Gary Lineker's new game show, "The Box," has faced a harsh reception from critics since its premiere. Reviewers have widely criticized the program, labeling it "moronic," "inane," and "spectacularly ill-conceived."
The show features ten celebrities, including Joey Essex, Ranvir Singh, and John Bercow, who are placed in various mystery locations and tasked with completing challenges with minimal instructions. The official synopsis describes the format as celebrities "plunged into the unknown while enclosed in a box" to "face their fears in tricky challenges."
Christopher Stevens of The Daily Mail awarded the show zero stars, stating it was "tasteless, moronic, dull and infantile." He further commented on Lineker's on-screen presence, writing that the host "hung around on the edges with nothing to do but shout vague instructions through a megaphone" and lacked "jokes, patter, personality and… reason to be there."
The Independent's Katie Rosseinsky gave "The Box" two stars, questioning Lineker's choice of this program as his first major outing following his departure from "Match of the Day." She described the show as "scattershot" and "confounding," noting a lack of narrative, stakes, and momentum, and found the challenges "slight and forgettable."
Even The Guardian, which offered a more lenient three-star rating, characterized the show as a "sustained howl of existential confusion." Reviewer Sarah Dempster observed that the program "scoffs in the face of convention yet seems bewildered by the bedlam that such showmanship inevitably unleashes."
Lineker, who hosted "Match of the Day" from 1999 to 2025, departed the program amidst controversy following a social media post. "The Box" represents his latest television venture, alongside his Netflix series "The Rest is Football."
Prior to the show's release, Lineker expressed enthusiasm for the new format, calling it "different" and "something I've never done before." He anticipated that the show would be "fun, family friendly and great primetime telly." He also drew parallels between hosting "The Box" and his football career, stating, "I've always felt right at home in the box on a football pitch and whilst this is a different proposition, the fundamentals are similar."