If it ain't broke don't fix it. that seems to have been the mantra when it came to remaking Fantasy Football League for the 21st Century. My memory could be playing tricks but watching the first episode it felt as if the makers had come up with a beat-for-beat update. The jokes about the Premier League felt the same, only the names of the footballers had changed.
This time round the presenters are Elis James and Matt Lucas. James is Welsh rather than a West Midlander like original co-presenter Frank Skinner but Matt Lucas even went to the same school as Skinner's co-host, David Baddiel. They even seemed to slump on the sofa in the same way as their predecessors. The only discernable difference is that they support Swansea City and Arsenal rather than West Brom and Chelsea.
Don't get me wrong though. I really enjoyed the first episode. Probably because I enjoyed it the first time round. The same elements were there with the front men (why no front women?) donning bad wigs and impersonating soccer stars in sketches, famous old moments recreated in Phoenix From The Flames, and a running gag featuring a punter – it was literally a running gag here – who was filmed being over-excited to be a a Liverpool game running aorund the studio at the end.
The managers on the first show were a bit of a mixed bag. Russell Howard is clearly a passionate Liverpool fan and by all accounts a pretty decent player, but Sally Lindsay, although from a family of Man City fanatics, revealed that her son had chosen her Fantasy Football team for her, which was a bit of a cop out. If only she's been a Liverpool fan at least I could've said it was a Kop out.
Future managers include AJ Tracey, Guz Khan, Roman Kemp, Sir Mo Farah, Sir Trevor McDonald, Brian Cox, Chris McCausland, Tom Grennan, Doc Brown, Gabby Logan, Jennifer Saunders, Maisie Adam, Sam Quek, Rachel Riley, Jaime Winstone and Lady Leshurr.
Sadly West Brom and England's Jeff Astle, who used to sing on the showm is no longer with us. But they did get Lee Trundle to close with some crooning and he didn't have a bad voice at all.
Fantasy Football League, Sky Max and streaming service NOW from 29 September.
Picture of Elis James and Matt Lucas: Sky
