Clare Balding apologises..

She really is a monstrous half-wit.

Hmm, I should think she knows the jockey well enough to know what she can and can't say to him, sounds from that like he took it in good spirits but had to apologise because of complaints from people who saw/heard her on the tv. I guess it would be embarassing played to millions though, there's possibly a better time/place for such a remark.

She's one to talk though isn't she? She's not exactly an oil painting herself ?

I heard her say this and was quite shocked by it, I think he took it in good spirits at the time, probably because of his win. I thought it totally inappropriate though.

Too right! He did seem to take it in good spirits, but looked quite embarrassed. I thought it was pretty rude. "Liam, you've just won the grand national at 100-1, well done and all that, but now show us your ghastly teeth so we can all point and laugh, hahahahahahahahahaaha"

Agree totally. I was mortified for him, watching it on Saturday. He was clearly embarrassed as he kept trying to shield his teeth with his hand.

I do have a fair amount of sympathy for her, to be honest.

Jonathan Ross said in a recent interview that one of the problems with doing interviews with people where there isn't an audience immediately present (in his case, his radio show) is that you sometimes forget that you're addressing millions of people, and that things that you intend as casual banter might well not work at all - and once you've started going down that road, even if you realise it's not working, it's very hard to pedal backwards while retaining your composure.

I was acutely conscious of this last week when I chaired a panel discussion involving three disabled people - as we'd spent most of the pre-meet telling each other hilarious but unspeakably tasteless disablist jokes, and I was worried one might slip out in front of the audience (who we couldn't really see, as there were bright lights shining in our faces).

So she should have done, it was a terrible comment to make.

I don't mind Clare she does know her racing but she is incredibly rude on many occasions. Last year she brought up the winning jockeys previous stay in prison. When she was commentating at Badminton horse trials she slated dressage and said it was 'boring' and all the tests look the same. There was also another incident where she was interviewing someone and then totally unrelated to the interview decided to point out some food that was spilt down his tie.

She has a strange grasp on what is polite to mention in conversation let alone something shown all over t.v.

I know where JR is coming from, although CB is totally different. She is a journalist who has had courses and training to avoid this type of comment. The BBC "taste and decency" couses that it runs for its journos includes what type of thing you can't and cannot say. Additionally, unlike a radio studio, CB was in front of hundreds of people at Aintree.

I agree that it was probably meant light hearted and that she sincerely was pleased for him winning, and that what she said was intended tongue in cheek. Sadly this was the wrong comment when the guy was on a high from his win. I cringed when I saw this on TV....for both the jockey and CB.

I was shocked when she said it on sat and he was embarrased by it as he held his lips tight and wouldnt smile for her then.

it was really rude, i wish he'd been able to retort because as its been pointed out, claire is buck ugly herself and would have been mortified if he'd been so rude to say something back to her.

I posted and its gone missing.

i cringed when i saw it on saturday and he was mortified, he didnt smile and closed his lips as he was embarrased.

claire balding has a cheek as she is buck ugly herself. hubby commented that had she been stood in the stables at pre race, they might have saddled her instead of the horse. pity the jockey hadnt said something like that to her.

Does anyone remember when Alistair McGowan did an impersonation of her????

I felt really sorry for him when I saw it on Saturday and think it's right that she apologised. However, I do wonder whether a private personal apology to him might have been more appropriate as this has raised the profile of the incident to an audience other than that watching the live broadcast.