Matt Dawson admits he was ‘unimpressed’ by Question of Sport axe and reveals stars’ secret talks for spin off show

ENGLAND rugby fable Matt Dawson has revealed helium was unimpressed by the mode the BBC axed him and his co-stars from A Question of Sport.

The classical line-up of big Sue Barker and squad captains Phil Tuffnell and Matt filmed their past occurrence of the sheet amusement successful 2021 aft 15 years together.

The trio were subsequently replaced by Paddy McGuinness, Ugo Monye and Sam Quek arsenic the Beeb sought to freshen up the franchise - but it was axed wholly aft conscionable 1 bid of the reboot.

While helium accepts their tenure had to extremity eventually, Matt didn't similar the mode it unfolded, which included the Corporation pretending long-serving Sue had quit.

"We were astatine bid with it beauteous aboriginal on," said Matt successful an exclusive interrogation with The Sun connected behalf of Monopoly Go!

"I deliberation Phil [Tuffnell] was 15 years, I was 17 years, Sue [Barker] was 23 years. We'd been doing it a agelong time. We loved it, we enjoyed it. We'd similar to deliberation it was a large success.

"We were precise philosophical. We knew astatine immoderate signifier it was going to end. I don't deliberation the 3 of america were peculiarly impressed with however it ended but arsenic sports radical you get utilized to being picked and getting dropped. It's 1 of those things. The fundamentals were that we loved and inactive emotion the show.

"We wanted the amusement to beryllium a success. It didn't substance who was going to bash it. All 3 of america were desperately disappointed that the BBC decided to instrumentality a interruption from it. Hopefully it's conscionable a interruption and it comes back."

Ever the bully sports, Matt, Phil and Sue offered their contented to their replacements and tuned successful to ticker them enactment their stamp connected it.

They were keen to spot it thrive for the ample behind-the-scenes squad who worked truthful hard to bring it to life.

"We were tuned successful from time one," said Matt. "You privation to spot what it's like. You privation to spot the next iteration. You cognize it's going to beryllium different. It's not similar we were watching and reasoning it was going to beryllium a reflector representation of the amusement we created. That's conscionable unrealistic.

"We spoke to Paddy [McGuinness] and Ugo [Monye] and Sam [Quek] wished them luck and offered immoderate help. We were ever similar the amusement is simply a batch bigger than conscionable the 3 of us, oregon immoderate 2 captains and a presenter. The amusement is 50-60 people, it ever has been that way. It conscionable truthful happens that the 3 of america were benignant of fronting it.

"The quality of that amusement was the greenish room, each of the level staff, the camera crew, everybody involved, including each the guests that we had on."

After they near the show, talks were held astir different TV opportunities involving the trio.

When asked if they could travel successful the footsteps of Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, who launched the lucrative Grand Tour connected Amazon aft their Top Gear axing, Matt joked: "Get it retired there, spell and merchantability it for us."

He continued: "We had a mates of conversations. I deliberation it's rather tricky to bash due to the fact that of each the footage. It's a BBC brand; it's not casual to get clips from motorsport, dance, cricket, rugby, and shot due to the fact that they're each connected antithetic platforms. It's rather tricky to portion together.

"It didn't materialise but arsenic I said astatine the precise beginning, the 3 of america were astatine bid with it and were precise blessed with the mode we delivered our mentation of the show. We were fortunate we had different things to transportation connected with our lives."

Next period they are reuniting for a 10-date reunion theatre circuit which volition appease QoS fans.

Free from the shackles of strict BBC guidelines, Matt said there's an accidental to beryllium freer with their jokes.

"I would similar to deliberation that possibly with a mates of beers successful the greenish country beforehand we could perchance beryllium a small spot looser than we are usually," helium said.

"But successful the aforesaid enactment we are who we are and the 3 of america are respectful of ourselves and the amusement that got america to wherever we are. Ultimately we'll beryllium everlastingly thankful for them asking america to bash it successful the archetypal spot and letting america bash it for truthful long."

Now, Matt has his fingers successful galore pies with 1 ft successful the rugby satellite and different moving Lemon and Lime Associates, a business improvement consultancy.

With the Six Nations successful afloat swing, Matt has teamed up with authoritative mobile gaming spouse Monopoly Go! to radiance a spotlight connected the value of integer transportation and communication.

New probe has recovered that much than a 3rd of Brits consciousness they don't spot capable of their loved ones.

An avid subordinate of the game, helium said: "That full thought of societal interaction, I'm mostly fascinated to cognize however these types of things acceptable successful with athletics crossed the board, but it feels similar rather a important displacement for rugby to person a partner, a mobile gaming partner, archetypal clip it's ever been done successful rugby truthful to beryllium a portion of that large displacement for the athletics is thing I'm precise pleased to beryllium a portion of.

"Whether it beryllium a mobile gaming app oregon if it's implicit a Zoom speech with you you consciousness a batch much connected and I deliberation from a sports position that's truly important."

It's a melodramatic alteration from Matt's clip connected the tract 2 decades agone erstwhile societal media and connection apps were successful their infancy.

"I didn't needfully recognize that 20 unusual years ago," helium said. "But connected reflection and I spot it, it's rather inspiring, you spot a batch of the existent players speech astir it rather a batch connected however overmuch clip they're spending with their teammates and they mightiness accidental it generically, but really it volition impact spending clip connected mobile gaming arsenic overmuch arsenic spending clip astatine the pub oregon spending clip implicit meal oregon connected the rugby transportation oregon successful the gym.

"It's starting to go rather fluid and earthy to bash that and having that examination to the radical successful the audience, the fans, the millions of radical that are loving rugby I would accidental a immense radical of that radical are already doing that, but wouldn't needfully link that to rugby."