Graeme Souness is swapping the football studio for ITV's brand-new reality game show, The Box. The former Scotland player and football manager will compete alongside nine other celebrities to complete a series of tasks and puzzles.
Hosted by Gary Lineker, The Box places celebrity contestants into an enclosed yellow box before revealing a mystery location and a task. With no instruction, the contestants must tackle challenges ranging from physical and mental tests to puzzles. At the end of each episode, two celebrities go head-to-head in The Duel, where they fight to remain in the competition and avoid elimination.
Souness on the competitive nature of the show
The former Liverpool star, 73, said the show's competitive nature was a major attraction. "The way it worked out, everyone was pals, but you could see underneath that it would change and that it would become very competitive," he said. "The women could disguise their determination better than the young boys. It was great to observe. It was great being in the company of young people and seeing how they interacted with each other."
But while Souness has spent much of his career making quick decisions on a football pitch and from the dugout, he admitted he didn't always get things right inside The Box. Reflecting on the first challenges, he said he allowed himself to be influenced by another contestant's reaction rather than assessing the situation for himself.
Regrets and a team-first mentality
Souness explained: "Personally, I reacted off of someone close to me who reacted in a very impulsive way. I regret that, I should have had a good look at what was in front of us and I didn’t, I reacted off of other peoples' reactions which is not like me. Winning wasn’t the most important thing for me. I come from a background where it was all about the team, it was a team game and how we did collectively. Maybe I should have been a lot more selfish."
The Edinburgh native also said the gameshow gave him a chance to reunite with his old pal Gary Lineker, recalling an amusing incident from the former Match Of The Day presenter's childhood. Lineker revealed when he was a youngster during a game in Liverpool, Souness, who was 10 years older, had been "a bit naughty" to him. During filming of The Box, Lineker even showed him a six-inch scar left behind from the unknown incident.
An apology and a launch date
Souness recalled: "I did apologise. I did say, 'Forgive me. Is it a bit late to say sorry now!' He said, ‘Don’t apologise. I've dined out on this for many years!’"
The Box launches on Saturday September 5, with Episode 2 airing on Sunday September 6, on ITV1, ITVX, STV & STV Player.
