Will Gary Lineker please take the BBC with him when he goes?

They think it’s all over … well, it is now. We’ve had false alarms about Gary Lineker leaving the BBC before, and several yellow cards have been flashed. But this time – following his reposting of a video about Israel featuring a rat emoji – the ref has finally blown the whistle and pulled out the red. Lineker is to leave the BBC, ‘stepping back’ at long last. 

The BBC’s attitude towards what the ‘creative sector’ calls ‘talent’ – in plain language, the attitude of showbiz to its stars – is once again on full display. It begins to look like a pattern; the Beeb lumbers itself with a powerful, popular figure it cannot control – Russell Brand, Huw Edwards – and clings on to them beyond all limit of sense. If they’re lucky, the concerning behaviour is exposed only years, even decades later, as in the cases of Brand, Jimmy Savile or Martin Bashir.