Ian Wright, Wright, Wright Is Off, Off, Off!
Ian Wright aka Wrighty, the ever so slightly over-excitable Match of the Day pundit has had enough with Auntie and handed in his resignation. He has claimed that he's sick and tired of the 'court jester' role that's left to him after the two Alan's (Shearer and Hansen) have analysed the life out of the few remaining games the BBC have left before ITV takes the lot. Wrighty also accused the 'fogies' at the top of the Beeb of falling behind the times with its "jacket, shirt and tie" coverage.
He now says he has quit, telling the TV industry magazine Broadcast: "I feel like I'm 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 anymore. People want something different."
But a BBC insider said: "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 Euros this year. So we don't know quite what he's quitting from."
After retiring as an Arsenal legend in 2000 Wrighty was soon to embark on a broadcast career which straightaway matched the dizzying heights of his football career with such Saturday evening televisual gems as I'd Do Anything and Friends Like These.
He then took his own distinct brand of '12 year old child hyperactive on Sunny D' presenting to the world of punditry and MOTD. Now Beat loves Wrighty, yes he was a bit over enthusiastic at times, yes he was a little bit biased when little SWP scored and yes he sometime put his foot in his mouth but thank god he did. With Lawro, Hansen and Shearer in the studio overanalysing another woeful England performance BBC coverage has become a twisted form of self harm.
Our Wrighty was known for his occasional on-air blunders. After England lost to Northern Ireland in 2005, he was asked by Gary Lineker to sum up the team's performance. He replied: "Links, I've nothing to say." Fans suggested he should be axed. We think the boy should have been knighted for telling it how it was.
In the 2006 World Cup Ricky Gervais wrote a sketch featuring a dwarf. The BBC cut to Wright in the studio, laughing: "I don't know what it is about little people like that - I just love 'em, man!" So do we Ian, so do we.
Wright will continue his Talksport football show but has decided to stop appearing as a pundit claiming the 'yoof' is turning away from it in its droves. Presumably because they are out necking WKD's and smoking spliffs when the matches are on.
"I don't know how long young people are going to want to watch that same old jacket, shirt and tie format. They want people dressed like them," said Wright, who was employed by the BBC as a freelance. "On TV they've got no one to relate to. That's why I don't want to do the England games anymore."
We agree, Wrighty always looks shaper than a samurai sword on MOTD, especially next to Shearer who looks like he was dressed by a blind man in Moss Bros as he delivers his intelligent/dull analysis in Geordie monotone.
So he may have jumped before he was pushed but Wrighty we will miss you. But all is not lost Beat readers, oh no siree. Wrighty will be back on our screens soon hosting another sporting marvel. Gladiators on Sky One begins soon…..
Aye Gladiators! We can't wait… Why not bet on sports, or bet on TV with Ian you can do both. Check out Bodog's Sports or Bodog's Film / TV Specials.
[…] whatever his reasons, Ian Wright will be missed. As blog BodogBEAT says, he tells it how it is, and he does so without shedding his personality. So good luck to […]