‘Flintoff eaten by the Loch Ness Monster’ is a great front page
As A League Of Their Own Road Trip: Loch Ness To London airs, Andrew Flintoff and Jamie Redknapp tell Danielle de Wolfe they saw a brush with Nessie as a real publicity opportunity
“Are you going to try and get me on conspiracy theories? Because I love ‘em,” declares former England cricketer Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff with a grin. “Moon landings, Big Foot, flat Earth, I love all this.”
It’s precisely the sort of chatter we’ve grown to know and love from the 43-year-old, particularly when it comes to hit Sky television series A League Of Their Own. Now, together with former
England footballer Jamie Redknapp and comedian Romesh Ranganathan, Freddie is taking the show on the road.
And while previous instalments of the sportmeets-comedy road trip took them to warmer climes in the US and Europe, the latest home-grown spin-off comes complete with the slightly less appealing addition of cloud and precipitation.
“Do you know what, it was a chance to see more of Britain,” reflects Freddie.
“At that time of year, in the past, we’ve been down Venice Beach and Los Angeles and exploring them – we’re playing basketball and we’ve got a pair of shorts on.
“This time, we’re in Scotland, in the winter, being chucked in a loch.”
“I’d love to believe that there’s something in there,” enthuses Freddie of the first episode, shot on the shores of Loch Ness. “When we got put in (the Loch), you still have in the back of your mind that there’s something down there – whether it’s a monster or just a big fish or something prehistoric, I’m not quite sure.
“But I’m invested in it, me. It’s so deep there could be anything in there.”
The opening challenge saw Freddie contemplating what his final moments might look like should the Nessie legend prove to be true.
“What a way to go, eh?” he laughs.
“Not quite what I’d expect; I’d expect it in Preston town centre with a kebab on my chest.”
“That would be a great front page though,” interjects Jamie gleefully.
“’Freddie Flintoff eaten by the Loch Ness monster’.”
Freddie, Jamie and Romesh find themselves reunited with former ALOTO star and comedian Jack Whitehall, courtesy of Covid-imposed travel alterations.
“Jack (Whitehall) would have been promoting his film with The Rock, but because he hasn’t got any work on, all of a sudden Jack went ‘all right, yeah, that will be great fun, let’s go and do a road trip!’
“Didn’t we hear about that film and The Rock – geez!” interjects Flintoff.
“Dwayne does that, Dwayne does this...”
With a new series come new challenges, all perfectly designed to test the strength and ingenuity of the celebs. Alongside the depths of Scottish lochs, the opening episode sees Freddie and Jamie tackle the depths of a forest, under the guidance of former Royal Marine Commandos Aldo Kane and Jason Fox, stars of SAS: Who Dares Wins.
“Foxy and Aldo are amazing,” says Freddie.
“We see that programme, SAS: Who Dares Wins, where everyone thinks they can do it and have a go.
“And it’s gone through my mind. But then the more I’ve seen of these guys, there’s not a chance.
“On the road trip, we did a sniper challenge (where) Foxy was stood there and me and Jack were eyeing him up and he was egging me on to take him, like ‘have a go’.
“So, I thought, ‘go on then, I’ll have a graft with Foxy’.
“It’s one of the few times in my life I’ve realised I’m actually so far out of my depth it’s untrue.
“Me and Jamie have played a bit of sport, we might have a few physical attributes, but let’s be honest, SAS?
“No. Not a chance.”
■ A League Of Their Own Road Trip: Loch Ness To London is on Sky One on April 8 at 9pm and NOW TV