Sue Barker, darling of Wimbledon, to hang up her microphone
This year’s championship will be the last for veteran broadcaster and former grand slam winner
‘It has been my dream job and I have loved every minute of it working with so many great colleagues’
SUE BARKER has called time on her 30 years as the face of the BBC’S Wimbledon coverage, joining an exodus of veteran stars from the corporation.
The 66-year-old announced she was hanging up her microphone after this year’s tennis championships, becoming the latest household name to quit the broadcaster or be controversially sacked amid accusations of ageism and wokery there.
Indeed, Barker’s decision came barely two years after she was replaced by Paddy Mcguinness on A Question of Sport, which she had hosted for 24 years.
“I just feel the time is right,” she told the Daily Mail, which stated that she had rejected the offer of a three-year extension by the BBC after several months’ thought.
“It has been my dream job and I have loved every minute of it working with so many great colleagues, who I am going to miss so much.”
Revealing she had come close to quitting five years ago, she added: “When I started, I never thought I would manage 30 years. I had actually made up my mind to leave in 2017 because the hours were becoming very long and quite challenging. That would have been 25 years and seemed a good time, but I am so glad I made the decision to stay on.
“I’m very happy to be leaving with no regrets and on my own terms while I am still on top of the job. It just feels like the right time to go and leave it to others.”
She also disclosed the death of her mother earlier this year was a factor in her decision, saying: “My mum was always so interested in my broadcasting career and we would speak every evening. When something like that happens, it does make you reassess life, which is another reason I think this is the right time.”
Among the other events Barker worked on were the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games,
World Athletics Championships, the London Marathon, the Grand National, Royal Ascot and Sports Personality of the Year.
But she was best known for Wimbledon and being the longestserving host of A Question of Sport, a role she was axed from in 2020 after helping the show celebrate its 50th anniversary.
She said at the time: “I love the show so much they would have to remove me. It would have been tough for me to walk away.”
Mcguinness, a comedian, and the former rugby and hockey players Ugo Monye and Sam Quek replaced Barker and the team captains Phil Tufnell and Matt Dawson.
The reboot was savaged by viewers and critics, who were not won over by the change of line-up and format.
Barker’s retirement from presenting Wimbledon would make her the latest in a long line of presenters of BBC sports coverage to quit or be given their marching orders in recent years.
Those to have departed include Sir Geoffrey Boycott and Henry Blofeld from Test Match Special, John Inverdale and Brian Moore from the corporation’s Six Nations coverage and Cornelius Lysaght from its racing team. Sir Geoffrey, Blofeld and Lysaght have been critical of the direction of the BBC. Barker said her standout moment anchoring the corporation’s Wimbledon coverage had been Sir Andy Murray’s first Wimbledon triumph in 2013, which saw him become Britain’s first male singles champion since Fred Perry 77 years earlier.
A former grand slam champion who won the French Open and reached the semi-final of Wimbledon the year Virginia Wade became the last British women’s singles champion, Barker said she would “definitely” return as a spectator “every year”.
She added: “I am a member there and, above all, I love the tennis. At the moment, I am so busy, it is difficult to watch all the matches I want.”
Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Club, said: “On behalf of everyone at the All England Club, we wish to reflect our gratitude to Sue for her unwavering and outstanding service to Wimbledon.
“As the face of the BBC’S Wimbledon coverage for 30 years, she has brought our event into the homes of so many across the UK and around the world through her passion and knowledge of the sport and her enduring good humour and charm. “We look forward to welcoming Sue to Wimbledon for her final championships this year, and of course, as a member, look forward to seeing her return in the years to come.”
Champions play for £2m: Sport, page 1