Probably one of the most iconic horse racing pundits. Very much a Marmite character—you either loved him or (not hated him) but found him slightly irritating. An ex-bookmaker who made his presence felt as a bespectacled, deerstalker-hatted, mutton-chopped behemoth who loved to be in the betting ring, shouting: “We have flip-flopping favourites! Level you devils! Come racing!”
He once said of himself: “I’m a failed punter, a failed bookmaker, a failed journalist.”
In truth, he had his successes.
He twice won the British Press Awards for campaigning journalism.
There will only ever be one John Michael McCririck.
Born on 17th April 1940 in Surbiton, Surrey, England, McCririck came from a privileged background. The son of wealthy Jersey property developers, he was educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey. As a teenager, he attended Harrow, one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the country.
As you can imagine from a man who considered himself a failure, he had many and varied jobs. He failed to achieve his parents’ ambition for him to become a diplomat. He lost a job as a waiter at the Dorchester Hotel after spilling soup over a customer. He worked briefly for a one-armed illegal bookmaker before deciding to ply his trade alone. After failing, he turned his hand to becoming a tic-tac man.
He started working for The Sporting Life in 1968 but was sacked in 1984. Thereafter, he joined the Daily Star but was dismissed after false claims that he was in debt to a bookmaker. He sued the newspaper and won at an employment tribunal.
After joining ITV Sport in 1981, horse racing coverage later moved to Channel 4 Racing in 1984. For many punters, this was when “Big Mac” came to life in the betting ring. With his flamboyant attire, blunt-talking persona, and ever-present cigar, he became one of the most recognized figures in racing.
Without a doubt, John McCririck was a TV personality, starring in many shows:
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Celebrity Big Brother
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Wife Swap (with his wife Jenny, whom he fondly called “The Booby”)
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Bullseye
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You Bet!
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Celebrity Poker Club
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Brass Eye
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Hell’s Kitchen
And, infamously, on Channel 4’s After Dark with old friend Barney Curley in an episode titled Horse Racing: Sport of Kings?
In 2018, McCririck joined the Racing Post as part of the editorial team.
He was a key figure on Channel 4 Racing until a major revamp in 2012, when he was not included in the new team led by Clare Balding. Unfortunately, he sued on the grounds of age discrimination but lost the case and had to pay substantial legal costs.
The employment tribunal ruled: “All the evidence is that Mr. McCririck’s pantomime persona, as demonstrated on the celebrity television appearances, and his persona when appearing on Channel 4 Racing, together with his self-described bigoted and male chauvinist views, were clearly unpalatable to a wider audience.”
For many, he was far from that description and was someone sadly missed both on TV and in life.
There is no doubt that John McCririck made his mark on racing.
Sadly, he passed away on 5th July 2019 after suffering from lung cancer.