Fantasy Football League (TV series): Difference between revisions

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| presenter            = [[David Baddiel]]<br/>[[Frank Skinner]]<br />[[Elis James]]<br />[[Matt Lucas]]
| presenter            = [[David Baddiel]]<br/>[[Frank Skinner]]<br />[[Elis James]]<br />[[Matt Lucas]]
| starring            = [[Angus Loughran]]<br/>[[Jeff Astle]]<br />[[Lee Trundle]]<br />Andrew Mensah
| starring            = [[Angus Loughran]]<br/>[[Jeff Astle]]<br />[[Lee Trundle]]<br />Andrew Mensah
| country              = United Kingdom
| language            = English
| channel              = [[BBC Two|BBC2]]<br/>[[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] (specials)
| channel              = [[BBC Two|BBC2]]<br/>[[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] (specials)
| channel2            = [[Sky Max]]
| channel2            = [[Sky Max]]
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| last_aired          = {{End date|1996|05|10|df=y}}
| last_aired          = {{End date|1996|05|10|df=y}}
| last_aired2          = {{End date|2024|03|22|df=y}}
| last_aired2          = {{End date|2024|03|22|df=y}}
| num_series          =  
| num_series          = 7
| num_episodes        =  
| num_episodes        = 105
| producer            = [[Avalon Television]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/behind-the-scenes-of-british-comedy-two-hard-men-fix-the-funny-money-1115928.html |title=Behind the scenes of British comedy, two hard men fix the funny money |last=McCann |first=Paul |work=The Independent |date=4 September 1999 |accessdate=20 November 2012 |location=London}}</ref>
| producer            = [[Avalon Television]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/behind-the-scenes-of-british-comedy-two-hard-men-fix-the-funny-money-1115928.html |title=Behind the scenes of British comedy, two hard men fix the funny money |last=McCann |first=Paul |work=The Independent |date=4 September 1999 |accessdate=20 November 2012 |location=London}}</ref>
| related              = ''[[Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned]]''
| related              = ''[[Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned]]''
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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 FIFA World Cup|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 FIFA World Cup|2010 World Cup]].<ref>{{cite news|first=John|last=Plunkett|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/dec/04/skinner-baddiel-world-cup-radio |title=Baddiel and Skinner to cover football World Cup for Absolute Radio|work=The Guardian|date=4 December 2009|accessdate=20 November 2012|location=London}}</ref>
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 FIFA World Cup|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 FIFA World Cup|2010 World Cup]].<ref>{{cite news|first=John|last=Plunkett|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/dec/04/skinner-baddiel-world-cup-radio |title=Baddiel and Skinner to cover football World Cup for Absolute Radio|work=The Guardian|date=4 December 2009|accessdate=20 November 2012|location=London}}</ref>


In 2022, a revival of the show was commissioned to be broadcast on [[Sky Max]] with new hosts [[Elis James]] and [[Matt Lucas]]. This ended in 2024, after 24 episodes over two series.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fantasy Football League cancelled |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/7857/fantasy-football-league-axed/ |website=British Comedy Guide |access-date=27 April 2024 |language=en |date=25 April 2024}}</ref>
In 2022, a revival of the show was commissioned to be broadcast on [[Sky Max]] with new hosts [[Elis James]] and [[Matt Lucas]]. This ended in 2024, after two series consisting of 24 episodes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fantasy Football League cancelled |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/7857/fantasy-football-league-axed/ |website=British Comedy Guide |access-date=27 April 2024 |language=en |date=25 April 2024}}</ref>


==Format==
==Format==
The format was originally heavily reliant on an actual [[fantasy football (soccer)|fantasy football]] league, made up of teams picked by regular guest celebrities at the point that the game became popular in the mid-1990s.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mathure |first=Varun |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/song-for-euro-96-ready-for-airplay-1347815.html |title=Song for Euro 96 ready for airplay – Sport |work=The Independent|date=1996-05-17 |accessdate=2012-11-22 |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/436689.stm |title=Entertainment &#124; Mad about the boys |publisher=BBC News |date= 2 September 1999|accessdate=2012-11-20}}</ref>
The format was originally heavily reliant on an actual [[fantasy football (soccer)|fantasy football]] league, made up of teams picked by regular guest celebrities at the point that the game became popular in the mid-1990s.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mathure |first=Varun |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/song-for-euro-96-ready-for-airplay-1347815.html |title=Song for Euro 96 ready for airplay – Sport |work=The Independent|date=1996-05-17 |accessdate=2012-11-22 |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/436689.stm |title=Entertainment &#124; Mad about the boys |publisher=BBC News |date= 2 September 1999|access-date=2012-11-20}}</ref>


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).<ref>{{cite news|last=Purnell |first=Gareth |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/in-the-realm-of-fantasy-with-tarby-and-statto-1612839.html |title=In the realm of fantasy with Tarby and Statto – Sport |work=The Independent|date=1995-03-26 |accessdate=2012-11-20 |location=London}}</ref> In the Sky era, comedian and [[BT Sport]] presenter Andrew Mensah takes Loughran's former role.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2022/09/02/51689/comic_andrew_mensah_joins_fantasy_football_league|title=Comic Andrew Mensah joins Fantasy Football League|date=2 September 2022|first=Steve|last=Bennett|website=Chortle}}</ref>
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).<ref>{{cite news|last=Purnell |first=Gareth |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/in-the-realm-of-fantasy-with-tarby-and-statto-1612839.html |title=In the realm of fantasy with Tarby and Statto – Sport |work=The Independent|date=1995-03-26 |accessdate=2012-11-20 |location=London}}</ref> In the Sky era, comedian and [[BT Sport]] presenter Andrew Mensah takes Loughran's former role.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2022/09/02/51689/comic_andrew_mensah_joins_fantasy_football_league|title=Comic Andrew Mensah joins Fantasy Football League|date=2 September 2022|first=Steve|last=Bennett|website=Chortle}}</ref>
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==Controversy==
==Controversy==
Skinner and Baddiel performed a sketch with toys, using a Mr. Potato Head to portray [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]] manager [[Frank Clark (footballer)|Frank Clark]] and a toy footballer with a (genuine) pineapple on top to portray Forest striker [[Jason Lee (footballer)|Jason Lee]] and his unusual hairstyle.<ref>{{cite news|last=Stevenson |first=Jonathan |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/notts_county/6356963.stm |title=The life and times of Jason Lee |publisher=BBC News |date=2007-02-13 |accessdate=2012-11-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/notts_county/7396374.stm |title=Lee desperate to carry on playing |publisher=BBC News |date=2008-05-12 |accessdate=2012-11-20}}</ref> 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]].
Skinner and Baddiel performed a sketch with toys, using a Mr. Potato Head to portray [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]] manager [[Frank Clark (footballer)|Frank Clark]] and a toy footballer with a (genuine) pineapple on top to portray Forest striker [[Jason Lee (footballer)|Jason Lee]] and his unusual hairstyle.<ref>{{cite news|last=Stevenson |first=Jonathan |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/n/notts_county/6356963.stm |title=The life and times of Jason Lee |publisher=BBC News |date=2007-02-13 |access-date=2012-11-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/notts_county/7396374.stm |title=Lee desperate to carry on playing |publisher=BBC News |date=2008-05-12 |access-date=2012-11-20}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/football-news/for-more-year-kept-out-2041951|title='I kept it out of defiance' - ex-Red Jason Lee on his 'pineapple' hairstyle|date=26 September 2018}}</ref> Baddiel has since admitted that his portrayal of Lee was "part of a very bad racist tradition".<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/jason-lee-david-baddiel-frank-skinner-apology-comedy-sketches-a9592741.html | title= Former Nottingham Forest player Jason Lee says he never received an apology from David Baddiel or Frank Skinner | work=The Independent | date=30 June 2020 | access-date=11 August 2021}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/jul/25/frank-skinner-standup-comic-free-speech-poetry-comedy-laddish-image|title='There's never been a time when you could just say anything': Frank Skinner on free speech, his bullying shame – and knob jokes|last=Jonze|first=Tim|date=25 July 2022|work=The Guardian|accessdate=25 July 2022}}</ref> Baddiel finally apologised to Lee to his face later that year, though Lee questioned why it had taken Baddiel so long to do so.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/football-news/look-him-eye-jason-lee-7856100|title=Jason Lee reflects on his apology from David Baddiel after 25 year wait|first=Matt|last=Davies|date=24 November 2022|website=NottinghamshireLive}}</ref>
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."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/football-news/for-more-year-kept-out-2041951|title='I kept it out of defiance' - ex-Red Jason Lee on his 'pineapple' hairstyle|date=26 September 2018}}</ref> Baddiel has since admitted that his portrayal of Lee was "part of a very bad racist tradition".<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/jason-lee-david-baddiel-frank-skinner-apology-comedy-sketches-a9592741.html | title= Former Nottingham Forest player Jason Lee says he never received an apology from David Baddiel or Frank Skinner | work=The Independent | date=30 June 2020 | access-date=11 August 2021}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/jul/25/frank-skinner-standup-comic-free-speech-poetry-comedy-laddish-image|title='There's never been a time when you could just say anything': Frank Skinner on free speech, his bullying shame – and knob jokes|last=Jonze|first=Tim|date=25 July 2022|work=The Guardian|accessdate=25 July 2022}}</ref> Baddiel finally apologised to Lee to his face later that year, though Lee questioned why it had taken Baddiel so long to do so.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/football-news/look-him-eye-jason-lee-7856100|title=Jason Lee reflects on his apology from David Baddiel after 25 year wait|first=Matt|last=Davies|date=24 November 2022|website=NottinghamshireLive}}</ref>
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*{{BBC Programme|p00856yh}}
*{{BBC Programme|p00856yh}}
*{{IMDb title|id=0108769|title=Fantasy Football League}}
*{{IMDb title|id=0108769|title=Fantasy Football League}}
*{{British Comedy Guide|tv|fantasy_football}} (1994–2004)
*{{British Comedy Guide|tv|fantasy-football-league}} (2022–24)


{{Sky One}}
{{Sky One}}

Latest revision as of 22:13, 9 December 2025

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Fantasy Football League is a British television comedy programme originally hosted by David Baddiel and Frank Skinner.[1] 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.[2]

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.[3]

In 2022, a revival of the show was commissioned to be broadcast on Sky Max with new hosts Elis James and Matt Lucas. This ended in 2024, after two series consisting of 24 episodes.[4]

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.[5][6]

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).[7] In the Sky era, comedian and BT Sport presenter Andrew Mensah takes Loughran's former role.[8]

The Sky series featured celebrity guests including Keir Starmer,[9] Michael Sheen,[10] Brian Cox, Trevor McDonald, Maisie Adam and Jennifer Saunders.[11]

Controversy

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.[12][13] 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."[14] Baddiel has since admitted that his portrayal of Lee was "part of a very bad racist tradition".[15] 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."[16] Baddiel finally apologised to Lee to his face later that year, though Lee questioned why it had taken Baddiel so long to do so.[17]

In 2022, Sky apologised for a sketch in which Elis James portrayed Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper with a wonky eye, apparently mocking his appearance.[10][18]

References

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  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

Template:Sky One

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