Gary Lineker’s transition from punditry to podcasting has been paying off thanks to his slice of the firm Goalhanger, which is named Britain’s fastest-growing company in new rankings.
The production firm, which produces the popular The Rest Is… series of podcasts, made £37.9 million in sales in 2025, research for the annual Sunday Times 100 found.
This amounts to annual sales growth of about 321%, on average in the last three years – the highest of any firm analysed.
Goalhanger was created by ex-footballer and pundit Lineker and former TV producers Tony Pastor and Jack Davenport, and the trio own a significant stake in the businesses.
It is behind some of the UK’s most popular podcast series, including The Rest Is History, The Rest Is Politics, and The Rest Is Football – the latter of which will be a daily show on Netflix during the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
As one of the world’s biggest sports podcasts, presented by Lineker alongside former footballers Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, it will provide coverage of the tournament which kicks off next week.
The growing success of the business comes after Lineker stepped down as the presenter of Match Of The Day after 26 years in May last year, following criticism of him airing his political opinions on social media.
He recently said he was “not in competition with the BBC” over World Cup coverage, with the broadcaster focusing on live football while he has “a show that people can watch alongside”.
Goalhanger secured investment from The Chernin Group in January, a firm led by media mogul Peter Chernin who is behind the production of blockbuster films including Planet Of The Apes and The Greatest Showman.
Meanwhile, health, wellbeing and fitness brands continued to make strides in the Sunday Times list of 100 fastest-growing private British firms.
Health supplements brands Ancient + Brave and Free Soul were in the top 10 with average annual sales growth over three years of more than 200%.
Other consumer brands include medical cannabis clinic Mamedica, non-alcoholic aperitif maker Mother Root, and meal delivery service Simmer Eats.
Second behind Goalhanger in the rankings was Lucky Egg, a London-based maker of boardgames and party games, which recorded average annual sales growth over three years of almost 300%.
A third of the businesses in the top 100 have female founders, co-founders or chief executives, a record high in the fifth year of the list.
Jon Yeomans, business editor of the Sunday Times, said: “The biggest trend over the last five years is the rise of consumer brands, with food, drink, fashion, and beauty companies now making up nearly half the list.
“Several businesses who have featured in the past, such as Huel and Applied Nutrition, have continued to grow and find huge success, from launching on the stock market to being bought out by global giants.”
