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‘I was fired for being 65 and a white man’: Former BBC presenter Mark Lawrenson takes a swipe at the ‘awakened’ broadcaster after more than 30 years working as an expert… as he claims they are ‘scared’ to upset someone’
- Mark Lawrenson has said he was ’65 and a white man’ saw him put down by the BBC
- The former Liverpool defender was an expert at the company for 30 years
- However, in March of this year, he was told about format changes in Football Focus
- He said he came over to support Alex Scott as the show’s lead host
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Mark Lawrenson has said he thinks his departure from the BBC was due to the fact that he was ’65 and a white man’.
The former Liverpool defender had spent three decades with the company, including 25 years with Football Focus, before being told in March that the show’s format was changing.
Lawrenson told The Sunday Times: ‘The Beeb are probably the worst at giving bad news. It was just: “We’re going out with Focus next season. We don’t think it’s really for you.”
“I haven’t watched the show since then to see if they’re out and about. They forget that you are an ex-football player and could be substituted, dropped or transferred. Someone might say to me, “I’m sorry, it’s not good news.” And I’d say, “Okay, just tell me what it is.”
“I wish they had said to me at the beginning of my contract last year, ‘You’ve had a great run, thank you very much and you won’t be working next season.’
Lawrenson revealed he should have thought about leaving the show when presenter Dan Walker left his hosting duties after 12 years in 2021.
Although he was initially annoyed by Walker’s replacement ex-England and Arsenal player Alex Scott, he came by to support her.
Mark Lawrenson has said his age and race played a role in his departure from the BBC
“Alex was just there, so from the start we tried to make the program as easy as possible for her,” he said.
“It was a little frustrating because she would ask you a question and then move on to the next person and I’d like to say something that I had just thought of but I just had to shut up because she was just learning.
“She’s done well for her in all honesty and she’s a sweet kid. It’s a tough gig because Dan was so good. Some people just don’t want her to be good, but she’s gotten better and better.”
He was criticized for using brand names like Greggs while on the BBC, and when he co-commented on radio in the wake of Princess Diana’s death in 1997, he was told to avoid any reference to ‘walls’ of free should avoid stairs, in case someone would be offended by the language used.
He said he became ‘anti-wake’ and rebelled against the BBC’s very safe culture, often driven by much younger colleagues.
Lawrenson revealed he became ‘anti-wake’ in response to BBC’s aim of not angering people
Lawrenson revealed: ‘In all my time at the BBC no one has ever said you can’t say this or that, but the waking thing drives me crazy.
“While you would normally say the first thing that comes to mind, now you think, ‘If I say that, will I get in trouble?’ It was a bit like playing with your legs tied together.
“The BBC is the national broadcaster and I understand that, but they are terrified of upsetting anyone.”
The BBC and Sky Sports have both gone through major changes in their on-screen personalities in recent years. Lawrenson’s friend and former Liverpool teammate Phil Thompson was dropped from the latter’s football Saturday schedule.
Lawrenson said, “I spoke to Tommo and it took him completely by surprise. Is the show better? No. Not so good? Yes. It was just a strange, strange thing to do. Now they go around and do theaters and they’re packed.’
Lawrenson is going to enjoy a farewell lunch with the BBC and 20 guests, something he is eager to embrace after his love of three decades with the company.
Sportsmail has contacted the BBC for comment.
Former Liverpool teammates Lawrenson (second left back row) and Phil Thompson (right back row) talked to each other about their respective TV axes