Gary Lineker fights back tears as he says BBC should ‘hold its head in shame’

Gary Lineker has slammed the BBC for not airing a documentary on the doctors in Gaza less than six weeks after his 26-year run presenting Match of the Day came to an end in acrimonious circumstances

An emotional Gary Lineker says that the BBC should ‘hold its head in shame’ for refusing to air a documentary about doctors working amid the conflict in Gaza. Lineker, 64, left his role as host of Match of the Day in May, having presented the show for 26 years.

His departure came after he shared a social media post which included a rat emoji, an animal historically used to represent Jews in antisemitic propaganda. Lineker deleted the post and issued multiple apologies but the decision was made for him to leave the BBC altogether a year earlier than planned.

Now the former England striker has hit out at the broadcaster over a documentary which they refused to air over impartiality concerns, resulting in backlash. ‘Gaza: Doctors Under Attack’ was commissioned and paid for by the BBC as the bloody Israel-Gaza conflict continues.

According to the Independent, it was given six different transmission dates across January and February but its premiere kept getting pushed back. Now Channel 4 has the rights to the documentary which was made by Basement Films.

At a screening on Thursday evening, Lineker gave his reaction while holding back tears. “One of the most important films I’ve ever seen, certainly the most moving. I might need a minute here,” he told the audience.

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“It needed to be seen. It really did need to be seen. I think everyone would agree with that. I think the BBC should hold its head in shame.

“I’ve worked for the corporation for 30 years; to see the way it’s declined in the last year or two has been devastating really. I’ve defended it and defended it against claims that it is partial.”

He added: “It talks about impartiality all the time. The truth is at the moment, at the very top of the BBC, not the BBC all over, because as you know there are thousands and thousands of people who work at the BBC that are good people that understand what is going on here and can see it.

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“We’re seeing it on our phones everyday. The problem is they’re bowing to pressure from the top and this is a worry. I think the time is coming where a lot of people are going to be answerable to this and complicity is something that will come to many.”

On June 20, the BBC explained its decision to not air the documentary, saying: “For some weeks, the BBC has been working with Basement Films to find a way to tell the stories of these doctors on our platforms.

“Yesterday, it became apparent that we have reached the end of the road with these discussions. We have come to the conclusion that broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC.”

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