Clare Balding wound up many viewers with a joke about tennis player Carlos Alcaraz knowing the BBC's schedule, as the broadcaster 'cut short' an interview with the Spaniard to go to an old episode of DIY SOS.
Monday night ended up being a memorable one for Alcaraz, as he made the quarter finals at SW19 for the first time in his career, after a thrilling game which saw him bounce back from losing the first set 3-6 to Matteo Berrettini to win the next three 6-3 6-3 6-3 and clinch in the last eight.
At the end of every televised match, the winner is interviewed live on court, with many viewers listening intently to what they have to say. Given the historic moment for Alcaraz and the match they'd just seen him win, fans tuning into BBC One for Alcaraz v Berrettini were looking forward to hearing his thoughts, only for lead Wimbledon anchor Clare to bring the live broadcast to an abrupt end as the clock ticked down to DIY SOS starting at 9pm.
READ MORE: BBC's Jon Kay explains Breakfast absence as host takes break
The game had only ended a few minutes earlier, prompting Clare to quip: 'He finished for nine, knowing we switch over to another programme." However, many irate viewers would have much rather the BBC just delayed the start of a DIY SOS for a few minutes so they could hear all the interview.
Twitter was quickly full of complaints, with one critic reacting: "BBC cutting short Alcaraz’s post match interview is an insult and VERY disrespectful. All for DIY SOS. Seriously. Priorities." Equally annoyed, a second tweeted: "The BBC can delay their running time by a minute or so to listen to f**king interviews after matches. Go to the website? Nah, we pay a f**king TV license. Show Alcaraz's interview ya melts!," with another, in agreement, blasting: "What is wrong with the BBC tennis team this year, cutting key interviews that everyone wants to see. 1st Svitolina yesterday now Alcaraz 2day, no good excuse on either occasion. Buck up BBC!!"
*For all the latest TV and celeb news from Chronicle Live, sign up to our dedicated newsletter HERE.
