Former Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker was flanked by a number of celebrities including TV personality Joey Essex and Dragon’s Den star Sara Davies ahead of the debut of his new game show.
The former England footballer, 65, will front ITV’s The Box, in which 10 celebrity contestants are plunged into the unknown as they arrive at mystery locations in an enclosed box before facing a series of challenges.
At the end of each episode, the last two contestants standing must face off in The Duel, a high-stakes challenge to determine who will leave the competition and who stays on.
Reality TV star Essex was among the stars who joined Lineker at the photocall in central London along with JLS singer JB Gill.
Love Island star Shakira Khan, who was runner-up on the dating reality TV show in 2025, also smiled for photographs in a summery butter yellow halterneck top with a blue flowy midi skirt.
Others who joined the event and will compete in the series debut include The Chase star Jenny Ryan, former Scotland football player Graeme Souness and comedian Ellie Taylor, who wore a yellow embroidered mini dress featuring short puff sleeves and a bow-accented bodice.
Dragon’s Den star Davies will also appear on the game show and posed for photographs in a bright orange summer dress.
She was joined by YouTuber Danny Aarons and Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh.
Former speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow will also appear on the series but was not at the photocall.
Lineker presented the BBC’s Match Of The Day from 1999 and fronted the BBC’s coverage of other major sporting events, including the 2012 London Olympics.
He left the programme earlier than planned in May 2025 following a social media row after he shared a post about Zionism, which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic insult.
Lineker, the BBC’s highest-paid presenter, issued an unreserved apology over the post as it was confirmed he would leave his presenting role at the BBC early and would no longer front coverage of the 2026 World Cup or next season’s FA Cup.
The show has been adapted for UK audiences from the popular Norwegian TV show Boksen and will air later this year.
