A Question of Sport up for grabs as BBC look for ‘fresh and new perspective’ – Daily Mail

The BBC are planning to tamper with 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.  

Current host Sue Barker (centre) is joined by team captains Matt Dawson (left) and Phil Tufnell

David Coleman (centre) used to present with Bill Beaumont and Ian Botham (right) as captains

Some of the biggest names in sport have appeared on the show over the last 49 years

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.

‘A Question of Sport is one of the BBC’s best loved programmes, which has successfully reinvented itself over the years. We are confident it will continue to deliver many more memorable and entertaining shows for its loyal audience,’ said the spokesman. 

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.

Barker, who has been in the chair since 1997, with captains Ally McCoist (left) and John Parrott

Iconic quiz show A Question of Sport will have been aired by the BBC for 50 years in 2018

THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT IN THE SHOW’S HISTORY?

After more than 1,100 episodes many viewers still say the most memorable moment on A Question of Sport came back in 1987 when team captain Emlyn Hughes was asked to identify a mud-spattered rider in the ‘mystery sportsman’ picture category. 

‘Is it John Reid?’ he suggested, only to be told that it was in fact Olympic Eventer HRH Princess Anne. Hughes protested: ‘Don’t put that out. They’ll hang me!’ Just weeks later, the Princess was a guest on Hughes’ team — ribbing him mercilessly from start to finish.

Emlyn Hughes reacts alongside Princess Anne after the mystery sportsman round in 1987

Ben 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, 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.

Ken Bates has been spotted in the Chelsea directors box on a number of occasions this season

The FA have been warned they risk losing all Government support for future bids on major football events if they continue to resist reform.

Minister for Sport Tracey Crouch has already made it clear that when the FA Council kicked out former chairman Greg Dyke’s reform agenda, it jeopardised the £30million funding received from Whitehall over four years.

UK Sport and Sport England launched their new code for sports governance yesterday —which the FA and other leading national sports governing bodies like the ECB and RFU fail to comply with in numerous ways. 

Minister for Sport Tracey Crouch has made warnings regarding The FA’s future funding

And they confirmed that the Government and its agencies would not co-operate with future World Cup bids, for instance, if the FA do not make the changes required. A bespoke timescale is to be agreed with each sporting body.

Sport England director of sport Phil Smith said: ‘The government are very serious about withholding their support if necessary. It’s not just funding at risk for those that don’t reform.’

The changes required include 30 per cent gender diversity on boards, greater transparency on structure, strategy and finances — plus councils being unable to override the board, which happens at Wembley. The FA say they are acutely aware of what needs to be done.

West Ham have appointed Paul Cox, formerly of UK Sport, as corporate communications chief

West 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. 

The numerous reviews going on in British Sport, specifically around drugs-riddled cycling, have convinced UK Sport about the need to set up a permanent investigations unit rather than having to start from scratch every time. 

Simon Morton, UK Sport chief operating officer, said: ‘There is an increasing need for British sport to have an investigatory function around independent reviews. 

Rather than having to reinvent the wheel every time, clarity on the process would be beneficial.’

ITV Sport’s new horseracing coverage is based around funding from bookmaker advertising 

ITV Sport’s new horseracing coverage, beginning in the new year, has a business model based on funding from bookmaker advertising. So the broadcaster will be among those concerned by a Department of Culture, Media and Sport gambling review.

The review is looking into banning all bookmaker-based advertising around live sport until the 9pm watershed.

If such a rule is brought in, racing’s governing body BHA are sure to appeal about their sport being exempted because betting is such an instrumental ingredient.