Gary Lineker and Graeme Souness have reunited for ITV’s new celebrity gameshow The Box, setting aside their long-running disagreements over football and politics to work on the programme.
The former footballing rivals appeared together at the show’s launch in London on Saturday, ahead of its debut on ITV1 and ITVX on September 5.
Lineker and Souness were once opponents on the pitch before becoming familiar faces in football broadcasting. In recent years, however, they have occasionally clashed over their differing views, including arguments about political expression and the responsibilities of high-profile broadcasters.
The pair have now been brought together as part of a ten-strong celebrity cast competing in a series of unusual challenges. Souness reportedly joked that he had wanted to “smash” Lineker during filming, while Lineker responded by referring to a tackle between them at Anfield in 1981.
Hosted by the former Match of the Day presenter, The Box places contestants inside yellow boxes before transporting them to mystery locations around the country. They are given little or no information about the challenge awaiting them when the doors open.
The contestants face physical, mental and logical tests, with two players eventually competing in a head-to-head Duel at the end of each episode to avoid elimination.
Joining Souness in the cast are Joey Essex, John Bercow, Jenny Ryan, JB Gill, Danny Aarons, Ranvir Singh, Sara Davies, Ellie Taylor and Shakira Khan.
The programme marks one of Lineker’s first major television roles since he left the BBC in 2025 after 26 years presenting Match of the Day. ITV previously described the format as an unpredictable competition designed to test how celebrities cope when they are given no idea what lies ahead.
