Simon Thomas almost broke a stringent rule while hosting Soccer Saturday. The ex-Blue Peter star returned to the Sky Sports couches for the start of the Premier League this weekend.
Accompanied by Soccer Saturday pundits Paul Merson, Clinton Morrison, Mike Dean, Kris Boyd, and Sue Smith, things were going smoothly for Thomas, who replaced Jeff Stelling as the show’s host last year.
Thomas instructed the director to go to an outside broadcast journalist, who was providing an update on one of the many matches taking place around the country. But, as the camera suddenly returned to him, Thomas looked rather flustered as he was close to breaking a strict rule.
Thomas was almost caught holding a canned fizzy beverage live on air. In an attempt to manage the incident, Thomas quickly said: “Oops, nearly got caught with a can of famous soft drink in my hand. We don’t need to know any more than that.”
This near-miss highlights the tightrope walked by TV networks like Sky Sports News, which must carefully navigate advertising guidelines. They must ensure no specific brands are highlighted without stating “other brands are available”, which perhaps explains Thomas’ relief.
This season marks Thomas’ second term at the helm of Soccer Saturday, following a tight race which reportedly included fellow Sky presenters Caroline Barker and Jules Warren. After years with Sky Sports News, Thomas stepped down in 2018 due to family reasons following the heartbreak of his wife’s death.
Despite leaving his post, he established a thriving freelance career, which led him full circle, back to Sky Sports. When he took over from Stelling, he said: “When I left Sky in 2018 for very personal reasons; it was always said the door would be open if I ever wanted to return. I never expected that Gillette Soccer Saturday would be the door that would open.”
“Being asked to present this iconic show and follow in the footsteps of Jeff Stelling, an absolute giant of sports broadcasting, is a massive honour and one I simply cannot wait to get started on.”
He also paid tribute to Stelling in his first appearance as host last year. He said: “We have a new studio, a new look, but hopefully everything you still love about this terrific show. Now, before we go any further I just want to say this, over the last couple of weeks, one or two people said ‘You’ve got some rather large boots to fill’.
“I have not brought the boots today. I have brought my own shoes, a nice comfortable pair of size 10 leather brown shoes. But I want to say this.
“It is an absolute honour to take on the role of hosting this quite brilliant show and if I can do even half the job that the legend Jeff Stelling did over the last 25 years, I will have done something right.”