The BBC have reportedly decided to promote Andrew Cotter to the position of their lead Wimbledon commentator from next season. Andrew Castle will be stepping away after 23 years in the role.
This year’s men’s final will be Castle’s final appearance behind the mic for the BBC and the Telegraph claim that Cotter will take over from 2027. Cotter, 52, primarily commentates on golf and rugby for the BBC but his role has also touched on tennis, athletics and the Boat Race.
Castle claimed he was due to be demoted next year because the BBC asked him to return but stripped him of the men’s final.
“Am I upset? Yeah, I was upset, and I will stay that way this year, knowing it’s my last. But all good things come to an end,” he told the Telegraph.
“I don’t know why I won’t be doing another final [after this year], apart from that it’s a ‘change of direction’.
“They did ask me to come back for next year without the final, but I declined. I think it’s the right decision. I don’t want to hang around really. And there are other avenues to pursue. In fact, there are two job offers. It won’t necessarily be the same thing, but it’s during the tournament for others.”
BBC director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski spoke at Wimbledon on Tuesday morning and refused to explain his decision to remove Castle from his duty as lead commentator.
“I’m not going to get into private conversations. We asked Andrew to stay, because we think he’s excellent,” he said.
“He’s been doing this for 20 years, and then he took the decision, therefore, that is enough. I think even he said this week that he was told face-to-face and it was done nicely. He’s done an absolute brilliant innings.”
Kay-Jelski then explained his approach when picking Castle’s replacement. He commented: “To go and get the best person” regardless of their age or gender.
“You asked there about age and gender, I don’t ever look at that. It’s just not how my brain works, and it won’t be how the team’s brain works,” he said. “You just look at who the best people are, sometimes the best person is X, sometimes the best person is Y.
“You can see that with pundit lineups. You can have Laura Robson and Eugenie Bouchard. You can also have Tracy Austin, who probably knows more about tennis than all of us put together. I just don’t think it’s about male, female and age.”