Been there done that: some thoughts on the Gary Lineker affair.

The football presenter is now so powerful he's all but cancelled the BBC. But is he on-side?

As a former BBC TV presenter, and a target of cancel culture myself, I feel qualified to give my tuppence-worth on the  Lineker affair.  I’m glad that the Free Speech Union, of which I am a member and advisor has offered support to the Match of the Day pundit, though I am not sure he will welcome it.  Like most of media elite he probably regards the FSU as a right wing organisation.

Lineker is a celebrity megastar with immense wealth and, effectively, his own broadcasting organisation in the shape of his media empire “Goalhanger”, which produces podcasts like The Rest Is History and films about the beautiful game.  He is arguably bigger than the BBC. 

Corporation bosses like the director general, Tim Davie, are now running round like headless chickens after they sent him to the subs bench on Friday.  There is even talk of heads rolling at the Beeb.  The staff are appalled at the mishandling of an affair that could have been straight out of the Armando Iannucci satire W1A.

Lineker has refused to retract his accusation that the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has been talking like a Nazi.  That placed hapless BBC bosses in a public service dilemma. Like any large organisation they place contractual limits on what employees or sub contractors can do or say.  Every presenter, not just those in news and current affairs, promise not to bring the BBC into disrepute. So did Lineker breach these broader guidelines? And anyway, what exactly is cancel culture?  Let’s find out.