Redknapp’s Big Night Out
Jamie Redknapp on how he and his dad Harry make a winning TV team…
They made their names in football, but Harry Redknapp and his son Jamie also proved a winning combination in the entertainment stakes recently when they gamely took part in Ant and Dec’s ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Out of Me Ear’ prank on
Saturday Night Takeaway.
This week sees former King of the Jungle Harry, 74, and Jamie, a team captain on Sky panel series
A League of Their Own, reunite with King Gary star Tom Davis, who joined them last summer for
Redknapp’s Home Fixture on
Sky One, for a new fun-filled football-themed chat show.
Before kick-off, TV Times caught up with Jamie, 47, for a video chat to find out more…
What can viewers expect from your new show?
We’ve got music, chat with celebrity guests from the worlds of sport and entertainment, games, all sorts of bits and pieces! We want it to be warm, friendly, and easy to watch, especially as people have had an incredibly tough time of late.
We loved seeing you and Harry getting pranked by Ant and Dec. Are you doing anything similar?
I’ve done a really fun prank with Dad, with a little help from a big name. If you can prank my dad, you’ve done pretty well – and we got him good and proper!
Harry used to manage you when you were a footballer. What’s it like teaming up for this?
If you’d said to me all those years back, when I was making my debut for Bournemouth as a 16-year-old, that we’d end up doing a TV show together... Well, you’d never have guessed it!
Will we be hearing any of Harry’s famous anecdotes?
People loved him when he was in the jungle in 2018, because he is so good at telling stories and having fun! I think Dad is a unique storyteller, and the comedians
I’ve worked with say the same. So mine and Tom’s job is to get more of these little gems out of him.
What does it mean to you to be working together?
Not many families can say they’ve achieved what we have, in terms of doing things together in different fields, and sharing great memories. When we did the Ant and Dec thing, we were in tears as we were laughing so much! But all I could think was, ‘I’ve got this memory for the rest of my life!’ So it’s a lovely opportunity that gives me so much pride and enjoyment.
Which TV hosts inspire you?
I love Graham Norton and Jonathan Ross. When I was on
[A League of Their Own host] James Corden’s US chat show, I remember thinking how relaxed he looks, how effortless he makes it seem, and how all the guests enjoy his company.
Who’s on your wish list of guests?
We’re hoping that actor Martin Compston is going to come on – unbelievably, I’ve only just started watching Line of Duty! And I’d love to get boxers Tyson Fury and AJ [Anthony Joshua] together. We’ve definitely got Daisy
May Cooper from comedy This
Country and Mel B lined up!
Harry seems very natural on TV…
Dad could have been an actor! Most football managers are acting all the time, when they’re dealing with players or know the cameras are on them. Being on a TV show is not going to faze him when he’s had all the stick you get in football!
What’s the best advice Harry has given you?
I never got the talk about the birds and the bees! He can be brutally honest, but, if you do well, he can’t wait to tell you. And because he is one of those guys who has words of wisdom, there’s a part in the show where people can ask him for advice! Although in the run-through, he was a bit too honest, and I was like, ‘Dad, tone it down a bit!’
Is Harry more relaxed since quitting football?
For him to have this second career is brilliant. When he was managing, I’d hold my breath when I was calling him, thinking, ‘What problems has he got? Who’s injured?’
With Bradley and Barney
Walsh, Michael and Jack Whitehall plus Martin and Roman Kemp (see our interview, right), there are quite a few father-and-son duos on TV, aren’t there?
I love Jack Whitehall and his dad, and the travels they go on. I love