Gary Lineker, the former footballer and highest-paid on-air BBC star, presenter of Match of the Day for 26 years, will leave this weekend without a payoff. He apologised after it emerged he had reposted a pro-Palestine video on Instagram that criticised Zionism and included an illustration of a rat, which was a Nazi anti-semitic trope.
Two years ago he was temporarily suspended over comments he made criticising the Conservative government’s asylum policy. And earlier this year he called on the BBC to rebroadcast a documentary on Gaza, narrated by the son of a Hamas politician.
The BBC has come under increasing criticism for its anti-Israel stance recently with internal Jewish staffers saying they feel betrayed.
The BBC, 14 November 1922 6pm London has a stubbornly opinionated house Mars in Aquarius in the 9th house of international affairs; and when relocated to Israel that Mars moves into the even more intransigent 8th with a formidably determined Pluto on the Ascendant.
The BBC Scorpio Sun is opposition the Israel Taurus Sun with the BBC Neptune square and conjunct the Israel Saturn; with the BBC Saturn conjunct the Israel Neptune. An intransigent, suspicious and doubting interface.
The BBC/Israel relationship chart is angry/competitive, power-struggling and uncertain with Sun Mars, Jupiter Pluto and Saturn Neptune composite aspects.
Gary Lineker, 30 November 1960, a sporty, clearly outspoken and determined Sun Sagittarius square Pluto North Node; with a Taurus Moon, maybe opposition Neptune and trine Pluto. Plus a short-tempered Mars in Cancer opposition Saturn Venus in Capricorn. His relationship with Israel has a composite Mars square Saturn, so the issue clearly hits his toxic hotspot.
What is intriguing is also his relationship chart with the BBC which has an admittedly successful Jupiter trine Pluto; but also a yod onto Mars inconjunct Sun sextile Neptune. Sport may have soaked up some of the fiery Mars energy but there was clearly enough to spill over into heated arguments.
What is also worth noting is that the two recent high profile scandal exits – Huw Edwards, Philip Scofield, have their Uranus and Pluto in the BBC 4th house causing internal ructions. Edwards especially since his Sun Uranus conjunction sat close to the BBC IC, with the potential to cause significant instability.
Two earlier sex scandals with Jimmy Savile – Neptune in BBC 4th; plus his Scorpio Sun square the BBC Mars and his Saturn conjunct the BBC Sun. Rolf Harris, his Neptune in the BBC 4th.
Not much insight to be gleaned from all of this apart from interesting astro-synastry. And a wonder that the BBC has held it together this long with such unsettling personalities in key positions.
The BBC anti-Israel? I must have been watching a different BBC…
A general comment- there was a segment today about budgets being cut at ITV (UK commercial channel). The facts are that the key demographic (as in the US) no longer gets its news and views on anything mainstream anymore preferring to follow their cohorts’ spokespersons in the media. MSM are pretending to be MSM but in fact as budgets go, they will all fold. Same collapse in numbers seen at CNN (47% drop in value from 21 to 23),MSNBC (47% drop of viewers since election), NPR have not even supplied figures since 2024!They probably will have all AI presenters to save costs before long…Buggy whip makers thought they would always have a job, it took 18 months for the roads to go all cars no buggy!
Minor note – although Phillip Schofield was with the BBC earlier in his career; things came to a head over on ITV. Nonetheless interesting to note how the Uranus in Leo grandeur seems to have affected them all.
If I’m not mistaken Lineker has a grand earth trine with Jupiter at 6Cap, Pluto at 8Virgo and the Taurus Moon in orb pretty much all day. And actually it could even be a Grand Kite with the Scorpio planets (Neptune/Mercury) or another with the Mars in Cancer / Venus-Saturn Capricorn. Ironically not quite making a Star of David configuration unless you include the Pisces South Node.
Interesting that for a broadcaster he doesn’t have any air in his chart. But 5 planets in Earth he has always come across as a steady character. His happy Sun Sag allied to the earth reminds of Brad Pitt.
As a 5 Earth planets, including the Taurus Moon (so possibly a hoarder), does he strike you as acquisitive?
He clearly has nice house and things around but he doesn’t seem ostentatious which is easy to conflate with being acquisitive. Doesn’t drive big car, wear jewelry or flash clothes. As I recall he’s taken pay cuts to stay with the BBC especially when the focus was on gender pay gap; so that doesn’t seem like an acquisitive person. We don’t have a time of birth so we don’t know where his planets fall
I used to love BBC World News… At point it was so dynamic, and even when every hour kind of had the same news, it didn’t, and each presenter brought something new. Then there were days when everything was live… Then suddenly one by one the best correspondents left. In recent years same happened with anchors, who first went to have their own weekly shows, or maybe even one daily nightly spot, and then they left as well. A true shadow of its former self.
I never watched the chart and what happened to it with this gradual erosion, so maybe if you have something specifically for BBC News / BBC World / BBC World News, we could take a peek. I haven’t checked, but I think now the world and UK news merged? UK news was interesting in the same way, and then the same happened.