Gary Lineker up for TV award despite anti-Semitism scandal

Gary Lineker has been shortlisted for the National Television Award for Best TV Presenter months after his exit from the BBC amid an anti-Semitism scandal.

The former footballer and Match Of The Day host will face off against Ant and Dec, who have won the prize for 23 years in a row.

In May, Lineker exited the BBC’s flagship football show early following a row after he shared a pro-Palestinian video which featured a rat emoji, which is historically an anti-Semitic insult.

He apologised over the social media post, as it was confirmed he would leave his presenting role at the BBC early and would no longer front coverage of the 2026 World Cup or next season’s FA Cup.

Earlier this month, it was announced that he has signed up to present a new ITV game show called The Box, which will be filmed in the UK later this year and air in 2026.

Lineker and Ant and Dec will compete for the TV Presenter prize against Alison Hammond, best known for her appearances on This Morning and The Great British Bake Off; Claudia Winkleman, host of The Traitors and Strictly Come Dancing; and Stacey Solomon, the Sort Your Life Out presenter.

Adolescence up for two awards

The awards will be hosted by Joel Dommett at The O2 in London on Sept 10, where Adolescence actors Owen Cooper and Stephen Graham, who played a father and son on-screen, will go head-to-head for the Drama Performance prize.

They will compete against Tom Hardy, who starred in crime drama MobLand, and Rose Ayling-Ellis for her performance as a lip-reader called in to aid police in the thriller Code of Silence, while Brenda Blethyn is recognised for her final case as the eponymous detective in Vera.

Adolescence, the Netflix drama about a teenage boy who is arrested for murdering a classmate, is also in the running for the New Drama prize. Also nominated are the adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals, the gangster saga MobLand, Code Of Silence and the cryptic comedy drama Ludwig.

The eagerly anticipated TV return of Gavin & Stacey at Christmas is shortlisted for the Comedy prize, competing against stalwart Mrs Brown’s Boys, Brassic and Michael McIntyre’s 25th Year Stand-Up Special.

Flintoff, in which former cricket star Andrew Flintoff opened up about his life-changing Top Gear car crash, is shortlisted for the Authored Documentary prize.

The National Television Awards will be broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX from 8pm on September 10, with the final round of voting now open.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.