Gary Lineker’s ITV gameshow debut ripped apart by critics as The Box branded ‘moronic’
Gary Lineker’s debut as host of new game show The Box has been met with a flood of scathing criticism from television reviewers.
The programme, which first aired on Saturday evening, was labelled “moronic,” “inane” and “spectacularly ill-conceived” in a series of brutal assessments.
The Daily Mail’s Christopher Stevens awarded the show zero stars, while The Independent gave it just two out of five.
Even The Guardian, which offered a comparatively generous three stars, described the format as a “sustained howl of existential confusion.”
Gary Lineker has faced a brutal wave of reviews following the first episode of his new ITV show
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ITV
The reaction marks an awkward start to Mr Lineker’s post-Match of the Day career.
The format sees a roster of ten famous faces deposited into unknown locations whilst sealed inside boxes, before emerging to tackle a variety of challenges with minimal guidance.
Among the celebrity contestants are The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) personality Joey Essex, Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh, and former Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow.
The show’s official description promises celebrities “plunged into the unknown while enclosed in a box” who then “emerge in mystery locations to face their fears in tricky challenges.”
TOWIE star Joey Essex was among the famous faces to feature in ITV’s The Box
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ITV
The Guardian’s Sarah Dempster captured the programme’s chaotic tone, describing it as “a gameshow that scoffs in the face of convention yet seems bewildered by the bedlam that such showmanship inevitably unleashes. A gameshow in which John Bercow bellows ‘Orderrrrrr!’ while showing us his nipples.”
Mr Stevens was unsparing in his assessment, declaring the programme “spectacularly ill-conceived, tasteless, moronic, dull and infantile.”
He noted that “the Boy Lineker hung around on the edges with nothing to do but shout vague instructions through a megaphone. He had no jokes, no patter, no personality and no reason to be there.”
The Independent’s Katie Rosseinsky, awarding two stars, questioned why Mr Lineker would select this vehicle for his return to primetime.
The Box made its ITV debut over the weekend
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ITV
“Lineker is a likeable host, but he might have been more selective for his first post-MOTD foray into primetime,” she wrote, asking simply: “What was he thinking?”
Ms Dempster at The Guardian was marginally kinder with three stars but still characterised the entire affair as bewildering rather than entertaining.
Mr Lineker departed Match of the Day, which he had fronted from 1999 to 2025, amid controversy after sharing a post about Zionism featuring an illustration of a rat, imagery with longstanding antisemitic connotations.
Before the programme aired, the former England striker had expressed enthusiasm about his new venture.
“It’s different, it’s something I’ve never done before, which appealed to me, alongside the unique nature of the concept,” he said. “It’s fun, it’s family friendly and it’s great primetime telly. What’s not to like?”
He also drew a parallel with his footballing past: “I’ve always felt right at home in the box on a football pitch and whilst this is a different proposition, the fundamentals are similar.”
Beyond The Box, Mr Lineker has secured a Netflix deal for The Rest is Football, a streaming series that grew out of his Goalhanger podcast during the 2026 World Cup and has since returned for the new Premier League campaign.
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