Matt Lucas and Elis James to host

Sky TV is planning to revive Fantasy Football League, with Matt Lucas and Elis James in line to host.

Swansea fan James confirmed the news on Twitter, posting: 'We’re recording this next week, it’s a dream come true. The dream of course being to load it with so many references to Swansea City and Wales that it borders on (without becoming) unwatchable.'

David Baddiel ,who created the1990s format with Frank Skinner, said the revamp had their blessing.

The news was initially broken by The Sun, with a source telling the newspaper: ‘Fantasy Football is one of the most iconic football shows ever and there's been a hugely vocal demand for its return for several years. Sky believe their version can do it justice and eventually spark a full-on series. It will be very much in the mould of the original with a few modern tweaks.’

 James already co-hosts the Socially Distanced Sports Bar podcast with Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero, and fronts the Feast Of Football podcast for BBC Radio Wales.  Meanwhile,  Lucas is a high-profile Arsenal fan.

Mixing football discussion and comedy games, the original Fantasy Football League started on BBC Two in 1994 and ran for three series, then moved to ITV for live specials for the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2004.

The reboot may be timed to tie in with the World Cup in Qatar in November and December.

Published: 29 Apr 2022