After an 18-year hiatus, the 90s comedy show of Fantasy Football League has returned with new hosts. The very first episode of the latest show, which will run for 16 episodes this fall, just aired in September. According to the critics, this reboot made a conscious effort to keep the aspects of the previous series.
The prior Fantasy Football League featured David Baddiel and Frank Skinner as hosts, while Matt Lucas and Elis James have replaced David and Frank.
The pilot series, which aired from 1994 to 2004, was hosted by David Baddiel and Frank Skinner and featured guests such as John Lydon, Roy Hattersley, Noel Gallagher, Peter Cook, and Brigitte Nielsen. It also gave birth to the Three Lions – the England football team’s national anthem.
Episode 2 guests are Ben Bailey Smith, more popularly known as Doc Brown, and Gabby Logan.
Ben Bailey Smith is known for playing a villain on Andor in the new Star Wars series. He can also be seen in the new reboot of Persuasion – which also features Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis, and Henry Golding. He has also been featured in Law and Order: UK.
Gabby Logan MBE is a presenter and a retired rhythmic gymnast. She has covered a variety of live sporting events for BBC.
What is the Format of the Show?
Frank Skinner and David Baddiel hosted the first American comedy show on British TV, The Fantasy Football League. It was inspired by the early 1990s Fantasy Football frenzy, which arose from a Dominik Diamond-hosted program on BBC Radio 5.
As per Frank Skinner in 2010, the show never would come back because it had been surpassed by other programs of the same type. After it was completed, Skinner and Baddiel went on to produce a sequence of audiobooks for The Times, detailing their travels across Germany during the 2006 World Cup. Due to the duo’s success, Absolute Radio signed them, and they organized a similar series from South Africa even during the 2010 World Cup.
The managers and guests are football fans who discuss the sport and start sharing their opinions and thoughts on fantasy teams.
The series’s title song was the phrase “Fantasy Football League,” repeated over and over again to the melody of “Back Home,” the anthem of the England team during the 1970 World Cup. Following the network’s move to ITV again for the 1998 World Cup, the theme was altered to that of the network’s World of Sports sequence. It was again changed back to the one used on the Saint and Greavsie show for the Euro 2004 series.
This season’s lineups promises a whole host of celebrities, including Brian Cox (Succession), Tom Grennan, Roman Kemp, Jennifer Saunders, AJ Tracey, Sam Quek, Trevor McDonald, Sir Mo Farah, Russell Howard, Guz Khan, and Chris McCausland.
Each week, one or maybe more celebrities would join the show to discuss football and their fantasy lineups and formations. When fantasy football first became popular in the mid-1990s, the framework was mainly based on a proper league with teams selected by regular celebrity guests.
The whole section will take place on the hosts’ sofa. Guest stars would ring the “doorbell” outside of the “front door.” The third regular on the show, Angus Loughran, also known as “Statto,” would be seated in the “kitchen” section.
Who are the hosts this time around?
Matt Lucas is a Gooner. Lucas is known for his parts in the television shows Little Britain, Shooting Stars, and The Great British Bake Off. Matt disclosed in an interview that he used to enjoy watching Fantasy Football League with Frank, David, and Statto and is now very excited to be a part of this freshly reworked version of the Fantasy Football League.
Elis James has divulged that he is a Swansea City fan. He is popular as a comedian and radio host. James is well-known for his Radio X show, which he co-hosted with a very well comic, John Robins. He has also earned accolades for his BBC 5 Live show. James had a cake-eating Livestream and now will make a living talking about football. He is seemingly elated and considers himself the luckiest person on Earth.