Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Gary Lineker, having triggered a full-systems crisis last March with his comments on the Government’s asylum policy

But having developed a winning chemistry with Question of Sport captains Phil Tufnell and Matt Dawson, she found herself dropped.

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 4:08 pm The Telegraph seems to have a common approach to BBC sport.

Here they are, in all seriousness, blaming Barbara Slater for the Lineker Crisis, not Tory Tim Davie. And apparently she's responsible for losing all the sport- not the people who insisted on the BBC budget being cut in real terms just as BT Sport came along. Some stuff about the BBC being outwitted by Channel 4, though terrestrials bidding against each other seems like a good way of pissing away lots of money.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/20 ... eker-motd/

Dalem Lake wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 2:28 am A Question of Sport was dire and was honestly surprised to find out that it was still on. I remember it being overshadowed 30 years ago by the much more entertaining They Think Its All Over.

Watchman wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 4:57 pm Don't forget, the BBC should be "Male-Pale-Stale", as demonstrated by the like of yesterdays men who are complaining e.g Des Lynam etc

Also re Sue Barker

But having developed a winning chemistry with Question of Sport captains Phil Tufnell and Matt Dawson, she found herself dropped.

Christ. it had been in that format for years, and had simply become a stage for Dawson and Tufnell to pratt around

The Weeping Angel wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 8:36 pm

Dalem Lake wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 2:28 am A Question of Sport was dire and was honestly surprised to find out that it was still on. I remember it being overshadowed 30 years ago by the much more entertaining They Think Its All Over.

True, although considering the fact that They Think Its All Over had both Lee Hurst and Rory McGrath and feel the sportsman which often included groping the Sportswoman meant it has aged badly.

Youngian wrote: ↑Wed Jan 10, 2024 12:49 pm Frequented Rory McGrath’s local in Cambridge many times. Its usually celebs who have to avoid annoying prats from among the general public, whereas the public in this pub..

Spoonman wrote: ↑Wed Jan 10, 2024 12:27 pm

The Weeping Angel wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 8:36 pm

Dalem Lake wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 2:28 am A Question of Sport was dire and was honestly surprised to find out that it was still on. I remember it being overshadowed 30 years ago by the much more entertaining They Think Its All Over.

True, although considering the fact that They Think Its All Over had both Lee Hurst and Rory McGrath and feel the sportsman which often included groping the Sportswoman meant it has aged badly.

I suspect some very strict boundaries were set for "feel the sportsperson", even with it being risqué at the time, to make sure there were no grounds for complaint among those that volunteered & consented for it, especially as apart from rare occasions, panel guests on the show were never involved. The fact that no public "scandal" has popped up years later makes me think that everything was kept above board for the 90's though as you say it would be difficult to see it happen in a therotical 2024 revival.

Also while we know about Lee Hurst turning out to being a cunt, McGrath slowly started to let himself down badly over the years after TTIAO finished, his appearance in QI where he really got on the nerves of Stephen Fry & acted the twat in general seemingly saw the beginning of the end of his TV carrier.

The Weeping Angel wrote: ↑Wed Jan 10, 2024 6:02 pm That may well have been the case but there was a strong streak of laddishness which McGrath and Jonathan Ross were keen to play up to.

Spoonman wrote: ↑Wed Jan 10, 2024 6:41 pm

The Weeping Angel wrote: ↑Wed Jan 10, 2024 6:02 pm That may well have been the case but there was a strong streak of laddishness which McGrath and Jonathan Ross were ]
No shit! The show very much played up on British "lad culture" on the 90's/00's. However I suspect all involved in playing the game were told to never make a deliberate grope at a height/place that could be suspect**, and to "listen to the room" concernkeen to play up to.
[/quoteing the audience. Not just Hurst, McGrath or Ross - Lineker or Gower would have been similarly on guard - the current government and their client journalists would absolutely love to get some dirt concerning Lineker & the show if they could by now.



There was one occasion where McGrath got "close" to glamour model Dawn McKenzie where she was on the show to oil up two "gut bargers" on the FTS round, but that's the only "really touchy" moment I can think of from that segment, or at least one that could have been broadcast. I'd not be surprised if they were told who it was before every show started so the players wouldn't try and get into any awkward spots and just otherwise play it up for laughs.

I found this article on McGrath from the Telegraph and it does contain this

But Whitbread was just one of several women to publicly confront the show's humour. 2002 saw McGrath get punched in the face by boxer Jessica Hudson on an episode of They Think It's All Over. During a round of Feel the Sportsman, in which panellists had to identify sports personalities through touch while blindfolded, the comedian reportedly groped her.

"He was feeling my bum, and that was not on," she told The Telegraph. "I gave him a warning tap, but he took no notice, so I walloped him. I was a bit worried about breaking his nose - I've broken noses before - but I caught him on the ear instead. He kept his hands above my shoulders after that."

McGrath's comedy stylings also caught ire from an all-together more unexpected source: Victoria Beckham. The comedian made Beckham and her footballer husband David regular targets on They Think It's All Over (they usually revolved around Posh's weight and Becks's intellect), until the BBC were forced to step in.

There's also the jokes about Luke Chadwick which Nick Hancock and Gary Linekar have apologised for.

This week’s Telegraph Sport essay, “How the BBC’s sport coverage has lost its way”, has drawn thousands of reader responses. From outrage at the remuneration of Gary Lineker to anguish at the corporation turning its back on live golf, the subject has drawn the widest range of impassioned contributions.

Ahead of a monumental year for sport, from the European Championship to the Paris Olympics, here are the five major changes that readers believe the broadcaster must make to serve its core audience more effectively.

Trust in true broadcasters, not ex-athletes
Des Lynam struck a particular chord with his contention that the BBC has “moved away from broadcasting too much”, pivoting excessively towards presenters with glittering sporting backgrounds but limited screen skills. “We need to focus on regaining talented journalists,” Matthew Edwards says. “Don’t go for the most expensive.” Robert Eaton urges a return to voices “who can paint a picture with their words”. According to Gavin Laidlaw, there should be “no automatic promotion from sports star to microphone”.

There are, of course, exceptions: Sue Barker won the 1976 French Open and went on to achieve national treasure status courtesy of her natural warmth and empathy. Anna Stone reflects how she enjoyed “anything Sue was covering”, while Christine Callingham pines for listening again to “people who have a really deep historical understanding of sport”.

Move on from Gary Lineker
There is no escaping it: Lineker’s £1.35 million salary, coupled with his defiant political tweeting, is a source of profound anger across the board, with near-universal consensus that the BBC should let him go. “Does anyone within the BBC hierarchy actually believe that Lineker’s mere presence in the studio has ever added a single viewer,” Patrick Taylor asks. “Nobody else at the BBC would still be employed if they made his comments,” Anthony Denny argues. “There are so many capable people who could take his place and do a better job on a fraction of the salary.” Many make the case for Mark Chapman to be given the chance.

Tom Porter, expressing incredulity that the star anchor was retained last March despite comparing the Government’s asylum policy to the language of 1930s Germany, says: “Keeping Lineker on was a disgrace and has ruined the BBC’s tenuous claim to impartiality.” Michael Fearson says: “I’ve lost count of the number of people I know who no longer tune in because of him.”

Show more golf and cricket
The BBC’s abandonment of golf has never been more glaring. While Iain Carter provides compelling radio coverage, the lack of any live television rights meant that a review of the 2023 majors at Sports Personality of the Year lasted just eight seconds. “Get back the golf majors and the Ryder Cup,” says Derek Youngson, who also notes how engaging the former commentators could be. “Peter Alliss and Ken Brown were peerless.”

There are also passionate appeals for the corporation to strengthen its commitment to cricket, with many readers affectionately recalling the erudition of Brian Johnston and Christopher Martin-Jenkins on Test Match Special. Roger Daniel accuses the BBC of “dumbing down coverage to pander to the less well-informed – a classic example is broadcasting the Hundred but forsaking Test cricket”.

Bring back Question of Sport
Despite one school of thought that the quiz had run its natural course, it remains cherished by readers who identify BBC meddling as the only reason for its demise. After Barker was replaced as host by Paddy McGuinness, ratings nosedived before the show was eventually pulled. “Question of Sport was the best programme – I loved it,” Sue Ridley says. “This is from someone who has no interest in sports at all. But those who run the BBC then decided to throw the baby out with the bathwater. It was change for change’s sake, it was dire, and it has failed.”

“My wife and I stopped watching after a few episodes of the new format,” Derek Atkins says. “Bring it back and make it a proper sports quiz,” Nick Trinder implores. Glenn Beckett fondly recalls the “knowledge and humour” of the era when Ian Botham and Emlyn Hughes were team captains.

End the moral lectures
One unmistakeable feature of BBC Sport’s magazine shows has been the shoehorning of pious diversity segments, leaving many loyal viewers feeling alienated and harangued. Nick Palmer laments the “general woke-ification” of Football Focus in recent years, claiming: “It bears no resemblance to the Football Focus of old.” “I can’t believe we watched Ski Sunday with presenters saying that skiing was too white,” Hamish Smith says. “It’s pushing social engineering down our throats. Let things be as they are without us constantly being judged.”

“A sports programme should be about the sport,” John Kinsey argues. “If you tune in for Rick Stein’s cookery show, you rightly expect a diet of fish. Tune into BBC Sport and you don’t expect a diet of politics, diversity and morality lectures.” “The focus on political and social issues – leave it alone,” Mike Riley agrees. “If I want to hear about these things, I’ll watch Newsnight.”