Troy Deeney will present BBC football talent show Last Pundit Standing
Footballer-turned-pundit Troy Deeney will host the new BBC programme 'Last Pundit Standing', a talent show in the style of 'The X Factor' that will see football fanatics competing to become one of the corporation's sports contributors.
Troy Deeney is to host the new BBC show 'Last Pundit Standing'.
The 36-year-old footballer-turned-pundit will present a new talent show in the style of 'The X Factor' that will see 12 aspiring broadcasters put to the test, with the winner becoming one of the corporation's sport contributors.
Troy, who will be joined by co-host James Allcott, is quoted by The Sun's TVBiz column as saying: "I'm absolutely buzzing to co-host 'Last Pundit Standing'.
"There's something really special about the energy that surrounds an exciting new show like this.
"We're bringing together some amazing creators in incredible locations, with some huge special guests.
"I can't wait to dive in and have some fun over the series."
The seven-part series has not yet been given an air date but will feature 12 of Britain's most passionate football fans – who create content about the game on social media – who have been chosen to battle it out.
The programme will air on both BBC Three and BBC iPlayer.
Alex Kay-Jelski, BBC Director of Sport, said: "These are 12 of the brightest football creators out there, the future of the football media industry.
"Seeing who comes out on top and lands the job should make great viewing."
The BBC is set for a new era of football broadcasting as Gary Lineker will leave 'Match of the Day' after 26 years as host of the highlights show at the end of the season – and the former England striker felt that the corporation wanted him to move on so they could blood new presenters.
The 64-year-old presenter – who will continue hosting the channel's FA Cup coverage and will also present at the 2026 World Cup – told Amol Rajan in an interview for the BBC: "It's time [to leave]. I've done it for a long time. It's been brilliant. It's been great.
"Well, perhaps they want me to leave. There was the sense of that, yes. I've got another year and I'm going to do the FA Cup and World Cup and they're taking our podcast now, the 'Match of the Day Top Ten', as well as 'The Rest Is Football' that I do with Alan [Shearer] and Micah [Richards]."
Lineker continued: "I always wanted one more contract, and I was umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether to do three years [more] and I think with the way the rights issue comes up, it didn't. I'm not saying they didn't want me to do one more contract, they did because they've given me one more contract.
"In the end, I think there was a feeling that, because it was a new rights period, it was a chance to change the programme. I think it was their preference that I didn't do 'Match of the Day' for one more year, so they could bring in new people. So it's slightly unusual that I would do the FA Cup and the World Cup, but to be honest, it's a scenario that suits me perfectly."
