Fantasy Football League | |
---|---|
Genre | Comedy |
Presented by | David Baddiel Frank Skinner Elis James Matt Lucas |
Starring | Angus Loughran Jeff Astle Lee Trundle Andrew Mensah |
Production | |
Producer | Avalon Television [1] |
Production location | Riverside Studios [2] |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | BBC2 ITV (1998 and 2004 specials) |
Release | 14 January 1994 – 10 May 1996 |
Network | Sky Max |
Release | 29 September 2022 – 22nd March 2024 |
Related | |
Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned |
Fantasy Football League was a British television comedy programme originally hosted by David Baddiel and Frank Skinner. [3] It was inspired by the Fantasy Football phenomenon which started in the early 1990s and followed on from a BBC Radio 5 programme hosted by Dominik Diamond, although the radio and TV versions overlapped by several months. Three series were broadcast from 14 January 1994 to 10 May 1996 (followed by episodes during Euro 96). The show then moved to ITV for live specials on alternate nights throughout the 1998 World Cup and then again through Euro 2004. [4]
After the show ended, Baddiel and Skinner went on to produce a series of podcasts for The Times , documenting their experiences while travelling across Germany at the 2006 World Cup. The success of these led to the duo being signed by Absolute Radio, where they hosted a similar show from South Africa during the 2010 World Cup. [5]
A revival of the show was commissioned to be broadcast on Sky Max with new hosts Elis James and Matt Lucas, starting in 2023. [6]
The format was originally heavily reliant on an actual fantasy football league, made up of teams picked by regular guest celebrities at the point that the game became popular in the mid-1990s. [7] [8]
In the 'kitchen' area stood the third regular on the show, Angus Loughran, referred to only as "Statto". Clad only in a dressing gown and pyjamas, he would dispense footballing facts and statistics on demand, particularly in the early shows when the fantasy league element was strongest. He was the butt of many of Frank and David's jokes, and was often made fun of for being apparently dull and naive, but quickly became an audience favourite (with chants of "Statto! Statto!" becoming common later in the run). [9] In the Sky era, comedian and BT Sport presenter Andrew Mensah takes Loughran's former role. [10]
Skinner and Baddiel performed a sketch with toys, using a Mr. Potato Head to portray Nottingham Forest manager Frank Clark and a toy footballer with a (genuine) pineapple on top to portray Forest striker Jason Lee and his unusual hairstyle. [11] [12] This led to Lee suffering torrents of abuse from fans at actual matches, including chants like "He's got a pineapple, on his head, he's got a big pineapple, on his head!" (to the tune of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" by Laurie London). Some sketches also featured Baddiel in blackface. In response to the racism, Lee said: "I'd ask them if they realised the significance of what they were doing. It was, looking back, a form of bullying. I work in equalities now, and it can affect different people in different ways. I don't think people appreciate the possible harm it can cause. Not everyone has the make-up to deal with that, and they shouldn't have to." [13] Baddiel has since admitted that his portrayal of Lee was "part of a very bad racist tradition". [14] In an interview with The Guardian in July 2022, Skinner said "When Dave walked out from makeup that night, I still don’t know why one or both of us or someone there didn’t say what the fuck is happening?" He also added, "Looking back, it was a bullying campaign. And it's awful. And yeah, I'm ashamed of it." [15] Baddiel finally apologised to Lee to his face later that year, though Lee questioned why it had taken Baddiel so long to do so. [16]
Ian Edward Wright is an English television and radio personality and former professional footballer.
David Lionel Baddiel is an English comedian, presenter, screenwriter, author and singer. He became known for his early work alongside Rob Newman in The Mary Whitehouse Experience and later for his comedy partnership with Frank Skinner.
Christopher Graham Collins, known professionally as Frank Skinner, is an English comedian, actor, presenter and writer. At the 2001 British Comedy Awards, he was named Best Comedy Entertainment Personality. His television work includes Fantasy Football League from 1994 to 2004, The Frank Skinner Show from 1995 to 2005, Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned from 2000 to 2005, and Room 101 from 2012 to 2018. Since 2009 he has hosted The Frank Skinner Show on Absolute Radio, broadcast live on Saturdays and later released as a podcast.
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 June 1996. It was the first European Championship to feature 16 finalists, following UEFA's decision to expand the tournament from eight teams.
Graham Taylor was an English football player, manager, pundit and chairman of Watford Football Club. He was the manager of the England national football team from 1990 to 1993, and also managed Lincoln City, Watford, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Jeffrey Astle was an English professional footballer who played the majority of his career as a centre-forward for West Bromwich Albion. Nicknamed "the King" by the club's fans, he played 361 games for them and scored 174 goals. He also won five caps for England without scoring.
Jason Benedict Lee is an English football manager and former player.
Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned is a British free-form television talk show hosted by comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner and produced by Avalon Television for ITV. It ran from 2000 to 2005. Its concept was developed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe prior to the television series. Alongside the television series, the show had a run in the West End at the Shaftesbury Theatre between 17 April and 12 May 2001 from which a ‘Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned - Live in the West End’ DVD was released.
"Three Lions", commonly referred to as "It's Coming Home" or "Football's Coming Home", is a song by the English comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner and the rock band the Lightning Seeds. It was released on 20 May 1996 to mark the England football team's participation in that year's UEFA European Championship, which England was hosting.
The Lightning Seeds are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1989 by Ian Broudie, formerly of the bands Big in Japan, Care, and Original Mirrors. Originally a studio-based solo project for Broudie, the Lightning Seeds expanded into a touring band following Jollification (1994). The group experienced commercial success throughout the 1990s and are well known for their single "Three Lions", a collaboration with David Baddiel and Frank Skinner which reached No. 1 in the UK in 1996 and 2018, with a re-worked version also reaching the top spot in 1998.
Steven Brian Stone is an English football coach and former professional player.
Fantasy football may refer to:
Angus Loughran is a British sports commentator and pundit. He appears regularly on television, newspapers and websites, usually concentrating on horse racing and football, such as The Daily Telegraph and online bookmaker Easyodds, writing tipping sections every day. He has also provided English language football commentary for Eurosport and ESPN. He is currently a commentator for BT Sport on their coverage of the Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
Robert Newman is an English comedian, author and political activist. Newman found mainstream fame with The Mary Whitehouse Experience before forming a successful partnership with one of the programme's other comedians, David Baddiel, in the early 1990s.
Lee Michael Dixon is an English retired professional footballer and pundit who played as a right-back. Dixon was also capped 22 times for England.
Blackball is a 2003 British sports comedy film, based on the game of lawn bowls. The screenplay was written by Tim Firth, and the film was directed by Mel Smith. The film features James Cromwell as a master bowls player, and Paul Kaye as a naturally talented player who have differing social backgrounds; who are placed together by Vince Vaughn to play for England against Australia. Its fictional plot is based on the bowls player Griff Sanders, who was also referred to as "The Bad Boy of Bowls".
Newman and Baddiel were a comedy partnership of the 1990s consisting of British stand-up comics Robert Newman and David Baddiel.
Saint and Greavsie was a British television show in which former footballers Ian St John and Jimmy Greaves discussed current football themes such as the day's matches. It ran on ITV from 1985 to 1992.
Jonathan Murray Thoday is a British television executive and businessman. He is the joint founder and managing director of Avalon Entertainment.
A timeline of notable events relating to Absolute Radio and its spin-off stations, and its predecessor Virgin 1215/Virgin Radio.