BREAKING NEWS: BBC presenter issues emotional apology after being left ‘absolutely devastated’
A devastated BBC presenter issued a heartfelt apology to viewers.
Chemmy Alcott was left devastated by the cancellation of Ski Sunday (Image: BBC)
BBC presenter Chemmy Alcott has been left “absolutely devastated” after her Ski Sunday programme was abruptly cancelled by the broadcaster on Tuesday. The BBC officially confirmed its decision to discontinue the beloved weekly winter sports show, pointing to “changing audience behaviours” and budgetary pressures as the driving factors.
The scrapping of Ski Sunday, a cornerstone of BBC broadcasting since it first aired in 1978, represents the latest step in the corporation’s broader strategy to reshape its sports coverage. The programme had long served as a roundup of the latest alpine skiing action, alongside features covering a diverse range of snow sports. Four-time Olympian Alcott, who joined the show in 2021, claimed she was blindsided by the news, having believed that the enormous enthusiasm generated by this year’s Winter Olympics would shield it from the axe.
The 44-year-old former alpine skier revealed she was only informed of the cancellation just a few hours before the announcement was made public.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Wednesday, Alcott said: “I heard yesterday morning just before the press release. There are always rumours.
“Although there had been these rumours, I just fully believed that we have a massive audience to serve. So many people got involved with the Winter Olympics.
“So many people are inspired by the bravery of the stories of the athletes we tell in winter sports, that’s what makes it so different from summer sport. I thought that might be enough.
“We wanted to provide that escapism. There was such good need for it. I’m so sad.”
Prior to her appearance on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday morning, Alcott posted an apology to the show’s fans on Instagram: “Absolutely devastated and I am sorry.
“We know that content consumption has changed but we also know that we have an immense amount of passion. I put out a social media post yesterday and within 24 hours it has got 1.2 million views and 5,000 comments. People are passionate about this.
“It was a family show that united people. There are not many areas of television that bring us all together. We are bringing sport, we are bringing nature and we are bringing families together.”
Alcott posted an emotional apology to viewers on social media (Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)
Alcott continued by saying that Ski Sunday had directly shaped the careers of some of Britain’s finest skiers over the last half-century, including her own.
Although the highlights programme has been axed, the BBC will still broadcast sections of the Winter Olympics.
Philip Bernie, head of events at BBC Sport, commented: “Ski Sunday has been a truly iconic programme and a much-loved part of BBC Sport’s output for many years. Generations of viewers have enjoyed its coverage of the best in winter sports.
“We are enormously proud of the role it has played in bringing these moments to audiences across the UK, and extremely grateful to the brilliant people who have delivered them, not least the current outstanding team.
“These decisions are never easy, but as audience viewing habits evolve and we work to deliver value for licence fee payers, we have to make tough choices.
“We remain committed to bringing audiences the very best of winter sport, above all at the Winter Olympics, across BBC Sport’s platforms.”
The axing of Ski Sunday follows the cancellation of Football Focus, which was pulled from schedules after 52 years on air earlier in 2026.
The corporation has also relinquished the live broadcasting rights to two long-established and iconic events in the Commonwealth Games and the Boat Race.
