THEY may work for rival broadcasters, but the BBC and ITV’s pundits are much closer than you think.
The British TV powerhouses have brought out the big guns for their respective coverage of Euro 2024 in Germany.
Spearheading the Beeb’s coverage of Euro 2024 is Gary Lineker, who has been calling on the expertise of the likes of Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand, Micah Richards and Jermaine Jenas.
Leading the charge for ITV is Mark Pougatch, who has been breaking down the games along with Arsenal and Manchester United legends Ian Wright, Roy Keane and Gary Neville.
One would think there would be a bit of tribalism between the teams, after all the majority of Beeb and ITV‘s Euros teams are made up of former players.
But according to Ferdinand, couldn’t be any further from the case.
The former Manchester United and England defender told GQ: “We’re all in it together.
“I’m in the same dressing room as Alan Shearer, Ian Wright and Gary Neville, then in the same room as Micah and Jermaine.
“So I have a real connection with them – even the younger kids in the England team.”
Ferdinand hasn’t sat on the fence with his opinions of Gareth Southgate‘s troops, dishing out his fair share of criticism as well as praise.
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England Wags range from childhood sweethearts to recently blossoming love stories.
Katie Goodland (Harry Kane’s wife)
The fitness instructor has been married to the England captain since 2019 and joined him in Germany with their four children after he joined Bayern Munich.
Laura Celia Valk (Jude Bellingham’s girlfriend)
The stunning Dutch model, 25, has more than half a million Instagram followers and is said to be absolutely smitten with the Real Madrid star.
Rebecca Cooke (Phil Foden’s girlfriend)
Foden’s childhood sweetheart and the mother of his two kids tends to keep out of the spotlight, but is a regular at England games.
Dani Dyer (Jarrod Bowen’s girlfriend)
England’s most famous Wag, former Love Island winner and daughter of Eastenders’ Danny Dyer.
Iris Law (Trent Alexander-Arnold’s girlfriend)
Dani Dyer isn’t the only actor’s daughter dating an England star. Iris’ dad is Hollywood legend Jude Law.
Megan Davison (Jordan Pickford’s wife)
Megan has been with Pickford since he was 14 years old. The couple married in 2022 and have one son.
Olivia Naylor (John Stones’ girlfriend)
The 33-year-old former beautician has stepped back from her role after giving birth to a baby son.
Read more about the Wags supporting England at Euro 2024 here
And his frankness has come from regularly speaking to the Three Lions stars.
He continued: “I speak to a lot of the players.
“That’s why I have to be honest and open. When I see these guys,
“I don’t have to hide behind anything because I know when I’m talking about them, I’m talking with honesty.”
Ferdinand has transitioned seamlessly to punditry since hanging up his boots in 2015 following QPR’s relegation to the Championship.
And he credits his success on camera to the influence of Liverpool legend and former Match of the Day presenter Alan Hansen had on him.
He said: “Alan Hansen was a mainstay on Match of the Day. I was very fortunate to go on my first-ever job at the World Cup in Brazil.
“He was there, and I have some wonderful memories with him.
“I just watched him to see what he was like – as soon as the cameras came on, he wasn’t much different to what you saw when he was having a beer with the lads.
He was very calm and cool, never really flustered about anything, and took it all in his stride.
“Those little details were really good for me [at the start of my career], understanding what it was like to be in front of a camera in big-pressure situations.
Here's how each channel will line-up:
BBC presenters:
Gary Lineker, Alex Scott, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman
ITV presenters:
Mark Pougatch and Laura Woods
BBC pundits:
Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Rio Ferdinand, Ellen White, Frank Lampard, Ashley Williams, Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart, Cesc Fabregas, Thomas Frank, David Moyes, Rachel Corsie and James McFadden
ITV pundits:
Ian Wright, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Karen Carney, Graeme Souness, Eni Aluko, Ange Postecoglou, Danny Rohl and Christina Unkel
BBC commentators:
Guy Mowbray, Robyn Cowen, Vicki Sparks, Steve Wilson, Steve Bower and Jonathan Pearce
ITV commentators:
Sam Matterface, Clive Tyldesley, Seb Hutchinson, Pien Meulensteen and Joe Speight
BBC co-commentators:
Danny Murphy, Martin Keown, Jermaine Jenas and James McFadden
ITV co-commentators:
Lee Dixon, Ally McCoist and Andros Townsend
