The whistle has been blown on A Question of Sport (Picture: BBC/Vishal Sharma)
A Question of Sport has been axed by the BBC after over 50 years on screen.
The whistle has officially been blown on the long-running sports quiz show due to ‘dwindling’ ratings.
After first airing in January 1970, the family-friendly programme is now said to also have limited appeal on iPlayer.
However, bosses haven’t called time on the show completely, having reserved the rights to bring it back in the future.
A BBC spokesperson confirmed to Metro.co.uk: ‘Due to inflation and funding challenges difficult decisions have to be made, therefore Question of Sport is currently not in production at the moment.’
A TV insider also suggested that A Question of Sport could one day follow in the footsteps of The Weakest Link, which ended in 2012, under Anne Robinson, and then returned in 2020 with Romesh Ranganathan.
Sue Barker presented A Question of Sport from 1997 until 2021 (Picture: BBC/Vishal Sharma)
Longest-serving captain Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell also left in 2021 (Picture: BBC)
Viewing figures started to drop after Paddy McGuinness took over (Picture: BBC/James Stack)
‘We have to provide value for money to licence fee payers and prioritise high-impact content that drives viewers to BBC iPlayer,’ the source said.
‘So, for now, Question of Sport is taking a break and there are no current plans for its return.’
A Question of Sport started out with David Vine at the helm for seven series, with David Coleman taking over from him until 1997.
Sue Barker joined the team in 1997 and presented until 2021, with the show still pulling in up to four million viewers towards the end of her stint.
A Question of Sport’s heyday undeniably came in the 1980s, though, breaking viewing records in 1987 with over 19million tuned in when Princess Anne took part.
Sam Quek and Ugo Monye also joined in 2021 as team captains (Picture: BBC/James Stack)
Barker was ‘sad to say goodbye’ after her shock axe (Picture: BBC)
Meanwhile, Barker was controversially axed from the gig after 24 years, with both Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell also stepping down.
‘I’ve absolutely loved my 24 years fronting A Question of Sport, it’s been my dream job,’ she confessed at the time.
‘But I understand the BBC want to take the show in a new direction and I’m sad to say goodbye.’
Dawson also said that he ‘wasn’t sure how to respond’ after his own surprise axe.
Following Barker’s exit, former Top Gear host Paddy McGuinness took over in a divisive new line-up.
His first show attracted 2.2million viewers, but ratings soon started slipping and eventually dipped to under one million.
As for team captains, A Question of Sport’s first-ever captains were boxer Henry Cooper and rugby union player Cliff Morgan.
A Question of Sport first aired in 1970 (Picture: BBC)
David Vine was the first host, with David Coleman then taking over (Picture: BBC)
Viewing records were broken when 19million tuned in for Princess Anne’s appearance (Picture: PA Archive/PA Images)
Over the history of the show, some captains have had longer tenures than others, with the likes of footballer Ally McCoist and rugby star Bill Beaumont making over 300 appearances each.
However, the show’s longest-serving captain remains Dawson, who appeared in the show for 17 years from 2004 to 2021.
During its last leg, the team captains were Ugo Monye and Sam Quek, who also joined alongside McGuinness in 2021.
Former field hockey international Quek was the show’s first female team captain.
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Ratings were ‘dwindling.’