John McCririck
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 John McCririck (right) with British politician Robin Cook at Glorious Goodwood in July 2005 just days before Cook's sudden death |
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| Born: | April 17, 1940 (age 66)  Surbiton, Surrey, England, UK |
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| Occupation: | Horse racing pundit, Tic-tac man |
John McCririck (born 17 April 1940, Surbiton, Surrey) is a television horse racing pundit. He was educated at Harrow School. He was previously a racing journalist with The Sporting Life and also wrote for Grandstand ; he began his career as a television pundit on ITV's horse racing coverage in 1981. During 1984 and 1985, horse racing moved to Channel 4 as referred to as Channel 4 Racing. In 2002, Channel 4 launched its own digital television racing channel, attheraces, which was sold to BSkyB in 2003. He is famous for his outspoken opinions; in particular, he has risen to the defence of punters when he thinks they are being given bad value, and is highly critical of jockeys when he doesn't think they have ridden well. He is best known to American racing audiences for his annual appearance on the Breeders' Cup telecast, in which he invariably touts British horses over their American rivals.
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[edit] Trademark
With his trademark deerstalker hat, tweed jacket and huge sideburns, he looks the part of a stereotypical English upper-class eccentric, and he happily acts this role. He also uses the traditional tic-tac signals when commenting on odds before a horse race.
[edit] Beyond racing
McCririck is a celebrity for more than just his racing opinions. In January 2005 he appeared as a contestant in the third series of Celebrity Big Brother. He upset other contestants with trenchant and unpopular views on women, refusing to join in tasks set for the contestants, walking around in his 'white' underwear and refusing to talk for three days in protest at not receiving the Diet Coke he had requested in the contestants' shopping. On Day 12 of the competition he became the second contestant to be evicted from the house after receiving fewer votes than fellow housemate Bez. Since then John has been a regular contributor to spin off shows Big Brother's Little Brother and Big Brother's Big Mouth, often being asked to report and speculate on various housemate's chances and odds with the bookies.
[edit] Other Appearences
He has also appeared in the Celebrity Poker Club television series, reaching the Grand Final of series one, won by Sir Clive Sinclair. In 2005 he appeared on the chat show Heads Up with Richard Herring to discuss his life, career and his love of poker. He also starred in a short film drama, Tartan Smalls: Winning Streak (screened on CBBC and BBC Television), where he played himself.
[edit] Wife Swap
He refers to his wife Jenny as 'The Booby', and has been accused of frequent misogyny. He is also an outspoken admirer of George W. Bush and supports Newcastle United F.C.. [1]
In autumn 2006, John and Jenny took part in Wife Swap alongside Edwina Currie and her husband (also called John). Edwina strongly objected to John's habits, which included eating his meals in bed and refusing ever to cook or drive the car. John, meanwhile, objected strongly to Edwina's removing the fuse from his TV set, and at one point ordered her to "get out of my house!" (she did not comply). In a follow up to his appearance in Wife Swap he appeared on ITV's Loose Women, where he was booed off the stage, as a result of his strong chauvinistic views. John also appeared on The Sharon Osbourne Show where Sharon ended up throwing water over him, because of his behaviour and views on women.
[edit] Guest Appearences
He also guest starred in an episode ('Drama') of the Scottish sitcom Still Game as himself, appearing on television at a race, egging Winston (Paul Riley) on to go and gamble at the 'bookies'.
[edit] Speech at Robin Cook's Funeral
On 12 August 2005, whilst giving a speech at Robin Cook's funeral, he denounced Tony Blair for not attending as he was on holiday snorkelling. Though many thought Blair should have gone to the funeral, some of the congregation felt that what he had said was inappropriate, especially as he was invited to talk about Cook's love for horse racing.
