The Louis Theroux Podcast

Podbit · The Louis Theroux Podcast

S8 EP1: Gary Lineker on England’s losing streak, leaving the BBC, and his frosty relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo

Explore episode Jun 8, 2026

Where this was said

Taking Over from Des Lynam at Match of the Day

At 54:30 · chapter starts 52:20

Theroux frames Lineker's move into broadcasting as filling the iconic shoes of Des Lynam, noting many at the time were sceptical. Lineker explains his motivation: looking at cricket with David Gower and tennis with Sue Barker, he noticed sports used former elite practitioners as presenters and thought football could do the same. He'd been presenting Football Focus for a couple of years when, driving into White City for a production meeting in 1999, the car park attendant broke the news that Des Lynam had gone to ITV. Lineker describes himself as 'probably the only person in the country that was quite happy' — and immediately went to find out if the Match of the Day job was available. He acknowledges Lynam was genuinely useful to learn from during the period they overlapped.

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