By John Jones

Copyright walesonline

Four months on from his controversial exit from the BBC, Gary Lineker has started work on his new show with rivals ITV, with filming getting under way on Wednesday. The 64-year-old bowed out from hosting Match of the Day at the end of the last Premier League season, after 26 years at the helm. He had announced he would step down from the iconic show last year, but while it was initially planned for him to return to front the corporation”s 2026 World Cup coverage, and live FA Cup broadcasts, he left the BBC altogether after sparking controversy. Lineker’s time at the BBC came to a sudden end after he shared a post about Zionism on his Instagram account that included an illustration of a rat – which has historically been used as an anti-semitic insult. While he deleted the post and apologised, his position was deemed untenable in the eyes of his bosses, and he subsequently confirmed he would leave the corporation early. Despite his controversial exit, the former England striker was named Best TV Presenter at last week’s National Television Awards , ending Ant & Dec’s staggering 23-year run of scooping the prize . After breaking that formidable run, he was quizzed on where his future could now lie and revealed he has no plans to return to the BBC. “Would I work with the BBC again?,” said Lineker. “I really don’t know. I’m not so sure. At the moment, I’m really excited about working with ITV and I’ve got a podcast business that I have to run. “I’m still watching loads of football. I’m still doing the same thing,” he added. “I have watched Match of the Day since I left, of course. I never miss it. I’ll always love it.” With his BBC exit now behind him, Lineker is getting stuck in to his new role with ITV, having been named as the presenter of gameshow ‘The Box’ by the broadcaster last month . Based on a show in Norway, it will see the former footballer oversee 10 yellow boxes, each containing celebrity contestants who will be transported to different locations and take part in different games. Described by ITV as “an entertaining, exhilarating and immersive new format,” filming on the show began in the UK on Wednesday, and will last for the next three weeks. Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker was tight-lipped over the specifics of the show but revealed the filming schedule meant he would be missing this week’s European football clashes. “I can’t go because I’m starting filming for my new show, ‘The Box’, starting Wednesday,” he told co-host Alan Shearer. “Three weeks of filming, I can’t give too much away, I don’t know what I can and can’t say. “I think (the show will be out) in the spring, early next year, but we’re going to record over the next three weeks. I’m looking forward to it actually, it should be a lot of fun. Some good guests, which I can’t say, not at the moment. “Oh dear, could you imagine what would happen if I gave the game away? I’d be in the dog house before it even started.” It comes after Lineker defended using his platform to “speak up on behalf of those who have no voice” during his awards speech at the NTAs. After poking fun at Ant and Dec, the presenter paid tribute to his former colleagues at the BBC and said. “It’s not lost on me why I might have won this award, aside from presenting Match Of The Day , the most iconic football show on television for 26 years. “There are so many amazing people that I’ve worked with both in front of the camera and behind the camera over that period of time. I want to say a massive thank you to each and every one of them, because I wouldn’t be here now receiving this award if it wasn’t for them. “Also… I think it demonstrates that perhaps it’s OK sometimes for us to use our platform to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice. Thank you, it means the world.”