Mark Chapman says he felt nothing but relief when his first Match of the Day broadcast came to an end. Alongside Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates, Chapman stepped into the role previously held by Gary Lineker - becoming the show's first new presenter in more than a quarter of a century.

At 52, Chapman wasn't exactly thrown in at the deep end. He'd hosted Match of the Day 2 for years and occasionally filled in for Lineker on the main programme. Even so, when he finally took the reins on the opening weekend of the new season back in August, the nerves were still there - right up until the credits rolled.

"My favourite moment of Match of the Day so far was the music going at the end of that first [show] on the Saturday night," Chapman said on The Sports Agents podcast. "I'm thinking, 'Thank god that's over. Everyone can calm down'.

"I said goodbye, the music went, thank god that's over. We're fine, we've done it, nothing went wrong, I can go home and have a beer."

Lineker announced he'd be stepping down as host of Match of the Day at the end of the 2024/25 Premier League season in November last year. Two months later, the BBC confirmed that Chapman, Logan and Cates would take over as his successors and would all be sharing the role.

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Like Chapman, Logan is a seasoned broadcaster who had deputised for Lineker on Match of the Day in the past. Even so, she admitted feeling the same relief Chapman felt after completing her first broadcast without a hitch.

"The weird thing is, of all the programmes I've ever done, that first moment where you say hello to the guests and you link into the first VT [video tape], there is kind of this shoulders down moment where you go, 'Okay, we're up and running and now it's just a TV show,'" Logan, also 52, said.

"That moment from when the titles are rolling, Match of the Day music, the music's just finished and you're saying hello to your guests - and no matter how many times you rehearse a link like that, just saying it without tripping up is always a triumph."

Laughing, Chapman replied. "And also, it's not the hardest link in the world, is it? Hello. Five games on the way. These two are winners. Here's the first one... where can you go wrong? It's so simple."

Both Chapman and Logan have been long-time fixtures at the BBC, but their new co-host, Kelly Cates, joined from Sky Sports. The 50-year-old is also an experienced broadcaster, having previously worked with ESPN, Channel 5 and talkSPORT.

Lineker's Match of the Day exit brought to an end to one of the most recognisable eras in British sports broadcasting. Having fronted the show since 1999, the former England striker became synonymous with the programme.

Lineker's relationship with the BBC was not without turbulence. In 2023, he was briefly suspended after comparing the government's immigration policy to "1930s Germany" in a social media post - a move that sparked widespread backlash and reignited debate over impartiality and free speech at the corporation.

As a high-profile BBC presenter, Lineker was contractually obliged to remain politically impartial in public. His suspension, however, prompted an unprecedented on-air boycott by BBC Sport colleagues, forcing the broadcaster to review its social media policies and ultimately reinstate him.

Although Lineker returned to Match of the Day, his relationship with the BBC never fully recovered. In May 2025, he was permanently removed from his role following another social media controversy - this time over a post that contained antisemitic imagery.

Lineker had re-shared a video titled "Zionism explained in two minutes," originally posted by a group called Palestine Lobby, which featured an image of a rat - a symbol historically used in antisemitic propaganda. He apologised unreservedly once the issue was raised, explaining that he had not noticed the imagery and would never have knowingly shared antisemitic content.

Nevertheless, the damage was done. Within days, the BBC confirmed that Lineker - who had been scheduled to front its 2026 World Cup coverage - would be leaving the corporation for good.

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