Dan Walker has made it clear he isn’t impressed by the cancellation of Question of Sport (Picture: David Rogers/Getty Images)
Dan Walker has called out the BBC after it decided to axe Question of Sport.
First hitting screens back in 1968, the sports quiz show had most recently been hosted by Paddy McGuinness, with team captains being Sam Quek and Ugo Monye.
While it was the ‘world’s longest running TV sports quiz’, last week the national broadcaster announced the show was being cancelled.
A BBC spokesperson confirmed it was ‘due to inflation and funding challenges’.
The decision was met with disappointment by many, who called the axing of the long-running series a ‘shame’.
Now Dan, who previously hosted BBC Breakfast from 2016 until 2022, as well as Football Focus from 2009 until 2021, has taken aim at the broadcaster.
The show was most recently hosted by Paddy McGuinness (Picture: BBC/James Stack)
After news of the axe was revealed, Dan expressed his sadness that the show would be no more.
‘Really sad to read the news about Question of Sport,’ he posted on X, formerly Twitter.
‘One of THE iconic shows. I used to dress up as David Coleman as a kid and pretend to host it and always loved Sue on it too.
‘There is definitely still a winning format in there somewhere.’
The former BBC Breakfast presenter shared the above comment on social media (Picture: X)
Responding to a comment from someone who said the show ‘went wrong when they thought it needed to be funny to appeal to people’, Dan said the show ‘may have alienated their core audience while searching for a new one’.
‘TV is hard, but we make it more difficult sometimes. Have a lovely Christmas big man,’ he said.
He also challenged a fan of the show who criticised host Paddy, with Dan saying he thought he was ‘great’.
Despite the cancellation, the BBC has said the show’s format is not for sale and it reserves the right to bring it back in the future.
Question of Sport began 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.
However, she 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 said at the time.
Matt Dawson, Sue Barker and Phil Tufnell all left the show in recent years (Picture: BBC/Vishal Sharma)
‘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 took over.
His first show attracted 2.2million viewers, but ratings soon started slipping and eventually dipped to under one million.
Metro.co.uk has contacted BBC for comment.
A Question of Sport is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
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‘They may have alienated their core audience.’