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Clare Balding, who wouldn’t love her!

Issue 03 – Cassi Kingshott catches up with former Downe House Head Girl, Clare Balding

Clare Balding is now a – very successful and highly popular – ‘household name’ on television whether in racing, show jumping, Britain By Bike on BBC Two, QI, Sports Personality of the Year or Famous & Fearless for Channel Four. I caught up with Clare to find out where she gets the energy, passion and sheer adaptability for such a busy career.

Writer Jeanette Winterson once summed you up as ‘what the BBC does best no gimmicks, no game-show personality, just top-class commentary coming out of a big brain with plenty of experience and passion.’ Are these qualities which developed during your school days, as head girl at Downe House School?

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“I think it certainly helped to do a lot of public speaking at school, to be encouraged to be confident and to think on my feet,” Clare says. “I was given a lot of responsibility at school and you have to earn the respect of your peers to carry that off. It was a very formative part of my life and I loved my time at Downe House.”

The BBC Grand National coverage attracts audiences of around 600 million. I asked Clare whether the thought of millions of viewers relying on her interpretation of the event – to provide the atmosphere of this iconic race – makes her feel nervous.

“When the red light goes on I tend to lapse into a state of focused intensity… I guess it’s what sportsmen and women call being ‘in the zone’

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“I love the thrill of live television and radio, whatever the event. So whether it’s the Boat Race, the Challenge Cup final, Wimbledon or the Grand National, I definitely get a buzz”, she tells me. “When the red light goes on I tend to lapse into a state of focused intensity and I become very calm. I guess it’s what sportsmen and women call being ‘in the zone’. I genuinely love what I do and even if I’m nervous, I enjoy that sense of anticipation and the pressure of having to get it right first time as it’s live, so there’s no take two.”

Clare’s family has been training horses for many years at Kingsclere – including the 1971 Derby winner, Mill Reef – and her brother, Andrew, continues the tradition. In her experience, I wondered, are women presenters in sport readily accepted?

“I think racing is very advanced in terms of gender equality – there are many female presenters across the different channels and I think many of them do a fabulous job, particularly Alice Plunkett, Emma Spencer and Tania Stevenson on Channel 4. We all bring something different to our programmes and to the sport but it’s great that in racing, unlike the attitude reflected by recent incidents in football, there is a genuine feeling of acceptance amongst the male participants and male media colleagues.”

Clare says she particularly “loves finding the stories outside of the betting” where her job is “to get people to care, and not just because they’ve had a bet”. I wonder how she manages to unearth the human stories. For instance, is it simply through talking to local people?
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“The key to good story telling is doing plenty of research and asking the right questions. Yes, talking to local people is always useful and interesting. I have presented a walking programme for the last 12 years or so on Radio 4 called Ramblings – it’s basically about walking but it’s all about people. I have learnt that everyone has a story, it’s just a case of finding a way to tell it. The same is true in sport – there’s always a good story. You’ve just got to discover it and then convey it.”

“I have learnt that everyone has a story, it’s just a case of finding a way to tell it.”

Clare has a home at Kingsclere and I wondered what she likes most about living in West Berkshire and how she relaxes when she is at home.

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“I love to go for long walks with Archie, my dog, up onto the Downs or over Cottington Hill to Hannington and to spend time with my nephews and my baby niece”, said Clare. I like to play golf at Sandford Springs – which is a fabulous course – and, when time and fitness allow, I love to horse ride. Back and knee trouble means that not always a good idea!”

With a highly successful and diverse career – from reading stories on CBeebies to presenting Crufts – I’m curious about whether Clare’s career path has been intentional one and whether she believes we all make our own luck. Is life simply a matter of seizing the opportunities when they come your way?

“I have tried to take up very challenge that I believe would improve me as a broadcaster,” Clare tells me. For example, the series I did in January for Channel 4 (Famous & Fearless) was a completely new experience for me – I’ve never presented in front of a huge live audience who are all listening to the output as well as the audience at home and I’ve never done such a high profile entertainment show. I think you have to be prepared to make a fool of yourself, you have to be prepared to fail and you have to give everything your best shot. That’s how I’ve approached it and so far, that attitude has paid off. I’ve had the chance to do so many different things and honestly, I can’t believe my luck.”

Despite being a high-flyer this ‘top class commentator’ and sports journalist seems to have her feet very firmly on the ground. I am sure we will be seeing even more of Clare on our televisions and that makes us all very lucky.