Was Sue Barker sacked? What did A Question of Sport and Wimbledon presenter say about ‘insulting’ BBC sacking

Sue Barker has opened up about her departure from BBC’s flagship quiz show A Question of Sport.

Barker left the show last year, putting an end to an incredible 24 years as the host.

She revealed that she was disappointed with the way the BBC handled her departure. But who is Sue Barker and what did she say about her exit from A Question Of Sport?

Who is Sue Barker?

Susan Barker is a former professional tennis player and sports broadcaster.

Barker became a professional tennis player in 1973 at the age of 17. Over the course of her 11 year career she won 11 WTA tour single titles and 12 double titles. At the peak of her career Barker won the French Open in 1976. Making her the third best ranked player in the world at the time.

Following her retirement from tennis, Barker became a commentator and sports reporter for Australia’s Channel 7 before anchoring the tennis coverage for Sky from 1990 to 1993.

Barker joined the BBC in 1993 as a regular guest for the BBC Wimbledon coverage and from 2000 until 2022 she anchored the two-week-long broadcast for the network.

In 1997, Barker became the presenter of the long running sports quiz show A Question Of Sport. During this time the likes of John Parrott, Ally McCoist, Frankie Dettori, Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell all featured as regular guests on the show.

In 2021, Barker was replaced by British TV presenter and comedian Paddy McGuinness with the editors looking to revamp the popular quiz show. Barker admitted that she had no problem with being replaced but felt saddened by the way in which it was handled.

What did Sue Barker say about her Question of Sport exit?

The former tennis star said she felt “insulted” by the way BBC directors went about her exit.

Reflecting on the experience Barker believed that the warning signs were there in 2016 when A Question Of Sport was put out to tender to independent production companies.

She said: “I was on holiday when a few producer friends contacted me, they’d seen the BBC tender documentary and couldn’t believe my name wasn’t on it. Apparently the BBC wanted to refresh the show - with more diversity and more appeal to a younger audience. I was gobsmacked. How did they think I wasn’t going to hear about this?”

The presenter found out that several companies were willing to keep her on which resulted in the BBC performing a U-turn on their decision to change the lineup.

Two years later, BBC management offered Barker a two-year extension to her contract but in the final year stated that she would need to take on two new captains in her final year. Barker said: “I didn’t need to think long about this: I said I’d leave with the boys.”

The BBC failed to come to a decision and the trio were all given a further contract extension in 2018.

When did Sue Barker leave A Question Of Sport?

Barker and her team captains Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell were called in for a meeting during their penultimate block of recording sessions in the summer of 2020. During this meeting the BBC made the decision to sack the trio.

Barker said: “I accepted their decision though I couldn’t help feeling wretchedly sad. The boys were devastated, too.

“The only thing we asked the BBC was to get statements from us all for when the news broke. But we heard nothing, no email, no letter, no phone call. Silence.”

After leaving the show Barker claimed that the BBC asked her and the team captains to issue a statement to say they were leaving for the good of the show.

She said: “I told the BBC to own their decision and declare publicly that they wanted to refresh the show; I wasn’t going to lie to make it easier for them.”

Barker left A Question Of Sport in 2021 and confirmed her departure from hosting the Wimbledon Championships in 2022.