Corfe Castle in Dorset is to have a starring role in the TV event of autumn 2026 as Gary Lineker’s new celebrity challenge show has been given a start date.
The Box, which is Gary’s first major TV role since stepping down as host of Match of the Day in May 2025, will start an autumn run on ITV in a prime time slot on Saturday 5th September 2026.
Gary Lineker gave the game away when he posed for selfies with staff at The Greyhound
Filming took place in secret
Filming took place at Corfe Castle in secrecy in September 2025, when the National Trust property was closed to the public for a day and security guards were hired to keep visitors well away from the cameras and stars.
But Gary Lineker himself gave the game away when he went for a lunchtime break in The Greyhound pub and happily posed for selfies with the staff.
And pictures have now been released of stars who filmed in the castle grounds with him, including Dragon’s Den star Sara Davies and Jenny Ryan, better known as The Vixen on quiz show The Chase.
Film crews were placed around the castle ramparts and grounds, but the public were kept well away by security teams
Release date leaked by contestant
The Box is a new entertainment show that challenges ten celebrities from the worlds of entertainment, music, sport, and politics in an intense competition where they must step into the unknown.
News of the show’s release date was leaked by contestant Ellie Taylor, who wrote on her Facebook page:
“The Box press launch! The whole cast watched the first episode and it was as scary and silly as I remembered! Can’t wait for you all to see it. Imagine if I’m a Celeb had a baby with Taskmaster and gave birth to SAS Who Dares Wins. Starts Saturday 5th September on ITV.”
Contestants were driven into Corfe Castle in boxes on lorries and had no idea where they were before the reveal
“They will never know where they are”
ITV spokesperson Olivia Hodgson confirmed the launch date and said:
“The show starts by plunging 10 celebrity contestants into the unknown, with each enclosed in a yellow box, they’ll find themselves in mystery locations across the country.
“Every episode will see them face surprising reveals, unique games, and a compelling series arc, as each week two players will face the Duel, a dramatic show finale which will see the loser leaving the competition for good.
“They will never know where they are, or what challenge is facing them on the other side and the challenges could be physical, mental, logical, funny, a bit daunting, or all of those at once.
“With minimal instructions, or sometimes none, they must decipher and work out what to do, while Gary will be overseeing the games, with their grand reveals, mind bending problems and big twists.”
Security teams kept visitors out of the castle grounds, but couldn’t prevent Gary from visiting The Greyhound on his lunch break
“Gary was really happy to pose”
During the filming of The Box in Corfe Castle on Monday 22nd September 2025, visitors to the village were turned away by security guards, who claimed that an advertisement was being filmed – but then Gary Lineker turned up in the pub garden of The Greyhound.
Georgia Samways, assistant manager at The Greyhound, recalled:
“Just after 12.30 pm, Gary Lineker popped up in the back garden of the pub and said he was filming in the castle and just taking a short break.
“We had opened at 12, but we were very, very quiet due to the filming in the village and after about half an hour, Gary came through our back gate into the garden.
“He didn’t come into the pub itself, but he was spotted by our assistant manager Shaun, who recognised him straight away – he is a huge Manchester United fan and never missed an edition of Match of the Day.
“Gary was really happy to pose with Shaun in the pub garden, so I took a picture of the two of them together – it was a huge surprise, he was very friendly and it was really lovely to meet him.”
The yellow boxes, each containing a celebrity, were lined up in the grounds of Corfe Castle
National Trust sworn to secrecy
National Trust staff had been sworn to secrecy having signed a non disclosure agreement with the production company, meaning they were bound by law not to share what was being filmed at the castle.
It has since transpired that celebrities taking part in the show had been driven into the castle grounds inside sealed yellow boxes with absolutely no idea of what to expect when they were released.
It is not yet known which episode Corfe Castle features in, but it is believed to be close to the start of the series.
A trailer for The Box released earlier this summer showed a drone shot over the castle grounds which revealed at least nine yellow boxes, suggesting that most or all of the celebrities were still in play.
The Chase quiz expert Jenny Ryan took a tumble during the Corfe Castle challenge
Jenny Ryan took a tumble in the chase
Footage from Corfe Castle shows Sara Davies chasing across the upper castle grounds, with Joey Essex – last seen in Love Island and Dancing on Ice – in hot pursuit.
A further clip shows Jenny Ryan taking a tumble during the challenge and wiping away a tear, and she later said:
“I’m usually the one who’s there to intimidate people, but now I’m the one that’s scared because I’m going into The Box.”
Dragon’s Den investor Sara Davies set the pace during a challenge in the upper castle grounds, chased by Joey Essex
“Unpredictable and thrilling to watch!”
Gary Lineker said of the programme:
“I can’t wait to host The Box. I’ve always felt right at home in the box on a football pitch and whilst this is a different proposition, the fundamentals are similar.
“The contestants will have to quickly and masterfully work out how each game works, whilst also trying to get ahead of the competition to take control.
“It’s going to be unpredictable and thrilling to watch, and I’m excited that I get to have a front row seat to all the action!”
Comedian Ellie Taylor leaked the show’s release date after attending an early showing of episode one for the stars
Comedian and Ted Lasso actor
The 10 celebrities taking part in the weekly show which starts on Saturday 5th September 2026, are:
- The Only Way is Essex star Joey Essex
- The Chase’s Vixen, Jenny Ryan
- Dragon’s Den investor and entrepreneur Sara Davies
- Comedian and Ted Lasso actor Ellie Taylor
- Former Liverpool manager Graeme Souness
- Love Island 2025 runner up Shakira Khan
- Countryfile and Springwatch presenter JB Gill
- Former House of Commons Speaker John Bercow,
- Boxer and sports YouTuber Danny Aarons
- Bollywood film star Ranvir Singh.
Gary Lineker has some sneaky surprises in store for his stars as The Box begins its prime time run on ITV
