Channel 4's Jamie Laing suffers embarrassing Boat Race debut as he gets winner wrong on live TV

Callum Vurley
Sun, 05 Apr 2026 13:29:27 +0000

Jamie Laing's first outing as Channel 4's Boat Race presenter didn't exactly go smoothly yesterday.

The Made in Chelsea star was brought in alongside Clare Balding for the broadcaster's inaugural coverage of the prestigious event, but viewers weren't impressed with his interviewing style.

Fans on X were quick to point out that Laing seemed stuck on repeat, asking virtually every rower the same thing.

One viewer wrote: "Jamie Laing is ridiculous. He simply asks everyone in the #boatrace 'How are you feeling?'"

Another added: "Someone should tell Jamie Laing he's allowed to ask other questions than 'How are you feeling?' and 'How proud are you?'"

One particularly cringe-worthy moment came when Laing got his winners and losers mixed up on live television.

Seconds after Cambridge crossed the finish line to claim victory, the 37-year-old accidentally offered them his commiserations rather than congratulations.

With thousands watching both at home and along the riverbank, the blunder left him visibly frozen for a moment.

He quickly gathered himself, apologised on air, and corrected the mistake by properly congratulating Cambridge before redirecting his sympathies to Oxford.

You had one job, Jamie Lang 😂 #TheBoatRace pic.twitter.com/X90PWEjMDb
— Jono Read (@jonoread) April 4, 2026

It was an especially awkward slip-up given this was Channel 4's first time broadcasting the event after taking over from the BBC.

Things got even more chaotic when Oxford women's cox Louis Corrigan let slip an expletive during his post-race interview.

Buzzing after steering his crew to their first victory since 2016, Corrigan exclaimed: "What a f***ing awesome day!"

Laing had to quickly step in and apologise to viewers at home, saying: "Excuse for the language, we're celebrating - it's ok!"

The cox also raised his hand to the camera to say sorry for the outburst.

To his credit, Laing handled the live TV mishap smoothly and carried on chatting with Corrigan about his knowledge of the Thames course.

The race results themselves were impressive despite the challenging conditions on the Thames.

Cambridge's men dominated once again, securing their seventh title in the past eight years after taking control early on the 4.25-mile course from Putney to Mortlake.

They finished 11.02 seconds ahead of Oxford in what was the 171st edition of the historic event.

Strong winds and choppy water made life difficult for both crews, but the Light Blues handled it better throughout.

Meanwhile, Oxford's women had plenty to celebrate after ending their long wait for glory, finally beating Cambridge for the first time in a decade.