Who actually cares about a load of foreign students racing for the glory of an elitist university?
I would suggest small mines and a few sharks perhaps a shoal of piranhas anything to make it more fun and family friendly.

Goal music.

Row with 1 hand tied behind their back!

All row on the same side of the boat.

Put an engine on the boats, that should shorten the epic event

Blinfold them and get the Cox pi22ed.

They should all be forced to get p!ssed beforehand.

Cambridge bossing it.

Bridge dumping , sure if the England fans can do it in Holland they can do it at home ?

Icebergs.

I was encouraged to like it back in the 70's as a kid as my more intelligent elder brother was at Cambridge.
Because it was my tendency to try to please I decided to be enthusiastic and to cheer on the Cambridge crew with the rest of the family.
It was only relatively recently that the veil lifted, and I realised what had happened.
Now I think it's the most tedious and pointless sporting event that existed. Who gives a f*** is my perspective.

They're not even the 2 best teams in Britain!

Mine would be boat race to reflect the social order of things in our country.

The coxswains would be the only elitist ones there, but they would have to be proper old moneyed toffs, not the nouveau riche who pretend to fit in with the well-bred gentry. They would also have whips to make their working class crews row faster.

A couple of jet engines should do it.

Topless cox be it male or female. I'm not prepared to discriminate over a pair of big t!ts but would hope it's the latter!

I was cheering for Oxford Analytica.

Put a small hole in the boats and they have to get to the finish line before it sinks.

Have loads of universities enter and make it a knockout.

Whoever beat Oxford in the semi-final must be rubbish

Get the Venkys to organise it.

Cross river traffic, preferably a gunboat

A re-enactment of the St Nazaire raid. With the finish line in St Nazaire.

I think this would make it more popular.

Harry Carpenter at the Oxford-Cambridge boat race in 1977

Ah, isn't that nice.. The wife of the Cambridge President is kissing the Cox of the Oxford crew.

Give each team a trebuchet and lighted balls of Greek fire to use against the other team. Boarding parties with cutlasses would also add to the spectacle.... and the losers have to go down with the boat.

Then I'd watch.

It's an absolute flipping nonsense. I went to Leeds uni and each year we had a run, not quite the same athelticism required but it was called the Otley run. Now if they filmed that I personally guarantee it would get higher viewing figures. Carnage. With no halfwit over indulged toffs involved. (well there was this posh bird called Louise, but let's not go there....)

If we mixed the boat race with the police pursuit to those that tried to steal the fixed bridge cameras, with live ammunition, it would be immense....

Loved doing the Otley Run. I was quite good at it if I do say do myself.

Cannons.

Make them stop part way through to pick some refugees out of the water.

The rowers, both male and female, train for 7 months for this one race. Would it be more interesting if we followed their training sessions every morning through winter?

And, how about all the "competition" and "to-ing and fro-ing" that goes on in the weeks approaching the race when the members of the 8s are being selected and de-selected.

Plus there have been a few occasions when "emotions" have got out of control. I think at least one example of rebellion and walking (or should that be rowing?) out amongst the crews. (Wasn't that turned into a film....?).

So, if you like X Factor, if you like Strictly, if you like Bake Off.... I now introduce you to "Strictly X Concept IIs" with a live Final on the Thames. (Maybe the name needs a little work on it).

Nah, you are right, it's hard to make a boat race interesting.

Wave machine

The BBC mentioned 'State Schools' about a dozen times in the first 10 minutes trying to create the impression anyone can get involved.

It's being dropped from next year in order to show the Fenn Street versus Grange Hill Boat Race on the Grand Union Canal.

bfcjg wrote: get the Cox pi22ed.

Make sure you go before you get in the boat. Otherwise stand up and do it over the side.

Disolving oars.

Ideas to liven up the boat race?
Turn over!

karatekid wrote:Put a small hole in the boats and they have to get to the finish line before it sinks.

+1

Have 8 coxing and 1 rowing.

Or just torpedo the *****

bfcjg wrote:Disolving oars.

Genius

Torpedoes.

BarstewardsEnquiry wrote: Genius

Difficult to tell whether you're taking the Michael.

bfcjg wrote:Who actually cares about a load of foreign students racing for the glory of an elitist university?
I would suggest small mines and a few sharks perhaps a shoal of piranhas anything to make it more fun and family friendly.

I can't imagine why a working class oik like yourself should even concern yourself with this....you should be watching " Take me out " on ITV , I mean one of the Cambridge Colleges has produced more Nobel Prize winners than France... fancy Great Britain having a University that is world leading, it's a disgrace, the Posh B*****ds, you'll be telling me next they play Rugby as well...

Each team should have 1 wheelchair bound person on the boat

Rocky cruising alongside with a megaphone

Give the men a 2 minutes head start before Clare Balding sets off in pursuit on a jet ski.

That 3-0 win over West Ham livened up my boat race.

Just don't watch it. Probably more excitement listening to the radio.

Clarets4me wrote:I can't imagine why a working class oik like yourself should even concern yourself with this....you should be watching " Take me out " on ITV , I mean one of the Cambridge Colleges has produced more Nobel Prize winners than France... fancy Great Britain having a University that is world leading, it's a disgrace, the Posh B*****ds, you'll be telling me next they play Rugby as well...

And if they didn't fanny around like modern day Captain Pugwashes they would have more Nobel Prize winners than France and USA combined.