The BBC's long-running football programme Football Focus aired its final episode on Sunday, bringing a 52-year television era to an end. The show was cancelled due to changing audience habits, with viewers increasingly consuming football content on digital platforms.
First launched as Football Preview within Grandstand in 1974, the programme became a standalone Saturday lunchtime show in 2001. Over the decades, it was hosted by notable figures including Bob Wilson, Gary Lineker, Dan Walker, and most recently, former England star Alex Scott.
Scott presented the emotional final episode, which aired on Sunday ahead of the last day of the 2025/26 Premier League season. She fought back tears as she thanked viewers, saying: 'For 52 years, this show has done one thing. Week in, week out, it has brought football into your Saturday afternoons.' Original host Bob Wilson also appeared via a recorded message, stating: 'All good things come to an end.'
Football Focus once attracted between one and two million viewers, but recent ratings had fallen to an average of 500,000. The BBC cited the shift to online consumption as the primary reason for the axe, alongside a new partnership with YouTube to create more digital-first programming.
While Football Focus is gone, BBC Sport will continue to air The Football Interview on Saturday lunchtimes, hosted by Kelly Somers, and Final Score will remain on air.
