Jenny Newby had Gary Lineker’s back on Gogglebox in the wake of the BBC drama (Picture: Channel 4/Getty)
The cast of Gogglebox were less than impressed during Friday’s episode after learning that Gary Lineker had been asked to step away from Match of the Day following his criticism of the Government’s immigration policy.
Popular presenter Lineker, 62, dominated the news cycle last week after he was taken off the BBC for a tweet comparing the language used to launch a new Government asylum seeker policy to that of 1930s Germany.
Shortly after he was suspended, many BBC stars also stepped down from making their scheduled appearances on Match of the Day and similar programming.
During tonight’s episode of Gogglebox, the stars on the sofa shared their verdict on the whole fiasco, and it’s fair to say they were baffled by the BBC’s decision with Jenny Newby leading the uproar.
‘Well, I’d tell them [the BBC] to get stuffed, and that’s being polite,’ she snapped in response to the ITV News at 10 broadcast announcing Lineker stepping back.
Pete Sandiford also weighed in on Gary Gate (Picture: Channel 4)
‘They can’t tell him what he can and what he can’t say!’
Meanwhile, her best friend Lee Riley applauded Ian Wright and Alan Shearer for stepping away from MOTD in solidarity.
‘Solidarity you see, workers are meant to do that aren’t they?’ he added.
Elsewhere, Joe Kyle from Glasgow voiced his anger while sitting beside his girlfriend Roisin Kelly.
Lineker was forced to step away from MOTD after condemning the government’s latest migration policy (Picture: Getty)
‘But he’s not a BBC employee though, he’s a freelancer!’ he cried out.
‘I’ve got a feeling that the BBC have scored an own goal with this one,’ Pete Sandiford quipped.
Since the storm in a tea cup, the BBC has confirmed that Lineker will be returning to MOTD this weekend.
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In a statement released on Monday, Tim Davie, the BBC’s director-general, said: ‘Gary is a valued part of the BBC and I know how much the BBC means to Gary, and I look forward to him presenting our coverage this coming weekend.’
Lineker added: ‘I am glad that we have found a way forward. I support this review and look forward to getting back on air.’
Gogglebox airs Fridays at 9pm on Channel 4.
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The cast of Gogglebox weighed in on Gary Gate during Friday night’s episode.Â
