Thrones and banjoes, Tom and Ben
Post categories: ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport,ÌýFootball,ÌýInteractive TV
| 09:00 UK time, Tuesday, 24 March 2009
It tickled me for 16 years - the fact that Huddersfield Town were so proud that before he left for Liverpool that they preserved his toilet seat behind glass in their museum.
So although it was 1993, when I worked on the TV football fanzine Standing Room Only, that I saw this prized throne at Town's old Leeds Road ground, it immediately sprang to mind when I was asked to come up with an idea for a ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport broadband show.
That's what football's all about, I thought, and clubs up and down the Football League must have similar marvellous, magical and mad stories so, let's go where the fans tell us.
And who better to present it than Ben Dirs and Tom Fordyce? Tom and Ben travelled round France for the Rugby World Cup in 2007 with arm wrestling contests against Welsh female fans and breakdancing with Aussies just some of the highlights.
But we needed a graphic theme to knit these random football facts together and up stepped designer Richard Thompson with the wonderful idea of Tom and Ben taking their travelling fair tent of wonders around the country. Look out for the eyes on the mascot Sting - they're Richard's.
It was mention of learning the banjo that led me to the theme music for our Footy League Tour - I hadn't seen Jack, the teenage son of , since he was a boy.
And when I found out, apart from being in demand for his banjo playing, he was also doing a music technician degree at Bristol he seemed the perfect choice for the title music. He even threw in his flatmate Seb, a drama student, for some vocals.
So all the ingredients are there - let's just hope that you like the mix enough to tempt us with marvellous, magical, mad tales of your own so next time it will be your club we're visiting.
Comment number 1.
At 24th Mar 2009, RangerWillRobinson wrote:Shame your tour won't make it up here to Scotland. Amongst the many treasures of the Ibrox trophy room sits the famous racing bicycle gifted to Rangers by St. Etienne and a beautiful clock presented by Ajax Amsterdam.
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Comment number 2.
At 24th Mar 2009, newsjock wrote:What happens to all those loo seats, used and unused, which are installed around the country when Her Majesty goes on walkabout ( or Rolls about)?
Are they removed from the venues where they were installed, or are they left for posterity ?
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Comment number 3.
At 25th Mar 2009, HM_Murdoch wrote:@ No.2
When I was in the RAF (early 90's), HM came to our station, and they built an entirely new toilet as an annex to the Officer's Mess for her. They even had someone listening at the drain while someone else poured water into the bowl to make sure no-one could hear her whist she did her business. She did not, however, make use of the spanking new convenience, which was subsequently demolished after her visit, never having been used.
I'm unsure if any souvenirs were taken....
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Comment number 4.
At 7th Apr 2009, Harry_Potts wrote:Standing Room Only - Top show!
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Comment number 5.
At 9th Apr 2009, royalchocolatelegs wrote:If their "show" is as appalling as their current golf spoof on your website then I don't think I'll bother thank you.
Five minutes of two cockneys wasting licence payers money playing golf badly and shouting pathetic jokes. No doubt this cost more in editing time as well.
Is this is the future of TV online, then give me Jimmy Hill on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳1 any day.
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