Ian Wright has quit the BBC as a football pundit, the former Arsenal and England striker accusing the corporation of forcing him into the role of a "comedy jester" and falling behind the times with its "jacket, shirt and tie" coverage.

Wright, who co-presents a daily radio show on the commercial station TalkSport, said he had told BBC Sport he no longer wanted to appear alongside Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer. He had been a regular pundit for England home games over the course of the BBC's four-year contract to show live competitive matches.

"I feel like I'm just there as a comedy jester to break the ice with Alan Shearer and Alan Hansen, who just do run-of-the-mill things. I can't do that any more. People want something different," he told Broadcast magazine.

Wright, who will host a revived version of Gladiators for Sky One this year, joined the BBC in January 2001, eight months after retiring from a career during which he broke Arsenal's scoring record and won 33 England caps. He has since hosted a series of entertainment shows including I'd Do Anything and Friends Like These and a Radio 5 Live show. But he said he had decided to stop appearing as a pundit after becoming disillusioned with its football coverage.

"I don't know how long young people are going to want to watch that same old jacket, shirt and tie format. They want people dressed like them," said Wright, who was employed by the BBC as a freelance. "On TV they've got no one to relate to. That's why I don't want to do the England games any more."

But BBC insiders said there would have been little work for him as a pundit after this season in any case. He was not due to be involved with its Euro 2008 coverage and has not appeared on Match of the Day for some time. With the corporation losing the rights to live

England internationals and the FA Cup from August, leaving it with no regular live football until a new deal for the Coca-Cola Championship and the Carling Cup begins in 2009, Wright's on-air opportunities would have been limited.

Wright, who will host a revived version of Gladiators for Sky One this year,

thats where all the clowns end up lol. but i do like wrighty .