Author:Matthew Solon,John Sessions
After five years of planning and an 18-month campaign costing more than £15m, England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup ended in humiliation in front of millions of TV viewers around the world. This thrilling drama tells the behind-the-scenes story of what happened in Zurich in the days leading up to the momentous announcement on 2nd December 2010. The England bid team - which included David Beckham and Prince William - arrived with high hopes. They had a strong bid and their presentation to the FIFA voting executives went without a hitch. But behind the confident facade, a desperate struggle was taking place as England jostled with other countries, courting FIFA executive members, lobbying for votes and making deals. This is a gripping story of hope, broken promises and disappointment, starring John Sessions and written by Matthew Solon. Directed by John Dryden. A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4.
He's blessed with the sort of laid back charm and sharp turn of phrase you can't manufacture
—— Daily TelegraphManford paints a warm picture of a chaotic poor-but-happy childhood filled with earthy characters, from an eccentric uncle to a big-hearted tart he met on his paper round
—— Evening StandardOne of the most consistently funny and effortlessly charming new comics around
—— Jonathan RossSeveral instances are much less commonplace, no matter how matter-of-factly Manford relates them - such as the heroin addict uncle who used to crash on the family sofa. And there surely can't be many people who have a story about liberating a cooker from a murder victim's house ... The adventure is like a modern-day Laurel and Hardy sketch, though told with a mordant humour
—— ChortleWho wouldn't feel a rush of delight to see the stand-up and perennial panel show host Jason Manford peeking out of their Christmas stocking?
—— Independent on Sunday