The ITV Racing team tasked with creating a Glorious Goodwood atmosphere

The Qatar Goodwood Festival is known for its atmosphere – both in the stands and around the winner’s enclosure, always packed with onlookers cheering home their favourite horses. Not this year, though.
A 'normal' Glorious Goodwood scene, but there'll be no big crowds this year - which presents ITV Racing with a challenge / Picture: Tommy McMillanA 'normal' Glorious Goodwood scene, but there'll be no big crowds this year - which presents ITV Racing with a challenge / Picture: Tommy McMillan
A 'normal' Glorious Goodwood scene, but there'll be no big crowds this year - which presents ITV Racing with a challenge / Picture: Tommy McMillan

And for the ITV Racing team, that presents a challenge - how do you bring to life an event that, without a crowd,feels quite flat?

EChamberlin explained the difficulties around trying to create the same ‘buzz’ for people at home when there are no crowds present.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It is very difficult,” he told us. “Particularly when these heroes come into the winner’s enclosure to absolute silence – it is very difficult to not feel flat yourself.

“You’ve got to remember the joy racing is bringing to people at home and you’ve got to get up to that level too.

“It’s been such a shame that owners haven’t been able to see their horses and the crowd haven’t been there to welcome home horses like Stradivarius and Battaash.”

Despite the strange atmosphere surrounding the big meetings this season, Chamberlin counts himself as one of the lucky ones.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

ITV's Chamberlin says Goodwood is perfect place to trial crowds back at elite sporting events“I feel very spoilt that I’m able to work and go racing when there are an awful lot of people in a much worse position than myself.

“It’s hopefully a one-off – it’s just a shame and I feel very sorry for the racecourses themselves, who can’t have those revenue streams they normally would.

“When we come back in 2021, everybody will appreciate it more than ever!”

When ITV Racing resumed their broadcasts, they were straight into action with some of the biggest meetings of the flat racing calendar.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Chamberlin spoke about the difficulties in the beginning and how broadcasting has become somewhat easier now the team are allowed on a racecourse.

“After a long famine came an absolute feast – we’ve had the Guineas, Royal Ascot, the Derby, the Eclipse and Newmarket July Festival all in a concertina period, it’s been hectic.

“To start with, when racing came back, we couldn’t be on the racecourse.

“I was presenting from my spare room, Francesca [Cumani] was at her house in Newmarket, Jason [Weaver] in his house.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It was a landmark broadcast. I don’t think it’s ever been done before and hopefully never will again, but the technical team and those behind the scenes did an incredible job to allow a broadcast to happen remotely.

“It wasn’t just the presenters and pundits who were remote – the director was at his house, his assistant was at her house and the editor was at his house. So how it all came together – with the delays and other things you had to deal with – was absolutely extraordinary.

“Taking about the 2000 Guineas from my spare room is something I’ll never forget.

“It’s got much easier since Royal Ascot – being at the racecourse and being able to interact with the team.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I’ve been flattered that people have been judging our broadcasts as normal – they certainly aren’t.

“We’ve been working with skeleton staff in front and behind the camera and we can’t move about, but we’ve just had to focus on what we can do and not what we can’t.”

With people forced to stay at home and watch the action on TV, ITV Racing has benefitted from record viewing figures.

“Viewing figures have been great – far in advance of what other television shows have got during lockdown.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We had good figures for The Guineas, then Royal Ascot numbers were off the charts at times. People are falling in love with racing again.

“When I started this job – two million people watching The Derby was a bit of a holy grail. So to get 2.3 million was great and then the next day we got our record figure for The Coral Eclipse and Sunday racing by a mile. It was bigger than a figure for The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

“I’m really enjoying the Sundays – they’ve been a big success.”