The BBC yesterday hinted that it would overhaul its much-ridiculed Wimbledon highlights show mid-tournament after pressure from viewers and critics.
The daily roundup – formerly known as Today at Wimbledon – has been savaged by tennis fans after producers changed the name to Wimbledon 2day in an apparent bid to appeal to young viewers.
They also changed the format, replacing host John Inverdale with Clare Balding, moving the set to a hospitality suite filled with fake grass and forcing its pundits to perch on uncomfortable bar stools.
But after the changes prompted a huge online backlash, the BBC said it would “evolve” the programme over the coming week and a half.
So far, the corporation has refused to reveal how many official complaints it has received about the new show despite its usually transparent policy on publishing complaints figures.
It is thought that a flood of irate viewers have contacted the corporation urging it to scrap the new format.
However, a spokeswoman claimed the “large amount of media speculation” about the programme – which included a segment on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme – made the numbers “unrepresentative”.
Thousands of viewers have criticised the show online and an online poll by the Radio Times had 95% of viewers calling for the show to be returned to its old format.
Many accused producers of focusing on inane trivia and chat rather than providing a comprehensive roundup of the day’s play.
Alison Graham, the TV critic of the Radio Times, called it “a mess, a giddy mix of inane tweets, snippets of matches (let’s not forget actual tennis is being played, something, presumably, we all want to see, which is why we’ve tuned in) and a bit of chat. All marshalled by a panicky looking Clare Balding”.
On Twitter, viewer Richard Williams said the new format was “embarrassingly awful”.
Becca Emerson added: “I miss when it was Today at Wimbledon. What’s this ‘2day’ business, stop trying to get down with the kids.”
Comedian Miranda Hart – a friend of Clare Balding’s – wrote: “At the risk of sounding old before my time – hallowed Wimbledon and BBC, do we have to spell Today with a 2? (Re Wimbledon 2day).”
The BBC initially defended the new format, and insisted that “new formats can take some time to bed in with audiences.”
However, in a new statement, its spokeswoman hinted that producers are now thinking of ways to improve the show.
She said: “The focus of the highlights show remains the tennis, which forms the vast part of the programme along with analysis from expert pundits.
“This is a new look for the show this year, which we would expect to evolve as the fortnight progresses.”
The furore has yet to affect the Wimbledon highlights slot’s ratings. So far this week, it has attracted an average of around 1.3million viewers, on par with Today at Wimbledon last year.
