Thetownend.com

Not doing comms any more on BBC Wilts ..........

Anyone know the reasons for this? 

Who is now doing it?

Chris Wise and Shaun Hodgetts apparantly.

Though Vic did say on the article he did in the washbag about Saturday, that at the time he didnt know it would be his last commentary, so a bit of a sudden decision!!!!

I don't think he was very good but it is local radio after all.

He was very enthusiastic in his celebration of goals throw ins.

Might be something to do with the BBC cutbacks.

Best of luck to Vic anyways, have a lot of time for him.

I echo these thoughts.  I know he got a lot of stick on here, but he always came across as a STFC diehard and that in my eyes brought him a lot of slack!

Good Luck Vic!

Vic is a nice bloke and a true die hard Town fan but couldnt commentate to save his life at times, getting over excited about corners as if they were goals yet giving us no insight into actual goals at all.

The BBC are constantly making cuts in local radio and football is an easy target for cutbacks, maybe Juddie knows a little more?

The main reason why Mark O'Donnell was moved from his Saturday afternoon slot is because of over manning at the BBC causing excess personel for Saturday afternoons.

Even though his commentary did often annoy I will genuinely miss him.

Don't know if his living in Exeter and changing of his job at BBC Radio Devon has anything to do with it?

Vic is a legend - Shaun Hodgetts is awful!! 

Vic does know a bit about the game, Shaun is just an enthusiastic supporter - always dropping his little cliches in to the conversation - how many times have we been told he had a private education?

Agree with most of what JJ wrote: Genuinely think he'd have been a better co-comm where the description was a bit less important and the passion could be more of a benefit...one of the best commentary clips of all time is the RWC final vs Australia with Gregor Robertson (Scottish!) describing the play as Wilkinson goes for the drop goal while Rob Andrew (somewhat less neutral) is going absolutely mental behind him.

Chris is a good commentator though, and at a guess he'll be doing the comms and Shaun the presenting/production. For a while they were doing Vic and Chris for games, which now looks like it was the transition.

Shaun is a big cheese at RS though and has had less involvment the last few years so surely it can only be due to cut backs, Vic may not have always been the best commentator but for local radio he was fine and knew his stuff

I like Chris as a commentator. I think generally the presenters are good, apart from the odd shit guest commentator.

Think it's a case of BBC cutbacks. They'll have one commentator at each game instead of two doing a half each, plus of course the co-commentators – who cost nothing. I think. That's why they're sometimes a bit ropey!

5live are doing the same, so local radio no different. A result of the financial climate yadder yadder.

Shame for Vic. he's very good. It's easy to criticise these guys but I was really surprised how tough it was when I was first asked to help Ed Hadwin a few years back, not only to describe a game when there's not a lot happening – which happens a lot with STFC – but also to do that when they have instructions in their headphones or trying to match their research notes to incidents in the game as and when they happen. It's a tough gig!

Vic and Shaun are both passionate, eloquent and knowledgeable - you'll miss Vic now he's gone and I'm sure it would be the same with Shaun. You can't replace the knowledge they have easily. Chris has a very good way of describing things and he's sharp, too. He might not be a bonafide Town fan but he clearly has a soft spot for the club because I've seen him celebrate goals. And technically it's the job of the co-commentator to provide most of the passion! And they're all Swindon fans.

To be honest, all our BBC commentators have been good for years. Good luck to Vic, it's alway good having an actual Town fan commentating, unlike other stations.
P.S. bring back O Donnell as the text man.

Great post Juddie. Could never knock Vic or Shaun, I've still got the 85/86 promotion cassette from when i was a kid.
Hopefully vic can sometimes come in as a guest when we're playing closer to devon. That would be a nice touch although I have a feeling he'll be snapped up commentating on another football league side.

Compared to other clubs we're lucky in that we have had people like Shaun and Vic who know the history of the club over the past 30 years.  not by reading it but by actually being there when it happened.

Unfortunately that will never happen again.

The BBC sack Vic and commission another series of Mrs Browns Boys and have the gall to call the cuts "BBC Quality 1st" Of course the BBC have been bullied into these cuts by a Government that hates it.I expect his Devon evening show is also one that's under review and ripe for the picking...Good luck Vic.

Agree Mrs Browns boys is one of the most pathetic excuses for comedy ever on British tv a total waste of license payers money.

i thought it was utter tripe, but seems to do well in the ratings. Can't fathom it out.

That Royal Bodyguard is tripe an' all.

People will watch any old crap these days.

I like Vic, he's always very entertaining when commentating. I liked having someone with such passion and good knowledge doing it.

Mrs Browns boys is great imo

Agree about the Royal Bodyguard.  I dread to think how much David Jason got to do that series????

Mehh, prefer Chris Wise's commentary anyway.

As for Mrs Brown's Boy, I'll repeat the sentiments from somewhere above. It is utter, utter shit.

Comedy died with Little Britain

Is Little Britain meant to be funny?

I listen to the match most weekends, and though his commentary could be frustrating at times, I would never doubt his love of the club, and will miss his passion and excitement when we scored (or sometimes just went close).

Mrs brown's boys is fucking brilliant. much better than Vic Morgan. 

   I agree best comedy in years

If it was one of Cibo's which didn't get judged a foul throw I'm not really surprised! :)

Well I appear to be in a minority of 1, because I like them both.

I expect most away games will be Chris and a fan co commentator the only one I dont like is that supporters club guy his voice is irritating

i got that tape.......it can move me to tears...life was sweet , living at home and cadging lifts to games home and away...no mortgage, no moaning woman......beer, birds and we shot through the divisions like a porsche!!

thanks VIC i will never forget the commentary when we got back into the game with the pikeys with charlie henry and peter coyne banging em in....magic memories!!

sorry JJ you over looked children in need, comic relief, sport relief and every other charity event...not a public funded priority in my view.

Looking for cutbacks?  get this shite off for a start!

Jeez, you've still got beef with Nigel Bennett?

Let it go man.

That's him I couldnt remember his name - yea just dont like the bloke..sorry cant let it go, hate having to listen to him on the radio

After listening to the Plymouth vs Bristol Rovers commentary on the way down to Torquay our commentators are amazing!!

The Plymouth bloke was total cringe!!

Mrs brown's boys. Never heard of it

I'll miss Vic's commentary, it was familiar and comforting.  For me, radio commentary is always difficult to listen to, whether it's Vic, Alan Green or whoever, but as long as the balance of play is conveyed and I understand (eventually) that goals have gone in I don't really care about anything else.

As for Mrs Browns Boys, and I know I have a very bleak view of 'TV comedy' (apart from Spaced) but is the whole joke the fact that its a very unfunny man dressed up as a woman..? Desperate stuff, why do the majority of Brits find this kind of cross-dressing lunacy entertaining?

As for Little Britain, "Ho ho ho... its Matt Lucas, and he's dressed as a really, really fat cellulite ridden woman... hilarious...I really hope he says the same tired catchphrase in a minute, you know the one, the one that he says every freaking week.... ohhh my sides are splitting".

Truly awful.

Cunts

One of the best first posts?

Yes, perhaps he/she is the chief writer of Mrs Browns Boys and is taking the criticism rather badly.

:D

I'm Seeing there are petitions and such going on now for this which I'm sure Vic is really touched by and no doubt he's very unhappy with the way it's been dealt with.
The fact is though BBC have to make cuts and it's the Government who have implemented this.
As earlier i mentioned I'm a big supporter of Vic, remember though he's not been back commentating swindon that long and it's completely understandable that a cut was to be made it would be someone who is not based here in swindon.
We were very lucky to have him and he'll be missed, who knows he may be asked back in years to come.
I will say that people should be looking higher up than BEEB on this one if you want to shout out your frustrations.

Good luck Vic

At least they haven't given up on local sport totally.

I spoke to Vic yesterday and all he would say that the decision was entirely out of his hands and he did not have a say in staying.

Disappointing after so many years, I feel he is very very upset by it.