Fantasy Football League

Infobox British television
show_name = Fantasy Football League


size =
caption =
format = Entertainment
picture_format =
runtime = 30 minutes
creator =
starring = David Baddiel,
Frank Skinner,
Jeff Astle
channel = BBC Two
first_aired = January 1994
last_aired = May 1996
(specials in 1998 and 2004)
num_series =
num_episodes =
producer = Avalon Television
related ="Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned"
imdb_id =0108769

"Fantasy Football League" was a British television programme hosted by Frank Skinner and David Baddiel. It began on BBC Radio 5 which was hosted by Dominik Diamond before transferring to BBC 2, with three series being broadcast from January 1994 to May 1996 (followed by episodes during Euro 1996). The show then moved to ITV for live specials on alternate nights throughout 1998 World Cup and then again through the 2004 European Championship.

It is not known if the show is likely to return in the future, and the absence of all home nations from Euro 2008 has effectively ruled out the possibility of a series to coincide with the tournament (due to reduced interest). However, Baddiel and Skinner continue to link up together on other projects.

Format

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. Each week, one or more of the celebrities would appear on the show and chat about football and their fantasy line-ups. As the show progressed on television, however, the fantasy league was pushed to the background in favour of sketches and clips, and was eventually dropped altogether. The latter shows still had guest appearances, from the likes of Nick Hornby, Damon Albarn, Peter Cook etc, although the departure of the fantasy team format meant it was less essential the guests had a decent football knowledge than before.

The television set was designed as a mock-up of the London flat where the hosts were purported to live (the two did indeed share a flat for some years, and the set was partially inspired by it), the idea being to represent the environment in which normal "lads" watch football at home. Celebrity guests would stand outside the "front door" of the set and ring the "doorbell" (always prompting Baddiel or Skinner to wonder out loud, "Who could "that" be?") before being let in and announced.

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).

Other recurring moments in the show included:
* Phoenix from the Flames - David and Frank recreate a famous moment from footballing history, usually with a retired pro or other famous footballing figure.
*Jeff Astle Sings - the late former West Bromwich Albion player (and Frank's idol) Jeff Astle would come in at the end of the show and lead the guests in an improbable rendition of a classic song over the credits. A minute's silence was broadcast on the show in his memory in Euro 2004 after he died two years earlier, and various ex-players (eg Simon Garner, Brian Kilcline) continued the tradition by singing on the show.
*The Big Hello - David and Frank would announce that they were going to say a 'Big Hello' to someone (usually some relatively obscure person with a connection to football) who would then say 'hello' on a pre-recorded video clip. The whole studio would then reply with a very loud (big!) "HELLO".
*A Few Things We've Noticed From Watching Football (this week/recently) - Amusing clips that may have gone unnoticed by the viewer when originally shown. These often provided the basis for sketches or other gags later in the episode.

Memorable moments

*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. 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 pineapple, on his head!" (to the tune of He's Got The Whole World In His Hands by Laurie London). The frequent mention of his name first started, when "In a Phoenix From The Flames" sketch with Carlos Alberto, the hosts started singing the theme song changing the words to "Pelé was shite-e!, he was worse than Jason Lee!". The following week a viewer who was a Nottingham Forest supporter, had a letter read out on the show saying it isn't right to insult him in such a way, with Frank then saying they'll never mention him again, only for Jeff Astle in his "Jeff Astle Sings" closing segment, to walk onto the set with an actual pineapple on his head, wearing a Nottingham Forest shirt.
* The programme featured a parody of Eric Cantona's assault on a Crystal Palace fan. In the sketch Frank said "Match of the Day was boring!, all it was, was rugby!", with Statto replying "Well, Five Nations Championship was quite good!". A member of the audience (who was part of the sketch) heckled him from the front row with a chant of "boring, boring Statto", and Statto flung himself slippers first into the audience.
* In the final series of the 1996 edition, Dave lost a bet with Frank, and as a forfeit a boxer dog named Boo-Boo had to lick off chocolate smothered on his face.
* On one of the 1998 World Cup special episodes Johnny Rotten featured as a guest, but was ejected during the commercial break after becoming overly aggressive with the hosts.
* Jimmy Greaves and Ian St John (Saint and Greavsie) made a rare appearance back together as guests on the show during Euro 2004. St John admitted in his autobiography he had not enjoyed the experience.
* David Pleat re-created his infamous dance around the Maine Road pitch (April 1983) by galloping round the set
* The show commemorated the demolition of Liverpool F.C.'s Kop by staging a demolition of Statto's kitchen set during which the singer Jona Lewie appeared singing his 1980 hit "You Will Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties"
* Commentator John Motson appeared on the show with Birmingham City's young chairman Karen Brady and appeared to be trying to chat her up. Brady treated his efforts with very obvious disdain.
* Until their relegation in 1994 many jokes were directed at Sheffield United for their long-ball playing style. Manager Dave Bassett was not amused and referred contemptuously to "comedians" in subsequent interviews.
* In a one-off segment called "The Video Shop", featuring Matt Le Tissier, the hosts also directed a long-ball joke at Wimbledon F.C in which Frank Skinner said it took him longer to get to the video shop than the length of a Wimbledon clearance. The sketch also made a joke towards Manchester United, when multiple copies of a fictional video of their history entitled "The History of Manchester United" came in various front cover designs, highlighting their continuous yearly change in strip colours.

Guests

The show was noted for its guests, which were a mixture of football people and celebrities. They included:
* Gary Megson
* Damon Albarn
* Danny Baker
* Zoë Ball
* Sean Bean
* Dani Behr
* Karren Brady
* Jo Brand
* Ian Broudie
* Basil Brush
* Terry Christian
* Peter Cook
* Elvis Costello
* Phil Daniels
* Alan Davies
* Dickie Davies
* Jennifer Ellison
* Paul Gascoigne
* Uri Geller
* Michael Grade
* Russell Grant
* Andy Gray
* Jimmy Greaves
* Nick Hancock
* Alan Hansen
* Roy Hattersley
* Jimmy Hill
* Nick Hornby
* Lorraine Kelly
* Willy van de Kerkhof and René van de Kerkhof
* Jodie Kidd
* Ledley King
* Sylvia Kristel
* Eddie Large
* Matt Le Tissier
* Denis Leary
* John Lydon
* Desmond Lynam
* Neil Morrissey
* Bob Mortimer
* John Motson
* Al Murray
* Trevor Nelson
* Dermot O'Leary
* Nick Owen
* Ian St John
* Jimmy Tarbuck
* Willie Thorne
* Susan Tully

Theme song

The show's theme song consisted of the words "Fantasy Football League" sung over and over to the tune of "Back Home", the England national football team's official song from the 1970 World Cup. Various segments in the show (such as "Saint and Greavsie Talk About The Endsleigh League As If It's Important" and "Phoenix From The Flames") would be introduced by having their titles sung over the same music, as would the names of any guests as they made their way into the "flat".

Unofficial voice of World Cup 2006

Baddiel & Skinner worked with Skinner's production company Avalon Television and "The Times" to produce a series of podcasts covering the 2006 FIFA World Cup. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,28749-2192317,00.html]

External links

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