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Gary Lineker has hit out at the BBC, claiming the corporation should “hold their heads in shame” for refusing to air the controversial documentary Gaza: Doctors Under Attack.
The outspoken presenter, 64, made the remarks at a London screening of the film on Thursday evening, just weeks after officially stepping down from his long-running role on Match of the Day.
The documentary, produced by independent company Basement Films and originally commissioned by the BBC, examines the devastating toll of Israeli military operations on Gaza’s healthcare system. Despite being made under the BBC’s watch, the broadcaster announced last month that it would not air the programme themselves, citing concerns about “creating a perception of partiality.” Channel 4 eventually picked up the rights and broadcast the film earlier this week.
Speaking on stage at the screening, Lineker described the programme as “one of the most important and moving films I’ve ever seen,” adding: “It needed to be seen. It really did need to be seen.”
But the former England striker saved his strongest words for his former employer.
“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,” he said.
Lineker went on to suggest that senior figures at the BBC were “bowing to pressure from the top,” describing it as a “worry” and warning that “complicity is something that will come to many.”
The BBC responded by pointing to its ongoing reporting on Gaza, saying it has delivered “powerful coverage” of the conflict, including award-winning documentaries, investigations into attacks on hospitals, and in-depth reporting on the humanitarian crisis.
Lineker’s latest criticism comes after his own acrimonious exit from the BBC earlier this year, following a row over antisemitism after he reposted a controversial pro-Palestinian video that included offensive imagery. He apologised at the time, calling his departure “the responsible course of action” but reiterated his belief in standing up for what he feels is right.
With his trademark bluntness, Lineker’s comments have once again fuelled debate over the BBC’s impartiality and its handling of difficult international stories, and whether its decisions are truly independent of external pressures.
