This Morning viewers were hilariously left baffled by Mike Tindall and James Haskell's appearance on the show as they were put on the spot by Phillip Schofield. The former rugby stars appeared live on the ITV daytime show to chat with the presenter and his co-host Holly Willoughby about their upcoming podcast tour.
James, Mike and Alex Payne will be heading to arenas up and down the country to perform a live version of their hit podcast, The Good, the Bad and the Rugby, which will be coming off the back of this year’s Rugby World Cup in France and will have the theme of a World Cup After Party.
But it wasn't long before the pair were being drawn into the BBC and Gary Lineker impartiality row. It was revealed on Monday morning (March 13) that the former footballer-turned-presenter will be back fronting the broadcaster's footballer offering at the weekend after he 'stepped back' from hosting Match of the Day.
Director-General Tim Davie said he recognised “the potential confusion caused by the grey areas of the BBC’s social media guidance” following a "difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters, and most importantly, our audiences". Lineker thanked his fellow presenters and pundits for their “remarkable show of solidarity” after a number pulled out of BBC shows at the weekend when the former England striker was told to step back from hosting the show.
The 62-year-old was taken off air for a tweet comparing the language used to launch a new Government asylum seeker policy to that of 1930s Germany. Confirming Lineker would return to Match of the Day on Saturday, Mr Davie said the presenter "will abide by the editorial guidelines" until a review of the BBC’s social media policy is complete.
Appearing on This Morning, Phillip took the opportunity to bring up the subject to Mike and James, asking: "So should a sports presenter be able to tweet their own points of view?" The pair laughed as Mike said: "I like the way you've twisted that," as James said: "Oh I love that. A little Monday morning grenade. Thank you!"
James then went on to say that 'everyone is entitled to their perspective' but that you have to 'look at your role and what position you're in.' Mike added: "And people should just either respect it or disagree with it but it doesn't need to go nuclear all the time."
Meanwhile, This Morning viewers were distracted at seeing Mike and James on the show together.@vanessahodgesd tweeted: "I have just realised James Haskell and Mike Tindall are not the same person #ThisMorning."
@TraylorHolmes posted: "I always get James Haskell & Mike Tindall mixed up #ThisMorning." @MissLionHeart added: "Are James Haskell and Mike Tindall brothers - or twins? They look so damn similar #ThisMorning."
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