The format was originally heavily reliant on an actual fantasy football league, made up of teams picked by regular guest celebrities at the point that the game became popular in the mid-1990s. Each week, one or more of the celebrities would appear on the show and chat about football and their fantasy line-ups. As the show progressed on television, however, the fantasy league was pushed to the background in favour of sketches and clips, and was eventually dropped altogether. The latter shows still had guest appearances, from the likes of Nick Hornby, Damon Albarn, Peter Cook etc., although the departure of the fantasy team format meant it was less essential the guests had a decent football knowledge than before. The television set was designed as a mock-up of the London flat where the hosts were purported to live, the idea being to represent the environment in which normal "lads" watch football at home. Celebrity guests would stand outside the "front door" of the set and ring the "doorbell" before being let in and announced. In the 'kitchen' area stood the third regular on the show, Angus Loughran, referred to only as "Statto". Clad only in a dressing gown and pyjamas, he would dispense footballing facts and statistics on demand, particularly in the early shows when the fantasy league element was strongest. He was the butt of many of Frank and David's jokes, and was often made fun of for being apparently dull and naive, but quickly became an audience favourite.
Segments
Other recurring moments in the show included:
Phoenix from the Flames – David and Frank recreate a famous moment from footballing history, usually with a retired pro or other famous footballing figure. This was a regular feature on the show recreating a famous moment from footballing history with one of the people involved at the time. Up to the last episode of the programme, on 3 July 2004, the number of recreations had reached 84.
Jeff Astle Sings – former West Bromwich Albion player Jeff Astle would come in at the end of the show and lead the guests in an improbable rendition of a classic song over the credits. A minute's silence was broadcast on the show in his memory in UEFA Euro 2004 due to his death two years earlier, and various ex-players continued the tradition by singing on the show.
The Big Hello – David and Frank would announce that they were going to say a 'Big Hello' to someone who would then say 'hello' on a pre-recorded video clip. The whole studio would then reply with a very loud "HELLO". After Germany were eliminated from Euro 2004, this was as a one-off changed to "A big goodbye" with the pre-recorded clip being the goal that knocked them out of the competition.
A Few Things We've Noticed from Watching Football – Amusing clips that may have gone unnoticed by the viewer when originally shown. These often provided the basis for sketches or other gags later in the episode.
Controversies
Skinner and Baddiel performed a sketch with toys, using a Mr. Potato Head to portray Nottingham Forest manager Frank Clark and a toy footballer with a pineapple on top to portray Forest striker Jason Lee and his unusual hairstyle. This led to Lee suffering torrents of abuse from fans at actual matches, including chants like "He's got a pineapple, on his head, he's got a big pineapple, on his head!". Some sketches also featured David Baddiel in blackface. In response to the racism, Lee said: "I'd ask them if they realised the significance of what they were doing. It was, looking back, a form of bullying. I work in equalities now, and it can affect different people in different ways. I don't think people appreciate the possible harm it can cause. Not everyone has the make-up to deal with that, and they shouldn't have to."
Jimmy Greaves and Ian St John made a rare appearance back together as guests on the show during Euro 2004. Although idolised by Skinner and Baddiel, St John admitted in his autobiography he had not enjoyed the experience. The two were likely to have been invited on as they were often parodied by Skinner and Baddiel in the early series talking about the Endsleigh League as if 'it's important' — a reference to the fact the ITV only had the rights to the Football League and not to either the Premiership or the FA Cup at the time.
Brigitte Nielsen was a guest on the first episode of the 1998 series along with musician Jean-Michel Jarre but was under the influence of alcohol throughout most of the episode. Neilsen's behavior was erratic throughout the show, including taking David Baddiel's glasses, attacking him with a Danish pastry and exposing the top of her breasts to the audience whilst making slurred and unintelligible speeches. At one point, Frank Skinner told Brigitte to "sit down, you're making a twat of yourself". This appearance later was featured on a number "TV Moments From Hell" compilations.
Theme song
The show's theme song consisted of the words "Fantasy Football League" sung over and over to the tune of "Back Home", the England team's official song from the 1970 World Cup. After the move to ITV for the 1998 World Cup, the theme was changed to that formerly used by the channel's World of Sport series. For the Euro 2004 series, the theme was changed again to the one formerly used on the Saint and Greavsie show. The various cutaway segments in the show would usually be introduced by having their titles sung over the show's main theme tune. The names of the celebrity guests were also sung in this way as they made their way into the "flat".
