Clare Balding was 'missing' in action as Wimbledon started on Monday, as viewers criticised the BBC over a' technical glitch' on iPlayer, which prevented them from watching the start of reigning champion Novak Djokovic's opening tie. And there was further anger from those who tried to watch the match on BBC One, only to find it wasn't on there either.
There was upset a year ago, when the broadcaster's lead presenter Sue Barker broke the news that she was leaving her Wimbledon role, after 30 years at the helm. Last month, BBC bosses confirmed that Clare, who has anchored coverage of events like the Olympics, would replace Sue in the high profile job but, as things kicked off at SW19 on Monday, July 9, Clare, who recently joined the cast of Celebrity Gogglebox was nowhere to be seen.
Viewers were instead greeted by her colleague Isa Guha, as Djokovic's match against Pedro Cachin was the pick of the opening day on Centre Court. Tennis fans who relied on iPlayer to watch the game were unable to do so, due to an error and then, those who assumed it would be on BBC One from the start, were also left disappointed as they switched onto see the lunchtime news was still on.
Voicing their frustrations, one disgruntled viewer tweeted: "BBC iPlayer not working, so we don’t get to see the start of the Djokovic match. Instead you’re showing introductory waffle on BBC1 which is supposed to be showing the match. Sort it out!"
Equally annoyed, a second posted: "Why is the BBC showing all the games ( 1:30 pm first day) but Djokovic? I can’t even get him on iPlayer!!!!" with another fuming: "Bbc are a disgrace. Showing court 1 instead of the 4x defending and 7x champion Djokovic on centre court and it’s not working on iPlayer"
Even when Djokovic was given top billing on BBC One, viewers were left wondering where Clare was, given the anticipation of her debut. The reason for her absence is that, unlike Sue, who often anchored the Wimbledon coverage from start to finish, on daily basis, Clare is thought to be covering the 'primetime' shift, with her heard giving a recap midway through the Djokovic game, which was hit by a delay due to damp on the court.
That was a fact lost on many fans who expected to see her, with one taking to Twitter react: "Anyone think the @BBCSport coverage of Wimbledon is rubbish on day 1? Where’s @clarebalding?"
*For all the latest TV and celeb news from Chronicle Live, sign up to our dedicated newsletter HERE.
