Sue Barker heartbreakingly admits Question of Sport 'was too painful to watch' after axe

By Michael Moran, Features Writer

Sue on Question of Sport (Image: BBC)

In 2021, the BBC decided to "refresh" the popular sporting panel show A Question of Sport – introducing new host Paddy McGuinness, alongside team captains Sam Quek and Ugo Monye.

The change resulted a dramatic slump in the show's viewing figures – from about 4 million in 2021 to around 800,000 in 2023, when the decision was made "shelve" the long-running show.

But there’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon for devotees of the original QoS. A new touring show, which was called “A Question Of… Live” before being easily renamed on legal advice to “Sue, Matt & Phil Live! The Reunion Tour” is about to sail into venues across the country from Bath to Brighton.

The participants – Sue Barker, Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell – have explained that despite their sadness over having to leave the show, they’re sympathetic to the people who were chosen to replace them.

Sue says she didn’t actually see the revamped show before it was taken off air: “It was too painful for me to watch,” she told the Daily Mail's Weekend magazine.

Sue is hoping to tempt Andy Murray onto the tour (Image: Getty)

However, she understands why it was cancelled: “I saw the ratings and, in the end, they didn’t have much choice.”

She claims that “when the ratings go, panic sets in.”

Matt adds that the next-generation team were, at least to an extent, victims of circumstance, and the fact that the Covid pandemic robbed QoS of its studio audience fatally damaged the show’s chemistry.

He explained: “Just as in sport there are things, like the weather, you can’t plan for, things that are beyond the coach’s control.”

Sue Barker also stepped back from covering Wimbledon (Image: Getty)

But the original QoS dream team are taking their show on the road, and hint that there could be other Question of Sport alumni appearing in future.

Sue says she’s hoping to get Andy Murray “off the golf course,” before adding: “Getting him and Tim Henman on opposing teams would be good.”

But one question the teams won’t be answering is whether Sue is planning a return to TV, with the star insisting: “I’m never going to retire officially. I’ve been offered jobs back on TV, but I don’t think I could better the ones I had, and you always have to be climbing up.”

In the meantime, there’s the tour to consider. Sue promises that it’ll be a good deal cheekier than its televised forebear: “There is no filter,” she says. “We used to do out-take shows – anyone who watched those will know it was a laugh. This will be totally unedited; everything is out there.”