People Are Lamenting The BBC Scrapping The Classified Football Results

The BBC is facing a backlash after dropping the 5pm Saturday classified results on Radio 5 Live – ending a British radio institution described as the nation’s “comfort blanket”.

The results of all major English and Scottish matches have read out on BBC radio since the early 1950s, and have been a post-match fixture for football fans across the country.

Now the corporation has been accused of “cultural vandalism” after quietly getting rid of the service this Saturday – the first day of the new Premier League season.  

What are the classified results?

The full results service has been read out on Sports Report, the world’s longest-running sports radio programme, since the 1950s. The show is perhaps famous for two things – the galloping Out of the Blue theme tune by Hubert Bath, and the distinctive intonation of the presenters reading out the scores. 

Charlotte Green took over reading the update after James Alexander Gordon, who institutionalised the practice, stepped down after 40 years in 2013. Gordon, who died a year later, once told the BBC his signature style, which transformed simple scorelines into a must-listen for many, came from his training as a musician.

He said: “I think music had a lot to do with the way I read them. I looked at these names and thought, unkindly, five minutes of that could be very boring for the listener. I thought it would be nice to make it a little different, with a bit of excitement.”

BBC bosses say the decision has been driven by the need to “condense” Sports Report because of the 5.30pm Premier League kick-offs.

What has been the reaction?

Football fans took to social media as people slowly started to realise what had happened two days earlier. Many reflected on how listening to the results had been a family tradition, and that the service still had a place even when results are available instantly on smartphones.

The poet Ian McMillan said: “RIP the beautiful and profound sound poem of the classified football results on Sports Report. Now we have all lost at home.”

Former Liverpool defender and broadcaster Mark Lawrenson tweeted: “Can’t believe the BBC have dropped the Reading of the Classified results on Sports Report…..Talk about an OG..!!” in response.

Football Supporters’ Association chair Malcolm Clarke was among those who urged the BBC to reconsider its decision.

He said: “The classified football results on the radio have been one of the great traditions of British football.

“Listening to the classified results has always been one of those beloved, shared routines for match-going fans.

“This feels like yet another of football’s great traditions has gone and it is a deeply regrettable decision from the BBC – I hope they will think again.”

But some suggested the decision was understandable.

Some supporters have taken matters into their own hands, with a petition launched on Monday afternoon aiming to convince BBC bosses that the service is still relevant.

The petition reads: “Though scores are available online, mobile, and on the TV, there has always been the tried and trusted method of getting in the car, or listening to the radio on the move.

“If your mobile coverage fails you (as it often does in congested football grounds), there is always Sports Report to tell you how the rest of the football pyramid fared today.

“Sports Report is indeed a shortened affair these days, but as fans, we would prefer to sacrifice a manager’s interview than do away with an institution that has served us and the footballing world for decades.”

What has he BBC said?

A BBC spokesperson said: “With the addition of the 5:30pm live Premier League match to our coverage, Sports Report has been condensed into a shorter programme.

“We will still offer a comprehensive goal service throughout the day on air and on the BBC Sport website as well as Final Score on BBC One. We would like to thank everyone who has read the classified football results on 5 Live over the years.”