THE BOAT RACE RETURNS TO BBC ONE (2021)

Live men’s and women’s race coverage as Oxford and Cambridge battle it out on the Great Ouse at Ely, in a change from the traditional River Thames course, as a result of the pandemic.

The annual staple on the British sporting calendar was cancelled in 2020, but it makes a welcome return this year with the staging of the 166th men’s race and 75th women’s race. Cambridge clinched a clean sweep in 2019, with their men’s team - including two-time Olympic champion James Cracknell - winning by a length to secure a second successive victory, while their women’s squad clinched a third straight success.

This year’s race will be the first time since 1944 that the Great Ouse will host the event - that year, Oxford’s men were triumphant.

Clare Balding presents all the action with Matthew Pinsent, Katherine Grainger and James Cracknell providing expert analysis alongside lead commentator Andrew Cotter.