Jake Humphrey To Leave BBC After 2012 season

BBC F1 presenter Jake Humphrey has announced plans to leave the BBC for BT after the current Formula 1 season, in a move which will see the 33-year-old become the face of BT’s Premier League football coverage from the 2013/14 season onwards. Humphrey has presented F1 since its return to the BBC in 2009, alongside Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard.

Jake Humphrey was initially a children’s TV presenter for CBBC, however he soon began covering sport for the BBC, with his first role as a match reporter for BBC Radio 5 Live in 2005. Humphrey’s career quickly gathered momentum with BBC Sport, as he soon began presenting Football Focus and Super Bowl coverage. Once the BBC obtained the rights to broadcast Formula 1 from ITV ahead of the 2009 season, Jake Humphrey was confirmed as the presenter for the coverage alongside pundits Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard. The trio were an immediate success, and have continued to present the coverage since. However, Humphrey will bring an end to that successful combination when he pursues his career presenting football coverage for BT next season.

“I’m incredibly excited to be joining the team at BT, not just because I get to fulfill a lifelong dream of presenting the Barclays Premier League but because of the fresh perspective that BT will bring to both sport and broadcasting in this country,” explained Jake Humphrey after the announcement on Tuesday.

This season has seen the BBC share its broadcasting of Formula 1 with major sporting broadcaster Sky Sports, who have created a dedicated F1 channel and broadcast every session from every race weekend live. Due to a cut back on the BBC’s coverage of the sport, only half of the season is now shown live by the BBC.

It is yet unknown who Jake Humphrey’s replacement at the BBC will be, however rumors indicate that current BBC F1 reporter Lee McKenzie could get the nod. The 34-year-old Scot has presented F1 coverage previously, when Jake Humphrey covered the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and the Olympic Games in 2012.

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Martin Brundle Off To Sky Sports For 2012?

Next year the broadcasting of Formula 1 in the United kingdom changes as the BBC will co-broadcast F1 alongside major sporting TV company Sky Sports. Sky have almost monopolized sport over the last decade as popular sports such as Football, Cricket and Golf have made Sky their new home and as of 2012, Formula 1 will be added to the growing list of sports covered by the company.

The BBC will still broadcast F1 next year as they plan to show 10 races live and the other 10 in a delayed highlights format that has yet to be announced whereas Sky Sports will show all 20 races live next year including all three Practice Sessions and Qualifying.

The highlight of this slightly controversial decision has now switched to who Sky Sports will sign up as their presenters, commentators and pit lane reporters. It has been highly speculated over the last few months that former ITV and current BBC commentator, Martin Brundle, is in talks with both companies over his future with the sport. He has tweeted saying that he has received offers from both companies and that he will be taking the weekend to decide on his future.

If Martin Brundle does join Sky Sports, how will that affect the BBC F1 Team, who have produced some of the best F1 coverage the sport has ever seen in their long and colorful years covering the sport, their first race coverage being the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix which was won by local hero Gilles Villeneuve and featured commentary from Murray Walker before being joined a year later by former World Champion James Hunt. Will the BBC take the offer of using Sky’s commentary, an opportunity that must be offered to them as part of the deal with Sky or will they continue with their own commentary minus probably the only true heir to Murray Walker’s throne in Martin Brundle? If this decision is taken it is understood that David Coulthard will be joined by Speed TV’s Australian commentator Leigh Diffey. If Martin Brundle does join Sky it is believed he will be joined by current colleague and BBC Radio 5 Live commentator David Croft who is renowned for his colorful and sometimes explosive commentating style. 

It is also understood that Sky are keen to have ex ITV and current BBC pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz and current ITV Sports presenter (and ex BBC and ITV F1 presenter) Steve Rider on their team, meaning that if this does become a reality that the BBC F1 Team will also be a pit lane reporter down, leaving only Lee McKenzie and Natalie Pinkham remaining.

Of course there are two races remaining in 2011, and there is a whole winter off season in which these various contracts will be flying ever other way before Sky can reveal their 2012 F1 Team Line-Up.