The BBC axed me for being 65 and a white male, says Mark Lawrenson

Mark Lawrenson claims he was axed by the BBC for being "65 and a white male".

The former Liverpool defender retired from punditry at the end of last season, but Mark has now revealed that he was actually dropped by the broadcaster.

He said: "The Beeb are probably the worst at giving you bad news. It was just: ‘We’re going on the road next season with 'Football Focus'. We don’t think it is really something for you.'"

Mark also accused the BBC of being "frightened to death of upsetting anybody".

He explained: "In all my time at the BBC, nobody ever said you can’t say this or that, but the woke thing drives me bonkers.

"Whereas normally you would say the first thing that comes into your head, you’re now thinking, 'If I say that will I get into trouble?' It was a bit like playing with your legs tied together.

"The BBC is the national broadcaster and I get that, but they are frightened to death of upsetting anybody."

Former England international Alex Scott replaced Dan Walker as the host of 'Football Focus' in 2021.

Mark thinks Alex has been learning on the job - but he acknowledges that she's getting "better and better".

He told the Sunday Times newspaper: "Alex was just thrown in, so from the outset we were trying to make the programme as easy as possible for her.

"It was a little bit frustrating because she would ask you a question and then move on to the next person and I would want to say something I had just thought of, but I just had to shut up because she was just learning.

"She has done well in fairness to her and she is a lovely kid. It’s a tough gig, because Dan was so good. Some people just don’t want her to be any good, but she has gotten better and better."