16 December 2023 , 18:59
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Sue Barker has revealed her hope that A Question of Sport will one day return after it was cancelled by the BBC.
Barker presented the quiz show from 1997 until 2021, when comedian Paddy McGuiness was brought in with two new team captains. But ratings plummeted after that revamp, dropping below one million viewers during the latest series.
As a result, the BBC have chosen to rest the format, though have left the door open for it to return in the future. That would be welcomed by Barker, who fronted the show during its peak, with captains such as Ally McCoist, Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell.
“I’m incredibly sad that my favourite show has been axed. I loved watching it with my dad as a kid and then had the privilege of taking over the host’s chair in 1997. From there I had 24 fun-filled years presenting it with the very best captains. I truly hope it will return one day," Barker told the Telegraph.
If A Question of Sport does return, Barker would be highly unlikely to be its host. She hit out at the BBC in her autobiography, with the former tennis star accusing the corporation of 'insulting' her after asking her, Dawson and Tufnell to sign a statement saying that they had all voluntarily decided to step away.
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She wrote: “The show had played an anchoring role in all our lives; it was part of our identity – it’s the first thing any member of the public who stops me for a chat wants to know about.
“It was insulting. Did they actually expect me to sack myself and show myself no respect at all? … They then offered me my job back, but as I couldn’t help but feel that they didn’t want me any more, I declined.”
Barker left the show in 2021 alongside team captains Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell (BBC/Vishal Sharma)The BBC cited "inflation and funding challenges" after the decision to rest the show was announced. It is one of several programmes that will no longer be in production due to economic headwinds.
A spokesperson said on Friday: “Due to inflation and funding challenges difficult decisions have to be made, therefore Question of Sport is currently not in production at the moment. This is not the final whistle.”
A BBC insider told Mirror Online that the show could possibly return in the future, in the same way that The Weakest Link ended in 2012, under Anne Robinson, then returned in 2020 with Romesh Ranganathan as host.
“We have to provide value for money to licence fee payers and prioritise high impact content that drives viewers to BBC iPlayer,” the insider explained. “So, for now, Question of Sport is taking a break and there are no current plans for its return.”