John Hunt BBC Grand National commentary team to include first female caller in 73 years

John Hunt will welcome a new name to his Grand National commentary team for the ’s coverage on Radio 5 Live on Saturday.

The BBC commentator, whose wife Carol and two of their daughters Hannah and Louise were murdered in their Bushey, Hertfordshire, home by crossbow killer Kyle Clifford in July last year, returned to work for the broadcaster on Cheltenham Gold Cup day in March. He picked up the mic again just days after being present in court to hear Clifford being sentenced to three whole-life sentences.

Hunt has been present for the whole of the Grand National Festival at Aintree to call the feature races but the 4m2f Grand National requires a team of commentators to describe the action with accuracy.

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Hunt, who will take charge at the start and the stages up to and past the stands to the winning post, will hand over to three others when the field heads out to the country.

Darren Owen and Gary O’Brien are regular members of the squad and they will be joined for the first time this year by Gina Bryce, who will describe the action as it unfolds over four specific fences.

Bryce usually anchors much of the 5 Live racing coverage but will be making her debut as a commentator, becoming the first female to call the race in 73 years.

Only one woman has ever tried to call the Grand National in 1952 when the former Aintree owner Mirabel Topham took on the job with a group of friends after falling out with the BBC. Their version was so bad, the winner Teal had been called a faller at the first fence!

“It’s very exciting, if not slightly terrifying,” Bryce told Racing. “It’s not like I’m becoming a commentator so I feel a little bit of a fraud for taking the plaudits. It's four fences, part of the story-telling. BBC 5 Live has a long history of bringing in other voices to the Grand National.

“I just hope as an extension of my role as a presenter I can bring a bit of the colour, a bit of the story-telling to those four fences.

“Never in a million years did I think I would have the opportunity to do something like this. It’s going to be an amazing experience. I can’t wait to get out there.

“It’s pretty hair-raising getting up to the gantry with the scaffolding and two sheer ladders. People don’t realise how dextrous commentators have to be from that perspective let alone calling the race home.”

“There’s a lot going on out there which I wasn’t quite expecting but I'm really looking forward to it.”