The beloved trio were replaced by Paddy McGuinness, hockey star Sam Quek and rugby ace Ugo Monye, in what was deemed to be a new revamp of the show. However, the latest version was shelved in 2023. At the time, former Football Focus presenter Dan Walker suggested the shake-up may have worked against the BBC, saying the Beeb may have “alienated their core audience while searching for a new one.” Barker was also particularly upset with the decision and has previously accused the BBC of going about the change in the wrong way. However, Tufnell, who represented the England cricket team on 42 occasions, admitted he was not completely shocked by his departure.
Harbouring no bitterness towards the decision, Tufnell, while speaking at the launch of The Overlap and Betfair’s Stick to Cricket show, told Wales Online: “They had been talking about it and what have you. I wasn’t really involved in it. We’d all been doing it for a while. Well, more than a while, around 13 or 14 years I’d been captain.
“You can’t do things forever. They fancied a bit of a refresh. We were just sort of like, ‘Okay, well, there you go. Thanks very much for the memories. I thoroughly enjoyed every single show. Loved every minute of it.’
“Now we’re doing the theatre show. It’s not called A Question of Sport, of course. We’re all good friends, all got a very similar sense of humour. We all get on very well, so it’s great to be back recreating it a little bit. Obviously, you think to yourself, ‘Oh crikey,’ but we wished everyone the best. It was part of our lives.”
When the change was confirmed, the BBC said: “We would like to thank Sue for her enormous contribution as the show’s longest reigning host over the last 24 years, and Matt and Phil for their excellent team captaincy over 16 and 12 years respectively. Together they have ensured A Question of Sport remains a firm favourite with the BBC One audience. Sue, Matt and Phil’s final series will be broadcast next year.”
After it was put on pause in 2023, a BBC spokesman hinted at a potential future revival, saying it was “not the final whistle” of the panel show. Asked about the possibility of the show returning, perhaps with himself, Dawson and Barker being involved again, Tufnell replied: “I hope it does come back.
“It was part of my childhood. It had been going for 55 years, a long time. I loved the show when I was on it and I loved it as a boy. It was one of those little half an hours that you sat round with your family. Hopefully, it comes back. I’d be delighted to sit down and watch it. Whether we do it again, I’m not so sure. But, we’ve had our time, haven’t we?”
Betfair are set for a big summer and winter of cricket, launching a new show with The Overlap: Stick to Cricket. Don’t miss the first episode next week, where the team will be reviewing the opening test of the series between England and India.
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