Mark was joined by Arsenal legend Martin Keown and Lioness Steph Houghton when viewers became concerned

Match of the Day fans have said that they hope presenter Mark Chapman ‘is okay’ as they asked ‘what’s going on’ during a broadcast of the classic BBC series.

The 53-year-old has been working as the co-presenter of the football highlights show since the beginning of last season. Mark was one of three stars brought in to replace Gary Lineker, who has begun airing his Rest Is Football podcast on Netflix and had a gameshow titled The Box on ITV.

Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan were the other two stars trusted with replacing Gary, who joined Match of the Day in 1999. The trio were given the nod by Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC Director of Sport.

Mark is no stranger to Match of the Day, having previously presented Match of the Day 2 during Gary’s time at the BBC. His busy schedule also sees him working on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sports Report and Sky Sports's coverage of the Premier League and the EFL Cup.

On Saturday night (October 24), Mark was joined by Arsenal legend Martin Keown and Lioness Steph Houghton for the roundup of all the day’s action. Introducing the show coverage of Aston Villa's win against Manchester City, Mark kept his intro straight forward.

"Five games on Match of the Day. Martin Keown and Steph Houghton are with us, and we start with Aston Villa against Manchester City, commentary from Simon Brotherton,” he said.

Appearing a bit tense physically and possessing a somewhat demotivated tone, Mark has his arms folded at the end of the night when it was time for the credits to roll.

"That's it from us. Thanks to Martin and Steph. Goodnight,” he said.

This led to many viewers taking to X, previously known as Twitter, to have their say on the awkward episode of the football institute. Many expressed their fears over Mark, while some criticised him for appearing disinterested.

@H4RRYKH4N said: “Granted, ive not watched #MOTD in while but pretty sure the host is usually quite a lot more cheerful when they start the show as opposed to how Mark Chapman just started it.” @xTeacherTx added: “I noticed this, I hope he's ok but it's making viewing a bit awkward.”

@charlotteahenry wrote: “I regard Mark Chapman as the best sports broadcaster in the country. Thought I was going mad when I watched the intro last night. Rushed and lifeless. What’s going on?” @ChopperH5791 posted: “Strange vibe in the studio tonight. Can't get over that straight to business intro from Chapman.”

@DrMatthew83 commented: “Hope Mark Chapman is ok. He looks thoroughly fed up and disinterested #motd.” @TaintlessRed stated: “Did anyone else notice how downbeat Mark Chapman was doing BBC Match of the Day? He's great at his job and is usually warm, friendly and joking with the pundits but he looked miserable, not even a single smile. Felt like something had happened. I hope everything's ok with him.”

It emerged last month that Mark and Kelly have begun a romantic relationship, with reports claiming they began dating each other earlier this year. Earlier in the year, Mark ended his relationship with Dubai-based estate agent Clere Collier after three years together.

In 2020, Mark suffered the devastating loss of his wife, Sara, to cancer when she was just 44. They had been married for 19 years and shared three children.

Kelly, the daughter of Scotland and Liverpool icon Sir Kenny Dalglish, is a well-known face in sports broadcasting and ended her marriage to TV producer husband Tom five years ago, having tied the knot in 2007 and welcomed two daughters.