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Football pundit Ian Wright says BBC is "out of touch"

25/04/2008

Football pundit Ian Wright has criticised the BBC for failing to give viewers what they want, a week after quitting the corporation.

The former Arsenal striker had been part of the BBC's football panel for several years but left his role as a Match of the Day analyst, claiming he had been used as a "comedy jester".

And in an interview with the Sun newspaper, the 44-year-old has hit out further at the BBC and its "rubbish" programming.

"Viewers want international football and it should be the BBC providing it for them," he said. "It just shows how out of touch they have become and it's a complete disgrace. Deep down, I don't think the stuffed shirts there really know what they want.

"They put out these sinister adverts about what will happen if you don’t pay the licence fee, then serve up a load of rubbish.

"What do viewers get for their money? Cookery programmes, Strictly Come Dancing - and an unbelievable amount of repeats."

Wright is to present the revived Gladiators on Sky One from May as well as continuing his work with the Talksport radio station but expressed his bitter disappointment at recent comments made by former colleague Gary Lineker.

Presenting last weekend's Match of the Day, mere days after Wright's departure, Lineker said: "We've got vital games at both ends of the table. It's all too serious now for any court jesting."

Wright said Lineker had made a "two-bob gag" which was "completely disrespectful".

And he also attacked the BBC's "regimented" style and claimed it had misused the talents of other presenters.

"Look at Graham Norton and, to a lesser extent, Johnny Vaughan. Norton's a diluted version of himself on the BBC, as was Vaughan when he did his chatshow."