Football Focus aired its final episode on Sunday, ending a 52-year run on British television. The show launched in 1974 and became a fixture of Saturday lunchtimes for generations of football fans, offering interviews, analysis, and stories from across the game before the weekend's fixtures kicked off.
According to Yahoo Sports, the final episode opened with a tribute to the programme, with former presenters sharing memories from across the decades. The show's old branding was used throughout as a nod to its history. Long-time pundit Garth Crooks returned to sit alongside host Alex Scott for a final look back at the show and a preview of the last day of the Premier League season.
Scott delivered an extended farewell before handing over to Wilson. "For 52 years, this show has done one thing. Week in, week out, it has brought football into your Saturday afternoons. Whether it was Bob Wilson or any of the brilliant people who sat in this chair after him, the thing that never changed was you - the fans," she said.
She continued: "I won't pretend this isn't hard. What I know is, the football doesn't stop, the stories don't stop. The goals, the drama, the heartbreak, the magic, none of that stops. It just finds a new home. From everyone who has ever worked on Football Focus, thank you. Thank you for making Saturday lunchtime something to look forward to. It has been an honour."
Wilson, the show's original presenter when it debuted in 1974, was given the final word. "All good things come to an end. Thank you to all of you at home for watching Football Focus for the last 52 years. We have had a ball," he said.
Wilson also shared one of his most memorable moments from his time on the show, a live slip of the tongue that became something of a legend. "I was supposed to say that we had just heard that Joe Jordan had passed a late fitness test and instead I looked at the camera and said 'we have just heard that Joe Jordan has just pissed a late fatness test,'" he recalled.
Former presenter Ray Stubbs recalled a moment when pundit Mark Lawrenson was too ill to appear and the production team brought in impressionist Alistair McGowan as a last-minute replacement. "He arrived, did Lawro for the last 15 minutes of the programme and was absolutely terrific," Stubbs said. The episode did not go unnoticed. "The moment the programme ended the phone goes and it is Motty. He gave his regular critique of the programme immediately: 'Lawro was talking nonsense, and I tell you wha," Stubbs added, the memory apparently cut short in the telling.
Crooks closed out the ceremony by presenting Scott with a photograph of herself alongside Wilson, given on behalf of the Football Focus family. The gesture drew an emotional response from Scott, who has hosted the show in recent years.
Football Focus held the distinction of being the longest-running magazine show in the world. Its 52-year run covered the transformation of English football from the pre-Premier League era through to the modern game, with a succession of presenters and pundits reflecting the changes in both the sport and television broadcasting over that time. No announcement was made during the broadcast about what, if anything, will replace it in the BBC's Saturday lunchtime schedule.
