A brutal day in the life of a MOTD pundit with stars ‘unable to keep eyes open after 7pm’ as Ian Wright announces exit
THE brutal reality of life as a Match of the Day pundit has been laid bare.
And one star admits they “can’t keep their eyes open after 7pm”… despite the show being broadcast live hours later.
A new dawn is coming for the popular BBC highlights show after Ian Wright announced his exit next summer.
The Arsenal legend is stepping away to spend more time with his family at the weekend, while also pursuing a career in acting.
And it’s no surprise considering how tough it can be to get the show on the air.
Match of the Day goes out live on BBC One at 10.25pm on Saturdays.
The following day sees Match of the Day 2 go out at 11.05pm.
And Micah Richards admits it can be a real struggle to get going at that time of night.
The Premier League title winner with Man City is a regular face on the show.
Speaking with Match of the Day host Gary Lineker and pundit Alan Shearer on the Rest is Football podcast, Richards revealed the fast-paced nature of the beast.
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With the show being filmed at the Dock10 studios at MediaCityUK in Salford, Lineker and his pals turn up in time for the start of Saturday’s 12.30pm fixture.
The team stayed glued to the screens for the 3pm kick-offs, and continue into evening for the 5.30pm late game.
But the hard work only gets started at that point.
Host Lineker is required to sort out the script and even film a teaser trailer to be shown before the 9pm news.
The running order of the show is decided as producers scramble to pick between games.
And pundits like Shearer, Wright and Richards must also sort out the various clips for analysis.
Match of the Day is then broadcast live to the nation and runs for nearly 90 minutes.
Richards revealed the process can be exhausting, admitting he’s almost dozing off by the time it’s 7pm.
But Lineker reckons that although the team are tired before the show goes out, the adrenaline of live TV kicks them all into gear.
You get to about 7pm and your eyes just start going!
Micah Richards
Richards said: “The energy on MOTD, the logistics, how do you get your energy at 10.30pm at night?
“I come in the door at 12.30pm and am buzzing, loving all the games, feel on top of the world, wow what a job!
“How privileged are we to watch every single game, it’s brilliant. But you get to about 7pm and your eyes just start going!
“But we’ve not finished and we’ve got to do the analysis that keeps your mind ticking over. I start flagging at 9pm, 9.15pm.”
Lineker then got laughs from Richards and Shearer by responding: “When I’ve watched you, you start flagging at 10pm, 10.45pm!”
He continued: “You’re right, that period in the evening after the 5.30pm game, 7.30pm onwards, a lot of work happens after.
“You’re sorting your analysis, I’m fiddling with the script. I write words for the trail.
“That 8.30pm-9.30pm, 10pm, you do just feel like ‘I want to go to bed, it’s my bedtime’, especially at my age.
“It’s a very regimented show, sometimes six, seven, eight games, you’ve got to make sure timings are right.
“It’s live television, we discuss a few things, but however tired you feel, when that red light goes on…
“When the game starts and the adrenaline kicks in, you liven up.”