Alex Scott in tears on final episode of Football Focus – as fans lay into the BBC’s ‘woke’ show which was scrapped due to huge decline in viewing figures after 52 years on air
Alex Scott couldn’t hold back his tears as the curtain came down on Football Focus after 52 years of broadcasting.
Last month, it was reported that the series would be canceled by the BBC at the end of this season due to the decline in viewing figures in recent years.
The decision to cancel the show divided opinion, but during Sunday’s final episode Scott was left emotional after being given a photo of himself and Bob Wilson, who hosted the show from 1974 to 1994 and was the show’s first host.
Popular BBC commentator Garth Crooks was brought back for the final episode and he got emotional as he handed Scott the photo.
“This one got me,” she said as she looked at her gift, which read: ‘Alex, congratulations on everything you’ve achieved’.
He later added: ‘Thank you Garth for being here today. Wow, for 52 years this show has done one thing. Whether it was Bob Wilson in 1974 or any of the great presenters who have occupied the chair since, he brought football to your Saturday afternoons every week; What never changed was you, the fans.’
The last episode of Football Focus on Sunday left Alex Scott emotional
Popular BBC commentator Garth Crooks is brought back for Sunday’s emotional show
Choking back tears, Scott continued: ‘As you can see I won’t pretend it isn’t difficult but what I do know is that 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 to everyone at Football Focus, thank you for making Saturday lunch something to look forward to.
‘It’s been an honour, this is the last time we’re doing Football Focus and before we take another trip down memory lane, Bob, I’d love for you to have the final say.’
Wilson, one of many former presenters to return for the show’s final show despite now being 84, said: ‘Alex, thank you so much – all good things must come to an end. ‘Thank you all at home for watching Football Focus for the last 52 years, we had a good game.’
Earlier in the show, Scott touched on the fact that this would be the last episode; this episode was honored with a tribute featuring messages from several of the previous hosts, including Dan Walker.
The program then concluded with a montage of the show’s best moments over the years.
However, some fans did not seem upset about the end of the Football Focus era and expressed their thoughts on social media.
One of them said: ‘When you watch the last Football Focus you can see why it ended…it evoked complete nonsense.’
Bob Wilson, who hosted the series for twenty years, appeared in the series’ final episode.
But some fans took to social media to react to Football Focus as football ended
Another added: ‘Focus on Football….A great example of what happens when you wake up to a long-running TV programme.’
A third fan said: ‘Last Football Focus begins. He died a waking death.’
Daily Mail Sport previously reported that the reason for the show’s cancellation was declining viewing figures, with widespread criticism that the current iteration was ‘pedestrian, pointless, uninspiring and uninformative’.
Pre-coronavirus viewing figures averaged 957,000 for Football Focus, but reached 1.12 million in the 2020-21 season. However, in the 2022-23 season, the numbers dropped to 687,000.
