Angry punters urge veteran race caller to quit after 'most embarrassing commentary ever heard'
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One of racing’s longest serving broadcasters and commentators was facing calls to quit on Monday. Derek Thompson. 74, announced in December that 2025 would be his final year as a commentator. He has worked in broadcasting since 1972, joining BBC Radio then ITV before becoming one of the team of presenters on Channel 4 Racing, a role he held for 27 years.
Popularly known as ‘Tommo’ he coined the phrases, ‘Are you well? I thought you were’ and ‘Big fella’. He was also responsible for the viral At The Races clip in which he hands over from the studio to reporter Robert Cooper, remarking, “Oh, you’ve been joined by a beautiful lady” to which Cooper replied: “It’s a man actually, Derek.”.
Thompson, who has commentated from every track in Britain, was working at Ayr on Monday when he got in a muddle during the final race, a National Hunt Flat race. As the race reached it’s climax he said: “On the far side, we’ve got, still on the far side, we’ve got, on this side it’s Baratablet, but on the far side it’s the one in front at this stage.
“It looks like Kevlar. No, hang on, it’s Out Of The Woods who’s coming through. Hang on, let me just check this, it looks like Out Of The Woods has come through from nowhere to win it.”. By the time the horses crossed the line he had them in the right order. “Out Of The Woods has come out and won it. In second place, that was the favourite Baratablet and back in third was Kevlar,’ he said.
