Eleanor Oldroyd

Radio review: Colin Murray calls time on his Fighting Talk show

After 250 episodes - 529, if you also include his first stint between 2006 and 2013 - 4,878 questions, and 304 panellists, Colin Murray finally drew a close to his time presenting 5 Live's sporting banterama Fighting Talk last Saturday morning.

Teddy Jamieson, The Herald, 3rd June 2023

It's never wise to announce that the new presenter of a programme is "comedian so-and-so". You're more likely to decide for yourself when someone is funny rather than take somebody else's word for it. Being told somebody is a stand-up usually makes you determined not to find them funny. Nonetheless, in line with the Corporation's present policy of ensuring that most radio shows are fronted by either television actors or comedians, the new presenter of Fighting Talk is Josh Widdicombe, who'll share his position with former Sky Sports anchor Georgie Thompson.

There's nothing on British radio quite as divisive as this comedy chat format, which solicits opinions on the sporting stories of the week, handing out "points for punditry". In a good week, they'll have guests such as Bob Mills, Martin Kelner and Eleanor Oldroyd, people who know how to tiptoe up to the precipice of scandal and then retreat before they end up in trouble. This has resulted in some fairly hair-raising moments in the past, even when the presenters were experienced self-op radio hands such as Colin Murray or Johnny Vaughan. There's a world of difference between a presenter who can be funny and a funny person who can present. It should be interesting to see how Widdicombe handles the job.

David Hepworth, The Guardian, 16th August 2014