ITV’s new celebrity gameshow “The Box,” hosted by Gary Lineker, launches in prime time and is widely described by reviewers as bewildering and difficult to make sense of. Contestants are released from large yellow boxes to carry out tasks, but the show’s rules and logic are unclear, leaving viewers unsure what the format is aiming to deliver.
Both outlets portray the series as deliberately chaotic, using surreal set pieces and bizarre moments. The Guardian highlights striking, random-feeling sequences and extreme examples of content, while also noting that even the opening framing—such as captions and a visible “NO HELP” approach—does little to clarify how or why challenges work. The Independent similarly notes that, although Lineker comes across as likeable, the show’s scattershot nature makes it hard to engage with what contestants are supposed to do.
Overall, the reviews diverge mainly in emphasis: The Guardian focuses on the show’s surreal, hard-to-decipher spectacle and the lack of guidance, while The Independent concentrates on the confusing structure and Lineker’s fit for the primetime slot.
