Gary Lineker has opened up about his 2023 suspension from Match of the Day in a new episode of The Assembly.
The ITV series, which is based on the format of French show Les Rencontres du Papotin, has seen the likes of David Tennant and Danny Dyer all quizzed by a group of autistic, neurodivergent and/or learning disabled interviewers.
Two years ago, Lineker was temporarily removed from the football highlights show after being accused of breaching BBC impartiality guidelines following a tweet criticising the UK government's immigration policy.
When asked about the reaction to his comment on The Assembly, Lineker said it had been "completely blown out of proportion" and called the situation "very frustrating".
"It was a crazy week and it upset me," he added. "I had all the press outside my house every minute of the day, for about five/six days. It got a bit silly but it was actually also lovely because the backing I got from the people I work with was beautiful."
In the wake of his suspension, pundits including Ian Wright, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards all said they would not appear on the show in solidarity with Lineker.
In the following days, it was announced that the dispute had been resolved, with Lineker re-instated and BBC Director General Tim Davie releasing a statement.
Davie said at the time: "Impartiality is important to the BBC. It is also important to the public. The BBC has a commitment to impartiality in its Charter and a commitment to freedom of expression.
"That is a difficult balancing act to get right where people are subject to different contracts and on air positions, and with different audience and social media profiles."
Since then, Lineker has announced he will be stepping down from the weekly programme at the end of the season, although he will still present the BBC's coverage of next year's FA Cup and World Cup.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker said of his decision to leave: "I think the thing to say is it's basically news of an extra year contract. I always thought my next thing would be the end, I've been thinking about it for a long time.
"I've done Match of the Day for 25 years and it's been an absolute joy and a privilege to present such an iconic show for the BBC, but all things have to come to an end.
"I'll miss you [Shearer and Richards] but I'll still see you on the podcast regularly, that's for sure. But yeah, it felt like the right time. It came at point, really, where the BBC and Match of the Day got the rights for another three years. The cycle starts from next season, so it felt like if I just do one more year it would have been a bit weird.
"So I think to get a different presenter in place would be probably wise, not just for me, but certainly for the BBC as well. But I really wanted to finish on a major tournament, I'm doing the FA Cup as well, so you've not quite got rid of me just yet."
The Assembly: Gary Lineker airs Sunday 11th May at 10pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player. Stream from 7am on Sunday 11th May.
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