A BBC icon has explained that he listens to a rival of the broadcaster as a result of the "comprehensive service" it provides

Mike Ingham has argued that BBC Radio 5 Live has surrendered much of its "discipline" following the controversial choice to scrap its classified football results segment back in 2022. The broadcasting legend has also revealed that he now listens to talkSPORT, which he considers a "comprehensive service."

The 76-year-old formed a partnership with Alan Green for nearly a quarter of a century between 1990 and 2014, commentating on the most significant matches in Britain and across the globe. Ingham and Green provided coverage of FA Cup finals, World Cup tournaments and European competitions, with the former renowned for his articulate style and presentation.

In 2004, Ingham was promoted to the position of 5 Live's chief football correspondent. He stepped away from his position following the 2014 World Cup, bringing an illustrious career to a close, though he has remained an avid listener of the output from his former colleagues and those who followed.

Yet the iconic commentator doesn't always support the decisions taken by the BBC, as shown by his disapproval of 5 Live axing their classified segment four years ago. Discussing the decision, Ingham told the Telegraph: "It's like building a house without the bricks.

"Those two-and-a-half minutes were like taking stock at the end of a hurly-burly afternoon. It was a great bit of broadcasting when it was done by James Alexander Gordon, like the shipping forecast.

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"I think 5 Live has lost a lot of, not professionalism, but discipline. I was reared on hitting the pips. My family gets so exasperated with me now because I'm such a stickler for time. A lot of that has been lost, it has become much more easy come, easy go."

He added: "I just think the BBC has spread itself too thinly. It's just trying to do everything, as opposed to trying to concentrate on the things it does best.

"For me, the programme should always come before the podcast. That's me though, not being able to move with the times."

A BBC statement issued when they chose to axe 5 Live's results segment said: "We appreciate the strength of feeling towards the classified football results within Sports Report. It's always difficult when a programme with a special history changes, but there are good reasons for the change.

"With the addition of the 5.30pm live Premier League match to our coverage, Sports Report has been condensed into a shorter programme - cut from 1 hour to 25 minutes. The classifieds were taking around 5-7 minutes to read, which would have taken up around a third of the programme - constraining the range of sport we could cover.

"We'd like to assure our listeners that results from across the football leagues will still be shared during the programme and through the afternoon. Results are also available in full on the BBC Sport website and during Final Score on BBC One. Having a live match at 5.30 is a great addition to the 5 Live schedule."

Ingham has also made the striking admission that he now tunes into BBC Sport's long-standing rival talkSPORT, owing to the network's capacity to deliver a "comprehensive service" to its audience. He said: "I think they [BBC Sport] were complacent about talkSPORT.

"When it began it was a bit blokey, now I think it's a more comprehensive service and the range of presenters they have really makes it work. Simon Jordan is brilliant, Jeff Stelling's there and they do the results at 5 o'clock on a Saturday."