Comedian is serious about rugby goal
Adam Hills: Take His Legs
Channel 4, 11.30pm
IT’S a busy night for comedian Adam Hills. Not only is he hosting The Last Leg Election Special, he’s also bringing us the documentary Take His Legs, which sees him setting out on an emotional journey to play competitive rugby league. No doubt The Last Leg special will be important to the Australian-born comedian, but it’s fair to say he came to hosting satirical programmes about British politics by accident, as The Last Leg started life as a companion piece to the 2012 Paralympics.
Adam says: “In 2012 I was meant to be in Britain for six or seven weeks, doing The Fringe, and then I was going to hang around and do a few more gigs and then come home. And then I was offered ten nights of doing The Last Leg during the Paralympics, and I thought ‘Okay, we’ll give that a crack and then we’ll go back to Australia.’
He adds: “And then before we’d even finished the Paralympics, Channel 4 were talking to me, saying ‘How long can you stay around for, what would you like to do?’ We never thought The Last Leg would become a series. It just felt so intrinsically tied to the Paralympics that there’s no way it would survive on its own.”
Eighteen series later and it’s clear The Last Leg has staying power. But while that was an unexpected surprise, rugby league has been a life-long passion for Adam and Take His Legs is the culmination of a childhood dream.
The comedian told Chortle he was drawn to the “the pride in the sport.
“You talk to someone who loves rugby league and they are passionate about rugby league. They’ll swear ‘til they die it’s the best sport on the planet.”
Hills, who was born without a right foot, was one of the driving forces behind establishing the first Physical Disability Rugby League (PDRL) team, the Warrington Wolves, in the UK.
This film follows Hills and his Wolves teammates as they prepare for the biggest game of their lives, playing against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at the world-famous ANZ Stadium in Australia at the first ever International Club Challenge.
Hills and his teammates will be meeting the Rabbitohs’ owner, actor Russell Crowe, but hopefully they won’t be too starstruck as this is their chance to prove they are the best in the world.
But more than that, it’s a chance for Hills to achieve something he never thought possible as he goes on a journey from celebrity advocate and enthusiast to teammate. Along the way, he makes friends with some truly incredible men and learns more about their battles with mental health and PTSD, and how sport can provide a support network.
Adam says: “Playing Physical Disability Rugby League has been one of the greatest adventures of my life.
“I’m so glad we brought a camera with us, because it took me to places I never expected. Like Wakefield. More than that though, it has shown me the power that sport has to change lives.”