The Willie Thorne Campaign
Few may know outside the world of snooker that Willie Thorne has been dropped from the BBC commentary team. He no longer works on the UK Championship not the World Championship and only commentates for BBC Wales in the currently showing Welsh Open.
The BBC’s response to this decision was that fresh blood was needed on the team but lacks any real credibility. I personally feel that this was an ageist decision. Wille has been a friend of mine for several years and knows the game inside out. A former professional player who was renound for knocking in maximums on the practice table, his analysis and knowledge is critical for any televised event. As a result of his and his late brother, Malcolm’s efforts, Mark Selby was discovered and developed as a player.
Unfortunately the BBC hasn’t learnt from its previous mistake of sacking Clive Everton and replacing him with a younger Stephen Hendry and is now in the process of dropping John Virgo from BBC events. It is true that Everton now works for ITV Sport and Virgo may get poached too.
Sadly in 2019, ageism is still rife in the workplace but that does not mean it should be acceptable. Wille’s case shows that he and others in a similar situation should be reinstated. No one should be dismissed because of their age but should instead be cherished, using their wealth of snooker knowledge behind the microphone. So today I ask you to join with me in the campaign to bring back Willie Thorne to the BBC commentary team!
The BBC’s response to this decision was that fresh blood was needed on the team but lacks any real credibility. I personally feel that this was an ageist decision. Wille has been a friend of mine for several years and knows the game inside out. A former professional player who was renound for knocking in maximums on the practice table, his analysis and knowledge is critical for any televised event. As a result of his and his late brother, Malcolm’s efforts, Mark Selby was discovered and developed as a player.
Unfortunately the BBC hasn’t learnt from its previous mistake of sacking Clive Everton and replacing him with a younger Stephen Hendry and is now in the process of dropping John Virgo from BBC events. It is true that Everton now works for ITV Sport and Virgo may get poached too.
Sadly in 2019, ageism is still rife in the workplace but that does not mean it should be acceptable. Wille’s case shows that he and others in a similar situation should be reinstated. No one should be dismissed because of their age but should instead be cherished, using their wealth of snooker knowledge behind the microphone. So today I ask you to join with me in the campaign to bring back Willie Thorne to the BBC commentary team!
Comments
Post a Comment