If this was an act of revenge, it was quite the killer blow. A little over a year after Gary Lineker was sacked by BBC bosses, wearied by his social media controversies, he’s been snapped up by bitter rival ITV. Last night he was given star billing as a ‘special guest’ on ITV’s World Cup programme beaming Germany’s match against Ivory Coast in Toronto.
Holding court in the swanky studio with its stunning backdrop of the Manhattan skyline, Lineker couldn’t have looked more at home.
While his presence alone might not have irritated his former bosses, what adds salt to the wound is that Lineker’s appearance comes as the Beeb’s coverage of the tournament is being lambasted not just by viewers and the football world, but by its own staff.
No wonder his actions have been described to me as ‘a further two fingers’. There’s a delicious irony, which has not been lost on Lineker, who hosted the BBC’s flagship Match of the Day for 25 years. Had he not been given his marching orders by the BBC in May last year, he would now be stuck in Salford hosting the tournament from a barren studio.
Instead Lineker, 65, is in New York presenting his podcast The Rest Is Football after signing a Netflix deal worth a reported £14million.
‘Gary adores a bit of a mischief,’ says my source. ‘He loves to poke fun and make a point.
‘And there was no better way to do it to the BBC than to appear on their biggest rival’s airwaves on a programme that is getting such great reviews while the BBC is being mocked and criticised.
‘It’s like he’s trolling his old employers. It’s hilarious.
Former BBC darling Gary Lineker appeared as a special guest during ITV’s coverage of the World Cup
Lineker co-hosts the hugely successful with fellow former players Alan Shearer and Micah Richards
One source said of Lineker’s ITV appearance: ‘It’s like he’s trolling his old employers. It’s hilarious’
‘It was a bit of a no-brainer for Gary. He’s in New York anyway and he has got a new ITV show too so he is very much part of their family now. Gary knows full well the column inches his appearance will get and it is very satisfying.’
Last night Lineker joined host Laura Woods and pundits Gary Neville, Ian Wright and Duncan Ferguson.
Lineker jokingly stepped in to do Laura’s job by introducing the programme, mocking his old role on the BBC. He said, ‘Thank you for joining us on ITV for another game, another channel’, before Laura stepped in to say: ‘Woah, woah, Gary, that’s my job.’
He replied: ‘Sorry, sorry, old habits.’ Laura then welcomed him to the ITV family.
Lineker then immediately got a mention for his Netflix show, before labouring the point that his studio is in Times Square. However, he added: ‘I desperately wanted to come and see your set, I think it’s amazing.’ In a dig at his old employers, he added: ‘I can confirm it’s real, what a backdrop.’
I’m told ITV were thrilled with Lineker’s appearance which helped them trounce the more affluent BBC who usually beat them in the ratings wars.
‘It’s just so hilariously funny that we got Gary to go on the show,’ says my insider at ITV. ‘Gary might be annoying to many. But he is a very good broadcaster and while they will never want to admit it, there are some at the BBC who know losing him has left a hole in their football coverage.
The only misstep the network has made so far was to put former Chelsea women’s manager Emma Hayes – now boss of the United States women’s team – in a kitchen-like area of the set to dispense her tactical analysis.
But the online mockery that followed won’t dampen spirits at ITV – not after attracting more than 15million to watch England beat Croatia 4-2 in their opening game.
‘There’s some real positive noise and energy around ITV and this World Cup, which is more than you can say for the BBC,’ says my snitch. ‘We all know Gary loves to be with the winners.’
My sources add that Lineker’s appearance is a neat way of demonstrating he’s now very much part of Team ITV. They have recently commissioned him for a game show, The Box, with many hoping it’s the first in a stream of ITV programmes.
When The Box airs this year, viewers will see celebrities packed in yellow boxes and sent to different locations where they face physical and mental challenges. At the end of each episode the two who fare worst face each other in a duel, with the loser eliminated. It’s no less fraught than Lineker’s ‘elimination’ from the BBC.
In May last year, bosses ousted him after he shared a video on Zionism online that included an anti-Semitic slur – something for which Lineker has apologised.
Initially he hoped to finish his time at the corporation on his own terms, leaving after this World Cup. But the online post was enough for BBC chiefs to force him out sooner.
At the forefront of Lineker’s unceremonious exit was the BBC’s director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski.
Sources tell me that, after growing tired of Lineker’s refusal to stay onside with his social media posts, Kay-Jelski refused to be strong-armed by the former England striker’s aggressive team who are known for driving hard bargains – and Kay-Jelski insisted he go. Watching Lineker swanning on to ITV last night will have niggled him.
It follows former Daily Mail sports journalist Kay-Jelski’s unpopular decision not to send his presenting line-up across the Atlantic until the quarter-finals, to save money.
Instead, he opted to introduce a new high-tech studio at the BBC’s Salford HQ, which uses a green screen to create fake backdrops of the 16 host cities.
Gabby Logan stepped into Lineker’s shoes as the BBC’s lead presenter alongside Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman.
The contrast between the Manhattan skyline of the ITV studio and Salford’s screen backdrops and fake pot plants couldn’t be starker – or leave the BBC more open to ridicule.
Add Lineker’s ITV appearance to that and it really is payback time for Gary.
