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BBC Ends Ski Sunday After Nearly 50 Years

Broadcaster executives say changing viewing habits, plus the need to show value for the licence fee, prompted a shift toward event-led winter sports coverage focused on the Winter Olympics.

Overview

  • The BBC announced on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, that it will stop producing Ski Sunday, the seasonal winter-sports programme first broadcast in 1978.
  • Philip Bernie, head of events at BBC Sport, said the decision reflects evolving audience behaviour and the need to make tough choices to deliver value for licence-fee payers.
  • The broadcaster stressed it will continue to show major winter events, notably the Winter Olympics, while removing the standalone weekly Ski Sunday strand.
  • Ski Sunday was part of Sunday Grandstand and was presented over the years by David Vine, Graham Bell and Ed Leigh, with Chemmy Alcott joining in 2021.
  • The cancellation follows the earlier axing of Football Focus in 2026 and has prompted mixed public reaction, raising questions about cultural loss and how the BBC will reallocate resources.