HE’S AS PROUD AS A PEACOCK
VIEWERS tuning into BBC’s
Who Do You Think You Are? on Monday evening will be treated to an interesting journey into Non-League football, writes Hugo Varley. The upcoming episode, which traces the family tree of a different celebrity guest each week, will feature British Paralympic gold medal winner Jonnie Peacock. Peacock learns how his grandfather, Jonnie Roberts, played for Burscough in the 1960s. In the programme, the sprinter is told about his grandfather’s playing career by former NLP Fan of the Year Barry Lenton.
Lenton told The NLP: “I was originally contacted by Marine’s club secretary to ask if I had come across a player called Jonnie Roberts because I am currently writing a book about Marine to celebrate their 125th anniversary.
“I got out all of my notes and scrapbooks but couldn’t find anything at first. It was only about a week later when I was working on something new that I came across a player called Jonnie Roberts.”
After putting in a number of hours of research into Roberts’ career, Lenton was invited to take part in the filming of the show in May.
“It was a really great experience,” explains the Marine fan.
“We did about eight or nine takes in total and it was a long day, which required a lot of concentration.
“Jonnie was really nice and welcoming and asked me lots of questions. He was eager to learn as much as he could about his grandfather’s playing
career.”