Football Focus
| Football Focus | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sports |
| Presented by | Dan Walker |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Studio TC5, BBC Television Centre (1974-2012) Studio HQ3, MediaCityUK (2012-)[1] |
| Running time | 30 - 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One |
| Release | Grandstand strand 1974 – 2001 Stand-alone series 2001 – present |
| Related | |
| Match of the Day Match of the Day 2 Final Score The Football League Show The Premier League Show | |
Football Focus is a BBC television show, broadcast on BBC One on Saturday lunchtimes, covering football, presented from the 2009–10 season by Dan Walker. The programme is broadcast from MediaCityUK in Salford, Greater Manchester.
The programme previously formed part of the Grandstand programme but has since August 2001 been considered a show in its own right. Prior to the launch of Match of the Day 2, it was often the first chance for viewers (apart from the viewers of Sky Sports) to see analysis of the Sunday and Monday Premier League games. The programme is now a weekly magazine, with reports from across the country at all levels of English and Scottish football. It previews the weekend's fixtures and provides updates from the early Premier League game. Since BBC have the rights to Premier League highlights, Football Focus also shows the key moments from the midweek matches. A version of the programme which looks at world football airs on BBC World News.
The theme song for the programme is different for each new season. For the 2002-03 season it was "Backaround" by Elevator Suite[1]. The 2003-04 season featured a cover of the Stevie Nicks track "Stand Back" by Linus Loves featuring Sam Obernik. For the 2007-08 season it was "Kill The Director" by The Wombats and for the 2009-10 season it was "Jetstream" by Doves, from the album Kingdom of Rust. For 2012-13 it was "Undegpedwar" by Y Niwl from the self-titled album, and in a break with tradition continued as the theme for 2013-14.
As of 2012, presenter Dan Walker is usually joined by the BBC's main football pundits such as Mark Lawrenson, Lee Dixon, and Martin Keown. Match of the Day commentators, including Steve Wilson, Guy Mowbray, Jonathan Pearce, and John Motson often check-in with game previews from the stadiums.
Presenters
- 1974–1994: Bob Wilson (departed to join ITV as its main football presenter)
- 1994–1996: Steve Rider (host of Football Focus and Grandstand and Focus for two seasons, then dropped Focus)
- 1996–1999: Gary Lineker (previously pundit then presented after Steve Rider dropped Focus, went to front Match of the Day)
- 1999–2004: Ray Stubbs (left to present Final Score on Saturday afternoons, left BBC in 2009 to move to ESPN)
- 2004–2009: Manish Bhasin (left to become presenter of The Football League Show)
- 2009–present: Dan Walker[2]
- Guest presenters
- 2016: Eilidh Barbour (presented during 2016 Olympics while Dan Walker was in Rio)
- 2007, 2008: Jake Humphrey (presented during 2007 Ashes and Cricket World Cup while Manish was presenting BBC coverage. Also was main host during Euro 2008 Football Focus)
- 2005: Mark Pougatch
