A Question of Sport axe Sue, Matt and Phil

It’s quite odd that they’ve very publically axed the current line up when they’ve got an entire lengthy series still to show.

It’s not normally done this way as it can effect the perception of the show they are watching

Must we share Alex Bellend videos? I don't see any real benefit to society by shining a light on his rants.

I agree he's a **** (For the record I did use one of his posts when referring to GMB and the reception that Piers Morgan received)

Given the way the story broke last week, I wonder if it had been leaked to the press early - maybe by someone close to the dissatisfied parties - and the BBC might have announced it a little later if they had the choice. On the other side of that if we give the benefit of the doubt that it might not have leaked it does allow them to give a proper send off to a long serving combo.

Talking of leaks etc, the Radio Times is reporting that BBC has not made any firm decisions on the future host. I was thinking I hadn't seen anything from the BBC, and any "confirmations" seem to be self declared by the tabloid press.

Yes, at least they get a farewell when it is announced in results which they do deserve. It's far more disrespectful to only let them know after their final episode that they won't be filming anymore.

That might be the case. There's a bit in Brian Moore's autobiography where he talks about when ITV dropped him as a presenter in favour of Nick Owen, and the first Moore heard about it was when they sheepishly rang him to tell him it was going to be in the papers the next day because it had leaked. Moore said ITV were well within their rights to replace him, but it made him and them look stupid.

When Johnnie Walker stopped doing drivetime on Radio 2, he announced on air that he was leaving, and then a few days later it was announced that Chris Evans was taking over. Walker has since said that it wasn't his decision to stop doing it and he already knew it was because Evans was taking over, but the way they managed it meant Walker could go out with some dignity and make it look like it was his decision and make the announcement on his own terms. That's the better way to do it, but obviously if it had leaked at the time it might have been a different story.

It tends not to happen that way so often. Chris Moyles was another notable exception who got to manage the announcement of his departure and make it look like it was his choice.

But more often than not people - particularly in commercial radio - find out that their last show is the one they just did, to prevent them doing a Danny Baker

Just watching tonight’s edition. The lack of an audience doesn’t help however it’s very flat. Not only are the captains too long retired but all the sports people are also long retired. This might be due to COVID-19 reasons however it does highlight that the show is a home now for ‘former’ sports people, unlike in its glory years.

This is true enough, actually, I've often thought about this when reading the line-ups. It used to be that the guests would pretty much all be current sports people, because as Frank Skinner used to mention, there would be that bit where David Coleman would break off from the quiz for a bit of a chat about what was coming up (with the traditional answer, "Yeah, I've had a few injuries but I'm raring to go"), and it always had the feeling that it was a bit of an achievement in your career to be on there, much like it was a big occasion for a pop star to appear on Top of the Pops.

But as you say, in recent years it seems to be that anything goes and long-retired sports stars regularly appear on it. You could argue that they are still well-known and if they're funny and entertaining then they'd rather have them on than someone current who might be boring and inarticulate, but it is a bit different to the policy they used to have.

I'm constantly surprised it was 22 years ago, back in 1998, that they had that radical revamp with the audience behind the panel and a general loosening-up of the whole thing, which at the time I thought felt like a final roll of the dice - during the era when They Think It's All Over was in its pomp and it looked particularly staid and boring. But that incarnation has now lasted almost as long as the original one.

Are they recording every edition in Salford now? At one point they were alternating between Manchester/Salford and London, which may have helped with guest bookings.

Also I guess the nature of professional sport and training has changed somewhat, which might make it difficult for current sportspeople to take part.

I think it's been recorded at Dock 10 in Salford since TV Centre closed. I don't think they've done any recordings in London in TC1, BBC Elstree D or at Elstree Film since. I may be wrong - but AIUI it's now an entirely Salford-based recording schedule.

I think they were alternating between TVC and Quay Street, before moving entirely to dock10 in 2011.