GARY Lineker is publicly backing Danny Baker over an alleged racist tweet that sparked his BBC sacking. The pair will make another series of footie podcast Lineker and Baker: Behind Closed Doors later this year. It was launched in November by an independent production company. A source said of the BBC sport’s pundit’s decision: “Gary […]
GARY Lineker is publicly backing Danny Baker over an alleged racist tweet that sparked his BBC sacking.
The pair will make another series of footie podcast Lineker and Baker: Behind Closed Doors later this year.
It was launched in November by an independent production company.
A source said of the BBC sport’s pundit’s decision: “Gary and Danny’s podcast has been a real hit with fans.
“They both feel as though it would be a shame to let it disappear because of Danny’s mistake.
“Not only is Danny Gary’s colleague, he’s also a close friend of his. And so Gary has decided to stand by his pal.
“They’re still in discussions about what the new series will contain but they’re looking forward to working together again.”
Baker, 61, was fired from his Radio 5 Live show in May after responding to the birth of Harry and Meghan’s baby with a picture of two posh people and a dressed-up chimp.
He captioned it: “Royal Baby leaves hospital.”
He denied accusations of racism, saying it was just a funny image but deleted the tweet and apologised for a “serious error of judgment”.
Baker added it was “one of the worst days” of his life.
Yesterday he announced he will be reviving his 5 Live format in twice-weekly podcasts next year.
He tweeted: “Emails encouraged, calls taken, subjects bizarre.”
BBC Radio 5 Live previously dropped Baker’s soccer phone-in show in 1997 when the broadcaster’s news chief Tony Hall, now the corporation’s director general, said he had crossed “the line between being humorous and controversial and being insulting”.
His BBC London 94.9 show was also axed in 2012, days before he was due to be inducted into the Radio Academy Hall of Fame.
The DJ has been unafraid to publicly criticise his BBC bosses, calling them “pinheaded weasels”.
Baker, who hosted a weekly show on 5 Live, made his name as a journalist on the punk fanzine Sniffin’ Glue before going on to work at NME and launching a career in TV and radio.
He denied bullying campmates in 2016 when he was the first in the series to get the boot from I’m A Celebrity.
