‘Question of Sport’ captain Ugo Monye has defended the decision to have celebrities compete on the show.
Ugo Monye defends non-sporting guests on Question of Sport as the panels need to be varied and not just have sports people
The retired England rugby union player became a captain on the BBC One panel show alongside Olympic gold-medal winning hockey player Sam Quek in 2001 as part of a raft of changes to the long-running programme which also saw Sue Barker replaced by comedian Paddy McGuinness as host.
'Question of Sport' traditionally had active and retired sports stars as guests but since the changes a number of celebrities have appeared including Made in Chelsea's Jamie Laing and 'Strictly Come Dancing' judge Anton Du Beke.
Appearing on Jamie's 'Private Parts' podcast, Ugo insisted that having non-sporting contestants is good for the programme because it keeps it varied and fresh.
He said: "Sports should appeal to more than just people who have played it at an elite level.
“We had Anton Du Beke on. He is probably the single best contestant we’ve ever had. His sporting knowledge was obscene.
“There was one question: Who was the first person to throw a 9-dart finish on live TV?. I don’t know. He knew.”
Paddy, 48, previously revealed he called 65-year-old former tennis star Sue - who hosted the show from 1997 to 2021 - to get her approval before taking the job.
He said: “It’s a big change — Sue’s been the host for the last 20 years or so.
“That was in the back of my mind so I rang her up and had a really good chat with her and she was so nice and supportive.
“For me personally, once I spoke to Sue, the rest will be what it will be.
"My priority was taking over from Sue and treating that with respect because of how loved she is.”