Ian Wright's not the BBC jester
Friday, 18 April 2008
Ian Wright has quit the BBC claiming it turned him into a "comedy jester".
The former England and Arsenal star believes the corporation is out of touch with fans, and no longer wants to work for them as a football pundit.
He said: "I don't know how long young people are going to want to sit down and watch that same old 'jacket, shirt and tie' format. Fans want to see people who are dressed like them. They've got no one to relate to on TV and that's why I've said to them I don't want to do the England games any more.
"I was just there as a comedy jester to break the ice with Alan Shearer and Alan Hansen, who just do run-of-the-mill things. I can't do that any more. People want something different."
A BBC spokesperson responded: "He was hired as a recently retired international player to give his own expert opinions, in his own style."
An insider at the corporation added: "Ian was employed on a very ad-hoc freelance basis. He's hardly been used in the last year and was never down for the European Championships this summer. So we don't know quite what he's quitting from."
Wright, who joined the BBC in 2001, was most often employed for coverage of England matches and FA Cup ties, the rights to which are set to switch to ITV from August.
He also presented entertainment shows for the BBC, including 'I'd Do Anything', 'Friends Like These' and 'The National Lottery'.
He can soon be seen presenting Sky One's revamped version of 'Gladiators' alongside Kirsty Gallacher.
(C) BANG Media International
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