UPDATE, August 8, 3.20am P.T.: ITV has confirmed Gary Lineker will current The Field, Twofour’s UK remake of the fast-selling Norwegian format.
The previous soccer star-turned-presenter mentioned in a press release: “I’ve at all times felt proper at residence within the field on a soccer pitch and while this can be a totally different proposition, the basics are comparable. The contestants must rapidly and masterfully work out how every sport works, while additionally attempting to get forward of the competitors to take management. It’s going to be unpredictable and thrilling to look at, and I’m excited that I get to have a entrance row seat to all of the motion.”
Katie Rawcliffe, Director of Leisure, Actuality & Daytime Commissioning at ITV, added: “Gary is the proper match for The Field, an entertaining, exhilarating and immersive new format.”
PREVIOUS, August 6, 2.28am P.T.: Following his exit from the BBC, Gary Lineker has discovered a brand new presenting UK gig.
We perceive the broadcaster has signed on to entrance ITV’s upcoming actuality present The Field, wherein contestants exit yellow bins in random places to compete in video games they know nothing about. The Solar was first to report the information.
Lineker’s exit from presenting the BBC’s flagship Premier League soccer highlights present Match of the Day was confirmed in November final yr, although he was nonetheless on account of current FA Cup and FIFA World Cup 2026 protection for the broadcaster. Nonetheless, after he shared a controversial submit that included an emoji many thought-about antisemitic earlier this yr, his exit was introduced ahead and he made his last look on the BBC in late Could.
Lineker apologized and mentioned he “would by no means consciously repost” an antisemitic trope, however having run into sizzling water a number of instances over his use of social media, he was duly dismissed. He had been the BBC’s highest-paid presenter for eight years on the time, with a final pay packet of £1.35M ($1.79M).
Since leaving the BBC, Lineker has stored a low profile moreover persevering with to seem on his podcast The Relaxation is Soccer, which he presents with Alan Shearer and Micah Richards. That present and others within the Relaxation is… franchise are produced by the previous England soccer participant’s manufacturing home, Goalhanger Movies.
Lineker has now signed as much as current The Field, which has been one of many fastest-selling codecs on the worldwide market over the previous yr.
Deadline has damaged a number of tales on worldwide offers for Norwegian format The Field, which was initially developed by Seefood TV for TV2. ITV swooped to land UK rights to the present in February, and we estimate there are a minimum of ten model of the present both on air or in manufacturing.
The format is amongst a spate of high-profile leisure exhibits equivalent to Vacation spot X and The Inheritance which have hit the market within the wake of The Traitors‘ success within the UK, the U.S. and different main territories.
We’ve reached out to ITV and Lineker’s reps for remark.
Paul Mortimer exit
Information of Lineker’s rent got here on the identical day ITV introduced Paul Mortimer, its long-serving Director of Actuality and Acquisitions, was stepping down.
He had joined ITV in 2012 as Controller of Digital Channels and went on to order the likes of Love Island and The Actual Housewives of Cheshire for ITV. The rebooted Love Island grew to become an enormous native hit and triggered an enormous spike in format offers for the ITV Studios present.
The previous Channel 4, Channel 5 and Discovery exec can be behind commissions equivalent to Love Island: All Stars, Massive Brother, The Fortune Resort, My Mum, Your Dad and The Summit.
He’ll exit on the finish of the yr after overseeing the most recent season of Massive Brother. The truth slate and future actuality commissions will then transfer throughout to Katie Rawcliffe, who turns into Director of Leisure, Actuality and Daytime from September. Commissioning Editor Amanda Stavri, who oversees the likes of Love Island and TOWIE, will transfer into Rawcliffe’s crew.
ITV’s Content material Acquisitions crew will report into Craig Morris, who turns into Director of Channels, ITVX and Acquisitions. ITV is presently searching for a Head of Acquisitions to switch Sasha Breslau, who is ready to maneuver to HBO Max. The brand new recruit will report back to Craig.
“It’s been such a fantastic pleasure to have spent so lengthy at ITV, working with some nice folks and having been given so many alternatives, each creatively and in any other case,” mentioned Mortimer. “I arrived with a mission to enhance rankings amongst youthful audiences and Love Island was an enormous a part of that. I’m subsequently more than happy to see it nonetheless going strong- with the most recent sequence rising its viewers yr on yr. Extra not too long ago, with a proficient crew of actuality commissioners, we’ve landed some huge hits on ITV1, ITV2 and ITVX with extra coming down the road.
“Overseeing content material acquisitions, I’ve labored with all the massive U.S. Studios and distributors and been fortunate sufficient to journey with some great colleagues to markets and occasions world wide.”
