Alex Scott weeps as Football Focus axed after 52-year run amid woke backlash and ratings slump

Football Focus aired its final episode after 52 years on the BBC on Sunday, bringing an end to a programme that has been a Saturday lunchtime staple since its inception in 1974.

Emotional farewell as Alex Scott fights back tears

Current host Alex Scott was visibly emotional as the curtain came down on the show. The moment that particularly moved her came when long-serving BBC pundit Garth Crooks presented her with a photograph of herself and Bob Wilson, the programme’s first host, who presented from 1974 to 1994. The picture bore the inscription: “Alex, congratulations for all you have achieved.” Wiping away tears, Scott said: “That’s got me.”

Scott paid tribute to the show’s legacy, telling viewers: “Thank you Garth for being here today. For 52 years, wow, this show has done one thing. Week in week out, it has brought football into your Saturday afternoons whether it was Bob Wilson in 1974 or any of the brilliant presenters that sat in this chair after him, the thing that never changed was you, the fans.”

Acknowledging the difficulty of the moment, she added: “I won’t pretend this isn’t hard – as you can see – but what I know is the football doesn’t stop, the story doesn’t stop and the goals don’t stop, the drama, the heartbreak, it just finds a new home. So from everyone who has ever worked on Football Focus, thank you for making Saturday lunchtime something to look forward to. It has been an honour, this is Football Focus for the very last time and before we enjoy one more trip down memory lane, Bob, I would love for you to have the last word.”

Bob Wilson, now 84, returned for the final broadcast and said: “Alex, thank you so much – 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’ve had a ball.” The show also featured a tribute package of video messages from former presenters including Dan Walker, who hosted from 2009 to 2021, and ended with a montage of the programme’s best moments over the decades.

Viewer reactions: a split opinion

While the final episode was an emotional occasion for many, not all viewers were sorry to see it go. Several fans took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the show’s direction. One wrote: “Watching the last ever Football Focus and you can see why it’s come to an end… utter woke nonsense.” Another commented: “Football Focus….A great example of what happens when you go woke with a long standing TV programme.” A third added: “The last Football Focus is on. Died a woke death.”

The criticism reflects a broader debate around the BBC’s output. The corporation has faced accusations of promoting “woke bias” in its programming, with some critics arguing that diversity is sometimes “shoehorned” in at the expense of quality or authenticity. The BBC has defended its approach, stating that it aims to represent all audiences and a range of stories and perspectives, and that isolated examples do not reflect the entirety of its content. Alex Scott herself admitted to feeling “anxiety and dread” over the potential for a “toxic” social media backlash following the announcement of the show’s cancellation, despite understanding the reasons behind it.

Reasons for cancellation: declining viewership and a strategic pivot

The BBC has officially stated that Football Focus is being axed due to “changing audience behaviours” and a decline in traditional television viewing figures since 2018. The decision was made prior to recent wider BBC savings announcements, indicating it was a strategic move rather than a direct result of budget cuts. BBC executives believe the modern football audience increasingly prefers to access highlights, news and discussions via digital, on-demand platforms throughout the week, rather than tuning in to a scheduled Saturday lunchtime broadcast.

The viewing figures paint a clear picture of the decline. Pre-COVID pandemic, Football Focus averaged 957,000 viewers. During the 2020-21 season that figure rose to 1.12 million, but by the 2022-23 campaign numbers had fallen to as low as 687,000. This drop mirrors a wider industry trend of audiences shifting from linear television to streaming and on-demand services. Even Match of the Day, the BBC’s flagship football programme, has seen a ten per cent drop in linear viewership, though it has offset this with a significant increase in digital consumption.

The decision to cancel Football Focus is part of a broader strategy by BBC Sport to evolve its content delivery. The corporation is expanding its digital output and launching new shows on platforms like YouTube to reach younger, “always-on” audiences. The Saturday 12:45 pm slot on BBC One will be taken over by a new programme, The Football Interview, hosted by Kelly Somers.

Daily Mail Sport previously reported that the justification for the show’s axing also included widespread criticism that its current iteration was “pedestrian, vacuous, uninspiring and uninformative.”

Historical significance and legacy

Football Focus began in 1974 as a segment within the BBC’s long-running sports anthology show, Grandstand, before becoming a standalone programme in 2001. Over its 52-year run it aired nearly 2,000 episodes. Notable presenters have included Bob Wilson (the first host, 1974–1994), Steve Rider (1994–1996), Gary Lineker (1996–1999), Ray Stubbs (1999–2004), Manish Bhasin (2004–2009), Dan Walker (2009–2021) and Alex Scott (2021–2026), who was the first full-time female presenter of the show. Its theme songs have included “Seventeen Going Under” by Sam Fender, “Jetstream” by Doves, and “Kill the Director” by The Wombats.

Alex Scott will remain a prominent figure in BBC Sport’s coverage, including the upcoming FIFA World Cup and the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, as well as continuing her roles on the Women’s Super League and Sports Personality of the Year. The BBC is planning a “very exciting new project” with her. Meanwhile, BBC Sport is committed to expanding its digital footprint and developing new content formats for younger audiences across various platforms, including YouTube.

Garth Crooks, a popular pundit who served as a regular on the show for over 20 years before leaving in 2022, returned for the final episode. Dan Walker, who left the BBC for Channel 5 in 2022, expressed sadness at the show’s end, recalling watching it with his father and his pride in hosting it for 12 years, highlighting a special episode filmed in Afghanistan as a career highlight. Bob Wilson had earlier described the decision to axe the show as “crazy.”