Gary Lineker unceremoniously quit the BBC earlier in the summer, and had hinted at never coming back, but his latest foray would have seen him make a classic comeback
Gary Lineker will not be appearing on the BBC this Christmas(Image: The FA via Getty Images)
Plans to have Gary Lineker back on the BBC this Christmas have been canned by bosses. The former Match of the Day presenter filmed a cameo for the new celebrity version of The Apprentice, but it won’t be aired.
Stars taking part in the series were tasked with raising cash for charity and called on their famous mates to boost the total. In a major coup, one of them got ex England striker Gary on a video call to ask for his support.
But the footage has been left on the cutting room floor due to time constraints. Producers decided to feature stars including 90s chart-topper Craig David and actress Olivia Colman instead.
Gary Lineker’s plans to come back to the BBC have been scuppered due to time constraints(Image: Getty Images for the NTA’s)
A show insider said: “A lot of celebrities filmed cameos, so not all of videos could be aired. Gary might be disappointed, but he knows how TV works, so he’ll understand.”
Show boss Lord Sugar has praised all the stars who agreed to be part of the series, which will kick off on December 29 on BBC One. He said: “I was impressed that the candidates managed to pull these people in; they’re top names.
“To get those people in was great. You normally expect to pick up the phone to one of these top celebrities and they say, ‘No, not really’.
“But they were charitable. I want to thank them for joining in and making the programme what it is.”
He was set to go up against Lord Sugar in a celebrity version of The Apprentice(Image: Getty Images for the NTA’s)
Gary quit the BBC in the summer including his long-running presenting gig on MOTD. After leaving, he told the Daily Star he plans to avoid the corporation for good.
He said: “Would I work with the BBC again? I really don’t know.
“I’m not so sure,” he explained. “At the moment, I’m really excited about working with ITV and I’ve got a podcast business that I have to run.”
It comes as he lands a huge Netflix deal that will see him rake in the cash(Image: PA)
Gary’s podcast has been able to rake in the cash, after he was able to bag an “extraordinarily lucrative” deal with Netflix. After intense negotiations with the streaming giant, his The Rest Is Football podcast is now set to be available to listen to on Netflix in time for the World Cup next year, set to be held across North America.
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