A Question of Sport up for grabs . . . so what happens next?
THE BBC are proposing to rip up the hugely successful format of A Question of Sport, the corporation’s iconic and longest-running TV quiz show. The programme, which will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2018, was last week put out to tender to independent producers for next year’s series which starts in the spring. The Beeb effectively asked bidders to come up with proposals to revamp all aspects of the programme, including, if necessary, changing team captains Phil Tufnell and Matt Dawson and presenter Sue Barker, who has hosted the show since 1997. The bid document mentions more diversity and a ‘fresh and new perspective’. The show,
which features much-loved rounds such as What Happened Next? and the Mystery Guest, still attracts audiences of five million, including the repeat. It is also comparatively cheap to produce, with three of the shows recorded in Salford on the same day.
A BBC spokesman said the programme was being tendered to independent producers to comply with the new BBC charter regulations but current, in-house producers BBC Studios could still put in a bid to keep the show.
It has kept basically the same format for more than 1,000 episodes since it started in 1968 — two panels of sports stars with resident team captains also drawn from sport.
Before Barker took the presenter seat 19 years ago, David Coleman was the host for 18 years and before him David Vine for eight years. Previous captains include Sir Henry Cooper, Emlyn Hughes, Bill Beaumont, Sir Ian Botham, John Parrott and Ally McCoist.
lBEN STOKES, one of the few England cricketers to emerge from the two Tests against Bangladesh in credit, prepared for the trip as he does for all hot-weather tours — with regular sun-bed sessions. CHELSEA seem to be mounting a charm offensive on former chairman Ken Bates (right), with old grey beard spotted in the directors box on a number of occasions over the last few months. Could it be that Chelsea want to be on the best of terms before they negotiate his exit from his penthouse flat in the Stamford Bridge hotel that will be knocked down when work starts on the new stadium? Bates was not forthcoming on the subject — apart from saying his lease on the flat has a lot more years remaining than your Sports Agenda columnist! A Chelsea insider says Bates is welcome whenever he wants to watch a game.
lWEST HAM, who are in chronic need of expert PR to improve the publicity surrounding the doomed move to the London Stadium, have appointed UK Sport’s popular head of communications Paul Cox to a new position as corporate communications chief.