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Missing the Olympics and Euro 2020? Never fear, armchair fan JACK WHITEHALL is here to take a light-hearted look at Britain’s sporting history…
The UK’S great sports moments in Jack Whitehall’s Sporting Nation
WITH LIVE SPORT only now returning after months of lockdown, fans are in for a treat over the next six weeks as comedian Jack Whitehall presents a celebration of the greatest stories, personalities and moments in the history of British sport.
His new show, Jack Whitehall’s
Sporting Nation, delves into the archives to take a light-hearted look back at our sporting track record, and examines what our love of sport tells us about ourselves as a nation.
Here, Whitehall, who turns 32 on 7 July, reveals just what’s in store…
WHY DID YOU WANT TO MAKE THIS SERIES?
The British public has lost over 100 hours of sport this summer, with the Olympics, Euro 2020 and Wimbledon being wiped off the schedule. So we came up with the idea of Sporting Nation, a look at some of the greatest moments in our sporting story. The whole show will be pure, unadulterated nostalgia.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE SERIES?
It’s not just one of those ‘100 greatest sporting moments’ shows with a load of old clips. We collate these famous achievements and memories to see what they say about us as a country, and what our love affair with sport means.
WHAT SPORTS ARE YOU LOOKING AT?
We wanted to make sure we took in lots of different sports – not just football – so we have people in there like ski jumper Eddie the Eagle, ice skaters Torvill and Dean and snooker player Dennis Taylor.
DO YOU WATCH A LOT OF SPORT?
I can watch any sport and get involved. I could sit down in front of the Winter Olympics and find myself obsessed with curling for a week. Or watch a documentary about Torvill and Dean and find myself genuinely enthralled.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST GET INTERESTED IN SPORT?
From a pretty early age. My mum was far more into sport than my dad was. He hated it, but my mum was into football, hockey and athletics.
She was so passionate that my dad subsequently did get into sport, and by the time I was a teenager, he was a football fan!
DID YOU PLAY SPORT AT SCHOOL?
I played football and cricket, and I started up a lacrosse team so I could be in it, but too many people joined up. So I couldn’t even get into a sports team that I had set up!
WHAT ARE YOUR MOST VIVID SPORTING MEMORIES FROM CHILDHOOD?
One story that I’ve been obsessed with, and a very visceral memory from growing up, is the David Beckham saga. We look at the redemption of Beckham, from the sending off against Argentina [in the 1998 World Cup] to the free kick against Greece [in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers]. That goal against Greece is a proper ‘remember where you were when you saw it?’ moment.
HOW FAR BACK IN SPORTING HISTORY ARE YOU GOING?
The original 1908 London Olympic Games features, and we have some amazing footage of ladies dressed in big hats and dresses doing archery – so we’ve delved back quite a long way.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE SPORTS FILMS?
There are some brilliant sports films around. For example, I don’t follow Formula One, but I found Senna gripping. It’s the same with [Netflix documentary series] The Last Dance. I don’t care about basketball at all, but it’s amazing. The best ones are like drama. You have characters, stories, and reveals and twists that pull at people’s heartstrings.
AS A FOOTBALL FAN, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GAMES BEING PLAYED IN EMPTY STADIUMS NOW THE SEASON HAS RESUMED?
There’s the old cliché about the fans being the 12th man, and how important it is to have home advantage. Watching football behind closed doors, it shows just how important the fans really are.
‘I couldn’t even get into a sports team that
I had set up!’
JACK WHITEHALL