This year, presenter Clare Balding discussed the action in front of a live audience of fans – some of whom came dressed in bright orange jackets – at The Gatsby Club, one of Wimbledon’s hospitality suites.
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John Inverdale, who hosted the highlights programme for 14 years, was dropped following a series of gaffes.
The BBC has refused to divulge how many complaints it has received from viewers in relation to the new format but admitted it had received 78 within a matter of hours of the first broadcast, sparking speculation that the changes may be short lived.
Viewers have vented their frustration on Twitter and the BBC’s own Points of View blog. “All marshalled by a panicky looking Clare Balding”.
The corporation had already increased the amount of tennis it features by more than 50 per cent last week following audience complaints.
Wimbledon 2Day has enjoyed a peak audience of 1.9million – slightly up on past year.
Despite the figures, a campaign has been launched for Inverdale to be reinstated and he joked that he had “never had been so popular”.
Yesterday, Radio Times TV Editor Alison Graham led the backlash with her critique of the new-look format in a piece quoted everywhere from the Times and the Mail to the Guardian and Independent.
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A BBC source told The Mirror the show had always intended to “evolve”, moving ‘closer to the centre of the event for the final stages.’.
