John Michael McCririck was an English horse racing pundit, television personality and journalist.
18 Facts About John McCririck
2.
In October 2012, the channel announced that he would be dropped from its team, which John McCririck blamed on ageism; he took the matter to an employment tribunal, but lost the case.
3.
John McCririck appeared on the current affairs discussion programme After Dark.
4.
John McCririck left with three O-Levels, having run the book on cross country races.
5.
John McCririck began his career in journalism at The Sporting Life, where he twice won at the British Press Awards for his campaigning journalism; he was sacked in 1984.
6.
John McCririck joined the Daily Star, but was later sacked by the newspaper after allegations emerged that he was in debt to his bookmaker; he later successfully sued the paper at an employment tribunal.
7.
In December 2018 John McCririck joined the editorial team at The Racing Paper as a weekly columnist.
8.
John McCririck appeared on the 1991 Bullseye Christmas Special, winning the top prize for his chosen charity, the Sue Ryder Foundation.
9.
John McCririck appeared in the Celebrity Poker Club television series, reaching the Grand Finale of series one, won by Sir Clive Sinclair.
10.
John McCririck appeared during ITV's snooker coverage in a betting capacity.
11.
In 1997, John McCririck was tricked by two separate episodes of spoof TV show Brass Eye, once in an item about artificial insemination and another in an item, appearing as himself, about Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe starring in a musical while on day-release from prison.
12.
John McCririck was a housemate in Ultimate Big Brother in August 2010.
13.
On 26 June 2015, on the sixteenth series of Big Brother, it was announced that John McCririck would be returning to Big Brother, taking part in Big Brother's Hotel from Hell the following week, where he would be staying in the house and other ex-housemates would join him on Monday 29 June.
14.
John McCririck married Jennifer Barnes in 1970 and referred to her as "The Booby".
15.
In early 2018, John McCririck contracted influenza which resulted in a chest infection.
16.
John McCririck died at The Princess Grace Hospital, London, on 5 July 2019, after a short illness with lung cancer; he was 79.
17.
John McCririck was a skilled journalist whose investigations uncovered a couple of betting-related scandals in the 70s.
18.
The producers of Channel 4 Racing almost invariably turned to John McCririck when there was a serious interview to be done.