Latest news with #The Box
BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Gary Lineker ‘can't wait' to host new ITV show The Box after BBC exit
Former Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker is to present a new ITV game show after his exit from the BBC. The former footballer, 64, who left the BBC One sports show in May, said he was excited and 'can't wait' to host The Box. Advertisement In the show, 10 yellow boxes house a celebrity contestant who will be transported to unknown locations, before being released to face whatever game awaits on the other side of the door. Each week two players will face The Duel, a finale in which the loser leaves the competition for good. Lineker, who had presented Match Of The Day since 1999, said an emotional goodbye in an early departure from the broadcaster on May 26th. It followed a social media row after he shared a post about Zionism, which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic insult. Advertisement Gary Lineker (Ian West/PA) Lineker, who was the BBC's highest-paid presenter, issued an unreserved apology for the social media video he shared, which led to his early exit from the BBC. Lineker was due to host BBC Sport's coverage of the FA Cup in the 2025-26 season. Lineker said: 'I can't wait to host The Box. I've always felt right at home in the box on a football pitch and whilst this is a different proposition, the fundamentals are similar. 'The contestants will have to quickly and masterfully work out how each game works, whilst also trying to get ahead of the competition to take control. Advertisement 'It's going to be unpredictable and thrilling to watch, and I'm excited that I get to have a front row seat to all the action.' Katie Rawcliffe, director of entertainment, reality and daytime commissioning at ITV, said: 'Gary is the perfect fit for The Box, an entertaining, exhilarating and immersive new format.' Dan Adamson, chief content officer at production company Twofour, added: 'We're delighted to be making The Box with ITV and Seefood TV. 'From the first time we saw those iconic yellow boxes open in an incredible location we were hooked. Now, with Gary on board, we have the ideal master of ceremonies to make this real event telly, he is after all a man who knows what it's like under pressure in the box. Advertisement 'He's sure to raise the competitive spirit as our cast bursts out of those boxes, into unknown, ambitious and spectacular challenges.' The Box was first launched on TV2 in Norway in January this year. ITV's version of the show will be filmed in the UK later this year and air in 2026. Lineker also co-hosts The Rest Is Football podcast, which moved to internet sports streaming platform DAZN after he left the BBC. Advertisement
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Gary Lineker's star-studded new ITV game show confirmed as he leaves BBC in the dust after Match Of The Day anti-semitism row
Gary Lineker's brand new ITV game show has officially been confirmed on Friday after his departure from Match Of The Day - and the host says he 'feels right at home'. Lineker, 64, departed the BBC earlier this year following an anti-semitism row, bringing his decades long career at the broadcaster to an abrupt end. The former footballer will remain on TV, hosting ITV's brand new big budget game show The Box, bringing Gary back to his roots. Each episode will see 10 celebrities behind boxes, with the famous faces being released in unknown locations and tasked with playing a game that awaits them there. Bosses have confirmed filming will take place later this year, with the new series making its debut in 2026. Speaking about the new show, Gary said: 'I can't wait to host The Box. I've always felt right at home in the box on a football pitch and whilst this is a different proposition, the fundamentals are similar. 'The contestants will have to quickly and masterfully work out how each game works, whilst also trying to get ahead of the competition to take control. 'It's going to be unpredictable and thrilling to watch, and I'm excited that I get to have a front row seat to all the action!' Katie Rawcliffe, Director of Entertainment, Reality & Daytime Commissioning ITV said: 'Gary is the perfect fit for The Box, an entertaining, exhilarating and immersive new format.' Back in May Gary welled up as he delivered his final Match of the Day speech, thanking viewers for their 'love and support' and sending a message to his successors. The presenter was visibly moved by a seven-minute tribute featuring the likes of Pep Guardiola, Virgil van Dijk, Ian Wright, and even Andrea Bocelli. Lineker hosted his final BBC show and hinted at the start that it 'wasn't meant to end this way' after being axed amid an antisemitism row. He was axed after sharing a pro-Palestine Instagram video which featured an emoji of a rat, with critics accusing him of promoting a familiar anti-Semitic slur. He later apologised. At the end of his last show, wrapping up his £1.4million gig, he paid tribute to the wider team, saying: 'Let me take the opportunity to thank all the other pundits I've had the pleasure of working with over the last 25 years. Lineker hosted his final BBC show and hinted at the start that it 'wasn't meant to end this way' after being axed amid an antisemitism row 'You've made my job so much easier. 'It's been an absolute privilege to host Match of the Day for a quarter of a century. 'It's been utterly joyous. 'I'd like to wish Gabby (Logan), Mark (Chapman), and Kelly (Cates) all the best when they sit in the chair. 'The programme is in the best of hands. 'My final thank you goes to all of you. Thank you for watching. Thank you for all your love and support over the years. It's been so special. I'm sorry that your team was always on last. Time to say goodbye.' Lineker confirmed his departure from the corporation earlier that month. He 'apologised unreservedly' for his actions, saying he was unaware of the meaning of the symbol and added: 'I would never consciously repost anything anti-Semitic – it goes against everything I stand for'. He said that stepping down from his role with the BBC - where he was once the highest paid star - was 'the responsible course of action'.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How much does Gary Lineker earn? Presenter to host new ITV gameshow
The former Match of the Day presenter will host ITV's The Box. Gary Lineker will host a new game show on ITV following his departure from the BBC, the broadcaster has confirmed. Lineker will host The Box on ITV, which will see celebrity contestants "transported to unknown locations, before being released to face whatever game awaits on the other side of the door." The former Match of the Day presenter will host the show, which was originally launched on TV2 in Norway earlier this year. "The contestants will have to quickly and masterfully work out how each game works, whilst also trying to get ahead of the competition to take control," Lineker said. "It's going to be unpredictable and thrilling to watch." Lineker had been rumoured as the new host of the show for some time, after The Sun originally reported ITV bosses were trying to sign him. The Sun claimed ITV had hoped Lineker's presence would fill the gap left by Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, which ended its successful run in 2024. The 64-year-old left the BBC in May – earlier than had been planned – following a post about Zionism which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic insult, which he apologised for. Lineker was the BBC's highest-paid broadcaster for nearly a decade, while his podcast empire, which includes The Rest Is Football, forms a key part of his business ventures away from his television presenting duties, as Yahoo News UK explains. What businesses does Gary Lineker own? Lineker is the owner of a podcasting empire, in the form of Goalhanger Podcasts, responsible for shows such as The Rest Is History, The Rest Is Politics, The Rest Is Entertainment and The Rest Is Football, which Lineker himself presents with BBC pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards. Goalhanger was founded seven years ago by Lineker and former TV and radio executives Tony Pastor and Jack Davenport, and says its 12 podcasts collectively have more than 40 million downloads a month. The most popular is The Rest Is History, fronted by historians and authors Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook, which regularly tops various UK podcast charts on different providers and has a live touring show. Its popularity is such that it has become an international success and has a large audience in the US. Not far behind it is The Rest Is Politics, presented by former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell and ex-Tory minister Rory Stewart, which has more than two million listens each week and was recently broadcast live to about 13,000 people at London's O2 Arena. The Rest Is Football, hosted by Lineker, was a huge success during the men's 2024 Euros tournament, podcasting daily and amassing almost 20 million downloads, but caused controversy with one episode in which Lineker described an England performance as "s**t". Currently available on services such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible and Amazon Music, The Rest Is Football moved from the BBC to British internet sports streaming platform DAZN following Lineker's BBC exit. Lineker also has his own production company, Goalhanger Films, established over 10 years ago, which has produced programmes on ex-footballer Wayne Rooney and boxer Anthony Joshua, and is working on a show for Amazon about former tennis star Serena Williams. Lineker has also been an angel investor for a number of start-ups, backing insurance firms Neos and Ingenie in the past. Lineker also remains an ambassador for Walkers' crisps, having signed a three-year contract extension in 2023 – his first advert appearance for the snack was broadcast in 1995. How much money does Lineker make? Lineker has a reported net worth of about £30m, with the BBC saying in its latest annual report in July that he earned between £1,350,000 and £1,354,999 a year – the same as he made in 2024. He agreed to a pay cut in 2020 as part of a five-year contract, having previously been paid about £1.75m a year. The Times reported in June 2024 that he made more than £125,000 in the first two weeks of last year's Euros from his The Rest Is Football podcast. The newspaper said Goalhanger's accounts, for the 12 months to May 2023, showed its capital and reserves had almost trebled to £591,000, but that this figure was likely to be substantially surpassed when its total is calculated for the year that followed. The previous three-year contract he signed with Walkers Crisps, in 2020, was worth £1.2m. What do Gary Lineker's sons do for a living? Lineker has four sons with his first wife, Michelle Cockayne, who he married in 1986. His eldest son, George, is the co-founder of telecoms start-up Your Business Number, which lets customers pay for a virtual phone number used to contact clients through WhatsApp business, without the need for an extra phone line. In 2022, it was valued at £5.5m. Lineker's second oldest son, Harry, works as a producer at his father's production company, Goalhanger Films. Lineker's other sons, Tobias and Angus, are a DJ and business development manager respectively.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
England icon Gary Lineker lands huge new hosting job at ITV after controversial BBC departure
Lineker left job BBC in May Now landed new role with rival broadcaster Will front Saturday night game show Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 WHAT HAPPENED? Lineker is set to present a new game show on ITV called The Box, according to The Sun. The new show will be broadcast on Saturday evenings and is expected to replace Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. The show is based on a popular Norwegian programme and involves 12 celebrities undertaking challenges while inside a box. THE BIGGER PICTURE The former England star confirmed he was quitting the BBC back in May amid more controversy after a social media post about Zionism that included an illustration of a rat, considering to be an anti-Semitic insult. He has previously revealed he had received death threats after retweeting a social media post calling for Israel to be banned from football events and was also temporarily suspended from his role as Match of the Day presenter in 2023 after criticising the government's immigration policy. WHAT HAS BEEN SAID A source has told fans what to expect from Lineker's new show, via The Sun: "The Box is massive in Norway, and the rights were quickly sold to Denmark and now the UK. ITV are really excited about it - and believe they have finally found a worthy successor to Saturday Night Takeaway. They have long been sniffing around Gary and just needed to find the right format for him. They're confident they've found that now, and the BBC's loss is their gain.' WHAT NEXT FOR LINEKER? The Box is scheduled to start filming later this year and is currently slated to be broadcast in 2026. An insider told The Sun: "The scheduling hasn't yet been confirmed but filming takes place in the autumn, and the series is due to air early spring. It looks likely to get a Saturday night slot though, but obviously it's all still to play for."
