Gary Lineker’s Goalhanger named UK’s fastest-growing business

The media production company co-founded by the former England footballer Gary Lineker and behind The Rest is … podcasts is now the fastest-growing business in Britain in a new ranking. Goalhanger made £37.9m in sales in 2025, growing at an average annual rate of 321% over the past three years, according to the latest Sunday Times list of the 100 quickest-growing private companies. The company produces The Rest is … series, including The Rest is History podcast , as well as The Rest is Entertainment – hosted by Richard Osman and the Guardian columnist Marina Hyde ; Lineker’s The Rest is Football and The Rest is Politics, hosted by Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell. Goalhanger’s podcasts exploded in popularity after the coronavirus pandemic, and now together have more than 750 million listeners. The company, which employs just 80 people at its headquarters in London, has also boosted its sales through paid subscriptions and events. In January it announced it had reached 250,000 paid subscribers for the first time, with reports suggesting that these subscribers generate about £15m in revenue for the company each year. Alastair Campbell (left), Katty Kay, Anthony Scaramucci and Rory Stewart on an episode of The Rest is Politics. Photograph: Ernesto Rogata/Alamy Tony Pastor , a former controller of sport at ITV, formed Goalhanger’s podcast business with Lineker and former journalist Jack Davenport in 2018. …