Gary Lineker is ready to make his TV comeback three months after his dramatic BBC exit in Might.
The previous England striker was pressured to step again from his function on the helm of Match of the Day after sharing a video on Instagram which sparked accusations of antisemitism.
Lineker shared a pro-Palestinian video on his Instagram account depicting a rat emoji – a commonly-used antisemitic trope.
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The 64-year-old then deleted the publish and issued an apology, however determined to go away his £1.35million-a-year function after he stated he was informed by BBC executives that it was a "stop or be quitted" state of affairs.
Nevertheless, Lineker is ready to return to screens presenting a brand new ITV Saturday night time present.
He will probably be fronting a model new programmed referred to as The Field, primarily based on a Norwegian present which sees a gaggle of a dozen celebrities full difficult duties whereas trapped inside a field.
ITV bosses are stated to be hopeful that the brand new present will fill the void left by Ant and Dec's Saturday Night time Takeaway, which was hooked from programming in 2024.
After The Field's recognition with audiences in Norway, the present's rights have been shortly bought in Denmark and Norway, a supply knowledgeable The Solar.
The supply stated: “ITV are actually enthusiastic about it – and imagine they’ve lastly discovered a worthy successor to Saturday Night time Takeaway.
“They’ve lengthy been sniffing round Gary and simply wanted to seek out the fitting format for him.
“They’re assured they’ve discovered that now, and the BBC’s loss is their achieve.”
The present has been described as a cross between SAS: Who Dares Wins and I'm A Superstar Get Me Out Of Right here.
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Lineker's time on the BBC was not wanting controversy – notably lately.
Two years in the past, Lineker in contrast the then-Conservative Authorities's migration coverage to that of Nazi Germany on social media, clashing with impartiality tips enshrined within the BBC's Constitution.
He was subsequently suspended, which prompted colleagues Alan Shearer and Ian Wright to step again from their roles on Match of the Day.
Following talks with BBC director-general Tim Davie, Lineker was reinstated to his place.
The daddy-of-three had reportedly been planning to go away Match of the Day on the finish of the 2025/26 Premier League season and step down from broadcasting altogether after the World Cup subsequent yr.
The termination of his profitable contract on the public broadcaster included the BBC's licensing deal for his podcasts The Relaxation is Soccer and The Relaxation is Historical past.
Lineker's new The Field present has been a sensation in Scandinavia, with greater than 1,000,000 individuals tuning in to the programme – a fifth of the county's inhabitants.
It’s rumoured that filming for the present will begin in autumn, with the present's premiere set to hit the screens within the early springtime.