friendlies against France last November on BBC Two reached a combined audience of 1.91 million.
This is not about bashing the Beeb. The broadcaster, after all, is creating a rare bit of history by stepping in at short notice to buy the rights for this year’s women’s championship. But it is disappointing that England, the only fully professional team in the women’s championship, are considered good enough for BBC Two status only for their third and final match, on April 24. Contrast that with Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTE, which is showing all of the country’s matches on its main network, despite its women’s team being entirely amateur.
Those waiting eagerly for the start of last week’s Englandscotland
game on BBC iplayer were treated to a still screen before the broadcast started with the teams running out. No pre-match build-up – surely a prerequisite for viewers new to the women’s game wanting to familiarise themselves with the sport? No pitchside pundits to comb through some of the narratives surrounding the game: could Helena Rowland fasten her grip on the England No10 shirt? Could amateur Scotland build on their historic 14-14 draw with semi-professional France last November?
At half-time, we were treated to no analysis or replays, but a recycled advert of a British rower targeting this year’s Olympics – what every rugby fan wants during a game.
Apart from a pitchside interview afterwards with England’s Poppy Cleall, there was no platform for players’ personalities to shine through. Even the world’s best commentators cannot comprehensively sell a sport within a measly 80-minute slot if it is not properly packaged. You would hope BT Sport, which is set to show this year’s Premier 15s final next month, will be taking notes.
This year, the Women’s Six Nations has the unenviable task of selling itself and broadening its commercial appeal in just four weeks, having been shortened due to the pandemic.
When the bulk of that coverage is hidden away on online-only services, that mission becomes doubly hard. When the bulk of that coverage is overlooked for an ancient Agatha Christie film or an antiques programme which is an antique in itself, it is the ultimate insult to women’s sport.
As a sport which has a rare gender-balanced audience, it is a missed opportunity. If the country’s national broadcaster cannot give female athletes the respect they deserve, who will?
To add insult to injury, the Six Nations tie has been overlooked in favour of a repeat of ‘Flog It!’