The Thorpedo – cracking pundit, dodgy clobber

Checkered past: Thorpe has fashion form (BBC)

There hasn't been much to separate Ian Thorpe and Gary Lineker, tan-wise, but the swimmer is routinely outshining the crisps man as a pundit.

The Thorpedo, star of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, failed to qualify for London, where Australia's loss has been our gain; Thorpe has become a fixture on the BBC sofa, winning praise for his articulate, cool insight.

But while Trending is resolutely pro-Thorpe, we have wondered about his outfits. He appeared on Monday night in a bold check jumper, turning up again only hours later in a shiny leather jacket with over-sized lapels.

"Very concerned about Ian Thorpe's casual wear," the comedian Julian Clary said. Other viewers have noticed Thorpe's wide eyes, leading one to say: "Ian Thorpe looks like a fawn who has ran, startled, through a branch of TopMan."

Thorpe has fashion form, however, serving as an Armani ambassador. Perhaps Lineker needs to up his game.