logo
Gary Lineker's blunt three-word response when BBC offered him very different new job

Gary Lineker's blunt three-word response when BBC offered him very different new job

Wales Online25-05-2025
Gary Lineker's blunt three-word response when BBC offered him very different new job
Gary Lineker will present his final Match of the Day show this Sunday after being axed by the BBC, who reportedly offered him the chance to host his own cooking show
TV Presenter and ex-Leicester City player Gary Lineker
(Image: Getty Images )
Gary Lineker expressed disbelief at a BBC pitch for him to start a cooking programme following his departure from Match of the Day, saying: "Are you kidding?".
Lineker is poised to make his final appearance on Match of the Day this Sunday, following the furore that erupted over his comments on social media regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The ex-England striker was embroiled in controversy last week, facing allegations of anti-Semitism after tweeting a video critical of Zionism that included a depiction of a rat.

In response to the backlash, Lineker issued an apology for what was perceived by some as an insensitive comment towards Jews, admitting he was unaware of its implications. A recent statement announced Lineker's forthcoming exit from the BBC had been settled "by mutual agreement".
Initially, Lineker was expected to conclude his 26-year tenure as host of Match of the Day at the end of the current season, while still helming BBC's coverage of upcoming major football events such as next season's FA Cup and the 2026 World Cup, reports Leicestershire Live.
Yet, his departure has been hastened to arrive a year sooner than anticipated. In a prior interview with Amol Rajan for the BBC last month, Lineker disclosed that there were figures at the corporation who "wanted me to leave", which predated the latest row.
Article continues below
Gary Lineker disclosed his realisation that BBC executives no longer wanted him on their leading football highlights programme emerged as early as last year. Astonishingly, the former Leicester City forward noted he was propositioned to helm his own cooking show on the BBC as a form of compensation.
Lineker shared his story with The Telegraph just days before posting a video accompanied by a rat emoji, saying: "It's funny, when I was talking to the Beeb and they told me they didn't want me to do another three years, they said, 'We think you could do a cooking show.'".
Recounting the eccentric offer that suggested a significant career pivot, Lineker couldn't help but express his incredulity with an eye roll, adding: "Are you kidding? I thought it was hilarious."

He continued to divulge in the same interview, responding to queries over which BBC personnel had seemingly wished for his departure, and the extent he believes the situation has altered since Alex Kay-Jelski took on the role of BBC Director of Sport in April the previous year.
"I think it has [changed], and that's what I was alluding to," Lineker observed. "He has his reasons, he wants to change Match of the Day slightly. In the end, I'm unconvinced they will because where can a highlights show diverge from showcasing highlights? His vision is to incorporate more journalists – he himself springs from that realm, absent any television acumen."
In January, Kay-Jelski revealed that Gabby Logan, Mark Chapman, and Kelly Cates were set to take on shared hosting responsibilities for Match of the Day, with a view to supporting Gary Lineker at next year's World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Article continues below
However, following a recent development as reported by The Sun, there's been a shift in plans. It is understood that Chapman, Logan, and Cates will now vie for the lead presenting position during the World Cup coverage.
An insider reportedly commented: "Now Gary's gone, there has to be a lead anchor for the World Cup coverage.
"Mark, Gabby and Kelly can definitely share the duties between them, but it will boil down to who gets the big games. For example, who will be taking the lead role on the final - which will be the game they all want to be the leading voice on."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Kate Nash showcases her sleazy side: best podcasts of the week
Kate Nash showcases her sleazy side: best podcasts of the week

The Guardian

time14 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Kate Nash showcases her sleazy side: best podcasts of the week

Dig out the American Apparel dress, liquid eyeliner and Wayfarer sunglasses – the late 00s' indie sleaze movement is being celebrated for all its messy glory. Kate Nash – an OG sleazer – hosts this nostalgic new series about the scene, speaking to the likes of the Cribs' Ryan and Gary Jarman, Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos and Razorlight's Johnny Borrell. It's enough to make you want to cut in a badly judged chunky fringe again. Hollie Richardson BBC Sounds, available from Monday 28 July This honest, conversational podcast breaks down taboos by talking to people about the loved ones they've lost. Host Jason Davidson is a social worker and in the latest episode Michael Palin (pictured right) talks to him about trying to come to terms with his wife's death – and why he feels it almost impossible to say 'I' instead of 'we'. It's a thoughtful look at his grief. Alexi Duggins Widely available, episodes weekly This enjoyably chatty look at the everyday products we take for granted combines history with product design. It opens with a look at the 'fabulous innovation' of the tin opener, running from how it wasn't created until 100 years after food tins were invented to its potential future: a luxury item, like 'the craft beer' of can-opening. AD Widely available, episodes weekly Keir Starmer may be in power now (and enjoying varying levels of success, depending on your views), but what of the Labour leaders of old? Izzy Conn of the University of London digs deep into the red team in this comprehensive pod, which begins after the second world war with Clement Attlee and the beginnings of the welfare state. Hannah J Davies Widely available, episodes weekly Sign up to What's On Get the best TV reviews, news and features in your inbox every Monday after newsletter promotion Widely available, episodes weekly This new podcast from Tortoise Investigates is about mothers who – like Australia's Kathleen Folbigg, whose case sets off this series – have been accused of murdering their children, and whether the experts are always right. The content is highly charged, but the questions it poses around the use of statistics in a court of law feel vital. HJD Widely available, episodes weekly

England needed the ultimate team performance to beat world champions
England needed the ultimate team performance to beat world champions

The Guardian

timean hour ago

  • The Guardian

England needed the ultimate team performance to beat world champions

It is a sight we have never seen, a senior England football team hoisting a major trophy in overseas air, an unparalleled away-from-home achievement, history made in Basel. And then there was the blissful soundtrack that accompanied it. That sweet, glorious sound of We Are The Champions being sung abroad by England and their supporters, Sarina Wiegman conducting everyone with her waving arms, and every England player and staff member belting out Queen's words. Wiegman is this sport's undisputed queen of coaching, winning this silverware three times in a row, and now the first England manager to successfully defend a trophy. The Dutchwoman is the greatest signing the Football Association has made. What this win was defined by, though, was a 'team', and on Sunday they produced the ultimate team performance to beat the world's best. The phrase these Lionesses players have been repeating since February, to describe the way they want to play, is 'proper England'. You could be forgiven for wondering: 'What does that mean?' Maybe they all love Yorkshire puddings, chips with curry sauce. Or maybe they are all really patient when queueing. Maybe they had a character-building evening together waiting for a delayed train from Euston station. What they do mean by that phrase can be summed up by their unwavering, never-say-die attitude, their refusal to give in, their endeavour. It is their banter, too. It is Ella Toone joking on Friday about the chances of Michelle Agyemang getting 'papped while eating a pasty'. Football-wise, it is their ability to execute a gameplan to perfection. Even if the shootout had gone Spain's way, there would have been so many aspects to this England performance for the nation to be proud of. Jess Carter, brought back into the starting XI a week after revealing she had been racially abused, was immense, winning duel after duel, courageous like no other, demonstrating her strength of character as well as the strength of her defending. Alongside her, Leah Williamson produced her best display of the tournament. This was the Williamson we had seen in the Champions League final, blocking cross after cross, timing her tackles well and reading the game to perfection with her positioning. Without the ball, the whole team worked tirelessly. For a short while, there was an understandable worry it might be in vain. At half-time, England fans who watch men's and women's football may have feared they were about to endure a near‑identical summer to that of 2024; watching a team saved by late goals in the knockout rounds, who sometimes could not click into gear but were boosted by game-changing substitutes who propelled them to the final, who would ultimately be beaten by a Spain side that were simply better. Not this time. This is not the same team. These are the Lionesses. These are – as Williamson suggested in a team meeting in 2019 – 'badass women'. This is a group of born winners who refuse to lose. They find a way. They always find a way. Chloe Kelly always finds a way to produce the inch-perfect cross. Alessia Russo who – like Williamson, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Beth Mead and Kelly, is now a club and European champion in the same summer – found the classy headed finish her excellent season for club and country had merited. Up against the most gifted set of players in the world, England required such intense levels of concentration defensively, for 120 minutes, and for all but one first-half moment, they found it. Alex Greenwood stood up to Vicky López. Lauren Hemp fought, terrier-like, on the wing. Georgia Stanway's tackles came crunching in. Spain just kept coming. The ball came back and back but England fought. Hannah Hampton's strong hands kept Clàudia Pina at bay. Importantly, it was the roles Khiara Keating, Anna Moorhouse, Maya Le Tissier and Wubben-Moy – none of whom played a minute of football in this tournament – that epitomised the unity in this team. None of them complaining, none of them causing any rifts in the camp. Le Tissier popped up to give Grace Clinton an energy gel before she went on in extra time. This is a real team. That spirit shows through the friends and families of the players, too, sitting directly behind the dugout, with Lucy Bronze's brother Jorge standing to urge the England fans to make more noise in extra time. The feeling was there in Agyemang, battling to win a late throw-in. It was Kelly's nerveless spot-kick that struck the net. As the song said: 'We'll keep on fighting 'til the end.' Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion The lyrics we have not heard much, in this fabulously well-run tournament in Switzerland, are 'football's coming home' by Three Lions. It has not been played through the stadium speakers after victories here. Perhaps that is fitting; it is too melancholy a tune for this team of winners. This team are rewriting how we perceive English football success. This trophy is not coming home, it is staying home.

Alex Jones had ‘no idea' about Jermaine Jenas complaints
Alex Jones had ‘no idea' about Jermaine Jenas complaints

The Herald Scotland

timean hour ago

  • The Herald Scotland

Alex Jones had ‘no idea' about Jermaine Jenas complaints

Before he was sacked in August, Jenas had been a regular pundit on sports programmes and a presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live. Alex Jones on Jermaine Jenas Jones, 48, who co-presented with Jenas on The One Show, told the Big Issue she did not know about the complaints until he had left. She said: 'I very much take people on face value. But with JJ [Jenas] I didn't know what was going on. 'I had no idea. I thought he was taking extended leave. Jermaine Jenas was sacked from the BBC. (Image PA)'The BBC didn't share with me what was going on until they actually dealt with it. And, you know, they did what they thought was right. 'If that was my daughter and she felt uncomfortable with someone's behaviour, I hope that whatever company she was working for would deal with it swiftly as well.' After being sacked from the BBC, Jenas apologised, saying he had done 'nothing illegal' and that 'inappropriate messages' sent were 'between two consenting adults'. Who is Jermaine Jenas's wife? Months later, Jenas' wife, Ellie Penfold, announced the couple had split up after 16 years together. In a statement on her Instagram story, Penfold said: 'I never imagined I would have to share something so personal with the public, but given the situation, I feel it's necessary. 'After 16 years together and 4 wonderful children, Jermaine and I have decided to part ways. 'We will remain friends and continue to co-parent.' Jenas returned to broadcasting on TalkSport radio in February after the outlet distanced itself from him in the wake of his departure from the BBC. Recommended Reading: It is not the first time Jones has had a co-presenter leave The One Show with Jason Manford, who joined the programme at the same time as her in August 2010, resigning only three months into the role for sharing sexual internet messages with female fans. Despite co-presenting on the show for a few months, Jones said she is still 'really good pals' with Manford. The full interview with Alex Jones can be read in this week's Big Issue, on sale now.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store