Gary Lineker winning an NTA after BBC sacked him is perfect

Wednesday 10 September was the National Television Awards, the star-studded glittering celebration of TV with a little less pomp and ceremony than the BAFTAs. Crucially, what makes the NTAs different to the BAFTAs is that instead of industry insiders voting for their mates, the NTAs are all voted for by the public. This means the results are nothing short of batshit and often an insight into the mood of the nation for all the wrong reasons, but this year saw something happen that many did not see coming. If there’s one thing that’s for certain about the NTAs, it’s that Ant and Dec are always going to win best TV presenter. This is because they have for the last twenty-three fucking years, at this point it’s the Ant and Dec award for best Ant and Dec, or so we thought. Enter Gary Lineker.

Public proves they don’t listen to ALL the MSM bile

The shock of the night was that despite it appearing that the general public had spent the last few months believing all the MSM bile, they knew what was right and fair. That’s right, instead of the beloved/ irritating as fuck Geordie duo winning again, the public voted for Gary Lineker as best presenter.

Despite months of a media smear campaign and him being branded an antisemite, the public saw sense and sent a clear message to the BBC about their decision to force Lineker out.

Gary was forced to leave the BBC sooner than planned in May, after he shared an Instagram post from the group Palestinian Lobby explaining Zionism, which included the rat. This was the ammo the BBC had wanted for a while after the presenter refused to stay silent on the genocide Israel is committing, as they claim it breached social media impartiality guidelines.

The BBC knew they couldn’t control Lineker

This wasn’t Gary Lineker’s first time speaking out against those in power. In 2023, he was suspended from presenting Match of the Day after he compared the way the then Tory government spoke about immigration to the rhetoric used in 1930s Germany. The suspension led to colleagues walking out in solidarity and refusing to present the show in his stead. It was bizarrely then broadcast without any commentary at all.

He’s also previously gotten in trouble for talking about sewage in rivers and seas, overseas political donations and calling out the government on more than one occasion.

In an interview that was published the same day as his suspension Lineker spoke about how important it was that people with a platform spoke up about atrocities. He told the telegraph

You either have empathy or you don’t. it’s more important now than ever before that people raise their voices, because we live in dangerous times. I’ll definitely continue pushing humanitarian issues”

Gary Lineker uses platform once again

Gary Lineker’s departure was met with outcry by fans and those with, as he said, empathy, but the BBC went into overdrive smearing him as an antisemite. That’s why it was a shock when he won.

Gary was as shocked as anyone. In his acceptance speech, he 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.

After thanking those who’ve helped him on his journey, he finished with this:

I think it demonstrates that perhaps it’s okay sometimes for us to use our platform to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice.

Whilst in fairness, that was a pretty wishy washy statement to make and not one that takes a huge stance, the right wing rags have decided he took “a huge swipe at BBC” (GB News).

Lineker winning this award shows that despite the government and MSM trying to turn the UK’s attention away from Gaza and against the Palestinian people who are being decimated by Israel, what we really value is someone who is prepared to risk their livelihood to do the right thing.

Featured image via the Canary