BBC show watched by millions has gone off air after dramatic ending | Football | Sport

The BBC’s Football Focus broadcast for the final time on Sunday as its 52-year run on television drew to a close. It was axed amid worries about viewer habits moving towards digital platforms.

Having started life as Football Preview within the flagship Grandstand, Football Focus was officially established in 1974. It separated from Grandstand to become an independent lunchtime programme in 2001 and had remained a cornerstone of weekend football coverage since. In 2011, it relocated from London to MediaCityUK in Salford and throughout the decades, some legendary figures have presented, including Bob Wilson, Gary Lineker, Dan Walker and most recently, former England star Alex Scott. It was Scott who delivered the show an emotional goodbye on Sunday as it graced our screens for the final time.

Football Focus typically broadcast on Saturday lunchtimes before the football weekend commenced, but, as with its final episode, it was aired on Sunday for final-day coverage or major finals. The programme would feature in-depth interviews with players and managers and included a rotating panel of pundits and ex-professionals, analysing matters before matches kicked off.

In the build-up to occasions such as the FA Cup final, Football Focus would be positioned on location, within the stadium, offering supporters an early glimpse of the spectacle. Former Arsenal goalkeeper Wilson was the inaugural presenter, occupying the role for two decades before Lineker, Ray Stubbs and Manish Bhasin assumed control for briefer periods.

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Walker subsequently took charge in 2009 and guided the programme for 12 years with his relaxed, engaging approach. Scott then succeeded him five years ago and was clearly moved as she delivered the closing remarks on Sunday before the programme concluded permanently.

Veteran pundit Garth Crooks returned to the studio, while legendary host Walker came back with a touching message to launch the show. Scott said: “For 52 years, this show has done one thing. Week in, week out, it has brought football into your Saturday afternoons.

“Whether it was Bob Wilson or any of the brilliant people who sat in this chair after him, the thing that never changed was you – the fans. I won’t pretend this isn’t hard. What I know is, the football doesn’t stop, the stories don’t stop. The goals, the drama, the heartbreak, the magic, none of that stops. It just finds a new home.

“From everyone who has ever worked on Football Focus, thank you. Thank you for making Saturday lunchtime something to look forward to. It has been an honour.”

Scott then handed over to a montage celebrating the programme’s finest moments across the 52 years it has graced our screens, with original presenter Wilson delivering the closing words: “All good things come to an end. Thank you to all of you at home for watching Football Focus for the last 52 years. We have had a ball.”

Football Focus reached its zenith during the ’70s and ’80s, a golden era that carried through into the early 21st century. The show consistently attracted between 1 million and 2 million viewers, yet in more recent times, those figures dwindled to a mere average of 500,000.

The principal factor behind its cancellation was the transformation in audience habits, with vast quantities of football content now being consumed via online platforms and social media.

BBC Sport, under the stewardship of director Alex Kay-Jelski, also announced a collaboration with YouTube in January, aimed at producing more digitally focused programming.

While Football Focus as supporters have come to cherish it has been axed, Saturday lunchtimes will still offer a wealth of football coverage on television. Kelly Somers will front The Football Interview, while Final Score will continue as before.