Legendary racing broadcaster John McCririck dies aged 79
Racing Broadcaster John McCririck is pictured at Epsom Racecourse in June 2009
Journalist and broadcaster John McCririck has died aged 79, his family announced today.
McCririck – known as ‘Big Mac’ to many in the racing world – was a familiar face on Channel 4’s coverage of the sport for many years, with his career on television spanning four decades.
Married to Jenny in 1971, McCririck was an unmissable character with his deerstalker hat, sideburns and cigar, and thrived at the heart of what he called the ‘betting jungle’.
He was well known for his outlandish dress sense and his ebullient personality in the betting ring during his roles on TV, first for ITV and latterly for Channel 4.
In 1981, he joined ITV Sport’s horse racing coverage, which then moved to Channel 4, where he would spend more than 25 years at his familiar spot in the betting ring.
Prior to that he worked for the Sporting Life newspaper and in recent years he had appeared on At The Races.
He appeared in various other mainstream programmes, including Celebrity Big Brother, before he acrimoniously left Channel 4 Racing in 2012.
McCririck subsequently lost an age discrimination case made against the station and production company IMG Media Limited.
The broadcaster is survived his wife of 48 years, Jenny, who is better known as ‘Booby’.