Production company co-founded by Gary Lineker will focus on podcasts

The Rest Is Football © Goalhanger

Goalhanger is closing its TV production arm to focus on podcasts.

Founded by Gary Lineker and business partner Tony Pastor, Goalhanger Films was put into liquidation this week. It had produced shows such as Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health for the BBC and Keane & Vieira – Best of Enemies for ITV. 

The company will now concentrate on podcast production, with its “The Rest Is…” series acheiving popularity across sport, politics, history, and entertainment. Lineker hosts its The Rest Is Football show, alongside Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.

Broadcast Sport understands there will be no lay-offs, with all former Goalhanger Films employees to now work across the Goalhanger Podcasts slate.

Pastor told Deadline of the decision,  “We effectively mothballed Films and set up a bespoke company concentrating on podcasts. There was a period in which I ran them in tandem, but the growth of podcasts was so explosive and television is challenged, so we’ve now done some housekeeping.”

He added: “We’ve gone from a production company being entirely beholden to commissioners and the budgets of broadcasters to having a degree of self-control, whereby we are self-commissioning.”

The BBC recently announced that Lineker will leave his Match Of The Day presenting duties at the end of the season. He will continue to present the Match Of The Day: Top Ten podcast, which is produced by Goalhanger and available on BBC Sounds.