Sue Barker says Questions of Sport presenters do keep in touch
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During a BBC rebranding, Sue Barker, Phil Tufnell and Matt Dawson left the show after almost two decades of working together. The trio appeared on Thursday’s Good Morning Britain to discuss their extensive careers in sports and presenting, and confirmed they all stay in touch with the help of a WhatsApp group.
Sue also stepped down last year as Wimbledon host after three decades of presenting sports.
The 66-year-old sat down with her former co-hosts and close friends on Thursday and they reflected on their career together.
Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid asked: “Have you missed each other since Question Of Sport, or do you regularly get together?”
“We do, don’t we?” Sue smiled at her former colleagues.
Matt, 50, replied: “[We do] A bit of lunch yeah,” before laughing.
“Some socialising!” Former tennis champion Sue agreed.
Matt continued: “Yeah, we definitely keep in touch, I mean as I say two decades is a long time. It’s not just going to switch off, is it?”
“And we have a WhatsApp group,” Sue pointed out enthusiastically.
Addressing Phil, co-presenter Ben Shephard asked: “Do you remember the first time you met Sue and Matt and what your impression of them was?”
“Well, that was as a contestant obviously, before was captain, so [I was a] very young sort of chap.
“Just making my way into the game and it was like when you first got asked to come on Question Of Sport it was like a huge deal.
“You’d sort of made it in your sport, and then the legend of Sue was there and sort of walked in there and doffed my cap – I had a great time.”
Sue presented the sports game show from 1997 until 2021, while Matt began starring as a captain in 2004, with Phil joining in 2008.
The former cricket and rugby players respectively had rounded off the Question of Sport cast for 13 years alongside the 66-year-old.
The announcement of the stars’ departure came in September 2020, and saw a huge backlash from fans.
All three left the show due to the BBC’s eagerness to give the staple show a major shake-up.
Fans were far from happy at the time, and the broadcaster received floods of complaints.
Addressing the issue at the time, a BBC spokesperson said: “We have received some complaints about upcoming changes to the line-up on A Question of Sport.
“We would like to thank Sue Barker for her enormous contribution as the show’s longest-reigning host over the last 24 years, and Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell 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.
“A Question of Sport has been airing on BBC One for 50 years, and its longevity is a testament to the show’s ability to reinvent its format and change its line-up.”
The show continues with Paddy McGuinness, Sam Quek and Ugo Monye.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.
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