Newsflash! Gary Lineker is going to be hosting a new game show called The Box on ITV.
The former Match of the Day presenter will be heading up the show which revolves around 10 yellow boxes (hence the name!). Within each of these boxes will be a...celebrity contestant, who will be transported to mystery locations, to take place in different games.
The series is based on a tv show that has aired in Norway, and the filming will take place in the UK later this year. We'll see the show land on our screens in 2026.
We don't have an official launch date of the show, but we *do* now know the names of all the confirmed celebs who will be participating.
So, read on for everything you need to know about the cast including our verdict on who is most likely to win.
The Box confirmed cast:
- Joey Essex – The Only Way is Essex star
- John Bercow – former politician
- Jenny Ryan – The Chase's 'The Vixen'
- JB Gill – JLS musician
- Danny Aarons – YouTuber
- Ranvir Singh – Lorraine presenter
- Sara Davies – Dragons’ Den judge
- Graeme Souness – ex footballer
- Ellie Taylor – comedian and actress
- Shakira Khan – former Love Islander
For our verdict and more on the cast, keep scrolling.
Joey Essex
Instagram: @joeyessex
Television personality Joey Essex will be competing on The Box.
You'll recognise Joey from a long line of reality tv credits including The Only Way is Essex, in which he appeared from 2011 to 2013.
He's also cropped up in Splash! and I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (both in 2013), The Jump (2015), Celebs Go Dating (2016–2019, 2021), Celebrity Ex on the Beach (2020), Dancing on Ice (2023), and Love Island (2024).
Our verdict: Joey is no stranger to reality tv or to game shows, so we think he'll show us a strong performance on The Box. He actually won The Jump - a show which tasks celebs with learning various winter sports - in 2015 and was a runner-up on Dancing on Ice in 2023. He'll likely be up for anything and happy to get stuck in.
John Bercow
Instagram: John doesn't appear to be active on social media.
John Bercow is a prominent UK politician having served within the Conservative Party as the MP for Buckingham between 1997 and 2019, was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet in 2001, and became Speaker of the House of Commons from 2009 to 2019.
He's also served as chancellor of the University of Essex and taught politics part-time at Royal Holloway.
Our verdict: If there is a strategic element to The Box, or games involving smarts or logic, we'd definitely want John on our side. His time in politics means he'll be great at making tactical decisions.
Jenny Ryan
Instagram: @jenny_from_the_quiz
Jenny Ryan is best known as "The Vixen", one of the six iconic quizzers on The Chase. Before that, she made appearances on University Challenge and Mastermind, as well as Are You An Egghead?
Since coming to prominence on The Chase, she's also appeared on Would I Lie To You, Supermarket Sweep and Celebrity Master Chef. In addition to all this, she's a talented singer and plays the ukulele.
Our verdict: Increasingly, we suspect that The Box will feature a wide spread of challenges of varied types, due to the casting of celebs from very different areas of showbiz. Jenny has a great knowledge base and also has musical chops, so we imagine that her multi-talented nature will serve her well.
JB Gill
Instagram: @@jbgill
JB Gill is best known for appearing on fifth season of The X Factor as part of the boy band JLS, which then went on to have a super successful career of the show. Between 2008 and their split in 2013, the band scored five Number 1 hits, sold over 10 million records worldwide, and racked up two Brit awards and five MOBO awards. Impressive!
After his time with JLS, he presented shows like Songs of Praise (he was studying a theology degree before he joined the band) and was a runner-up on Strictly Come Dancing in 2024.
Our verdict: I can't lie, I think JB might be one of the strongest contenders on the show. Throughout his career, he's demonstrated his music and dancing talents. However, as a kid and teenager, he also demonstrated his academic prowess (he gained an 'all round' scholarship for music, academics and sport at the independent Whitgift School) and also toured abroad with a rugby club. He's got the brains, he'll be good at sports, and if there are any musical challenges...well, he'll smash them.
Danny Aarons
Instagram: @dannyaarons
Danny Aarons is one of these internet celebrities with an absolutely maaaasive following: 2.2 million on IG, 1.9 million on YouTube, 1 million on Twitch, and 2 million on TikTok.
He gained a following through posting FIFA-related videos, suggesting he knows a thing or two about gaming and football.
Our verdict: Danny is one of the few contestants on the show who don't already have experience on a game show, so he might not be as quick off the mark than his competitors.
Ranvir Singh
Instagram: @ranvirtv
Ranvir Singh is a broadcaster and presenter, who is a newsreader for Good Morning Britain, a presenter of the riddle-based game show Riddiculous, and is also a relief presenter for Lorraine. She also appeared on the 2020 season of Strictly Come Dancing.
As a presenter and broadcaster, she has appeared on loooooads of different shows and is known for being able to approach different subjects and respond quickly to evolving situations.
Our verdict: We think Ranvir will be quick on her feet, and able to stay calm in high pressure situations. In tense moments, this could give her a major competitive edge.
Sara Davies
Instagram: @saradaviescc
You might recognise Sara Davies from her time as a judge on Dragons' Den, which she appeared on from 2019, until announcing she was stepping away from the series in 2025.
As the creator of her own business, Crafter's Companion, she's clearly got business acumen and will be good at strategy and planning. However, with the nature of her business revolving around crafts, she's also a dab hand at arts, crafts, DIY and all that good stuff.
Our verdict: We suspect that Sara will be a hands-on, agile competitor who will be great at more puzzle-themed or craft-based tasks (if there are any!) as well as thinking strategically.
Graeme Souness
Instagram: @soueyofficial
Graeme Souness is a legendary former football from Scotland. He played for and later managed Liverpool, served at Rangers as player-manager, and captained the Scottish football team on an international level on 27 occasions. After his time on the pitch and in the stands, he became a successful pundit on channels like Sky Sports.
Our verdict: Another analytical thinker, which will come in handy, and we imagine as a former sportsman he will be in good shape for any physical/endurance/sports challenges. If there is a public vote, though, we imagine he will have strong support from the football fans which could help him progress in the game.
Ellie Taylor
Ellie Taylor is a prolific British comedian who initially served as a contestant on the show Show Me the Funny in 2011. Since then, she's showed off her comedy chops on 8 Out of 10 Cats and Live At the Apollo, released a Sunday Bestselling book, and appeared on the tv show Ted Lasso.
Our verdict: Comedians are famous for being able to roll with the punches and think on their feet, and we think this will be a major benefit to Ellie.
Shakira Khan
Here at Cosmo HQ, we love Shakira Khan. Appearing in the latest season of Love Island, she reached the final, and was known for girls' girl attitude and strong friendship with Toni Laites and Yasmin Pettet.
Our verdict: Shakira is great at forming connections and alliances, which may stand her in good stead for the show. She's also just come off the back of a popular stint on Love Island, so would benefit if the show involved a public vote aspect.
