BBC viewers were left furious after Wimbledon coverage on BBC Two was cut short during a match between Alexander Zverev and Jiri Lehecka on Monday, July 6. The broadcast ended at 10pm to air a repeat episode of Mortimer and Whithouse: Gone Fishing, even though play continued until the 11pm curfew imposed by Merton Council.
Match Delays and Curfew Impact
Arthur Fery, a British wild card, had earlier defeated Grigor Dimitrov in a five-set thriller on Centre Court, pushing the schedule behind. As a result, Zverev and Lehecka did not start until 8.40pm. The first set lasted 42 minutes, the second 54 minutes, and Lehecka took an extended toilet break before the third set began at 10.32pm, leaving only 28 minutes before curfew. Play was suspended at 10.56pm, but BBC Two had already gone off air.
Announcement and Viewer Reaction
As Zverev served, Clare Balding announced: "Well, this is a match that looks highly unlikely to finish before the 11 o'clock curfew and we are getting close to our off air time here on BBC Two. So, coverage of this will continue on iPlayer." She added that viewers could select Centre Court from the iPlayer menu. Despite this, fans were frustrated. One viewer on X said: "Why is Wimbledon going off mainstream TV when it says it is on until 10.30?" Another posted: "You don't want to hear my language at the moment." A third sarcastically noted: "A fishing program is more important than Wimbledon."
Criticism of Curfew and Scheduling
Some fans criticized the 11pm curfew itself, arguing it disadvantages players. One wrote: "So the Zverev Lehecka couldn't end yesterday.. Wimbledon has such a permanent timing problem. Maybe the only tournament where matches cannot properly end in one day time EVEN if there is no rain issue at all. Feel this is sort of lack of respect for the players." Another simply declared: "It's ridiculous." Wimbledon coverage continues on BBC One, BBC Two, and iPlayer.
