The First Team (TV series)

The First Team (stylised as The F1rst Team) is a British comedy television series, created by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris, both well known for their work on The Inbetweeners.[3] The series follows the lives of Mattie Sullivan (Jake Short), Benji Achebe (Shaquille Ali-Yebuah) and Jack Turner (Jack McMullen), who are young players of a fictional Premier League football team.[4]

The First Team
GenreComedy[1]
Created by
Written by
  • Damon Beesley
  • Iain Morris
Directed by
  • Damon Beesley
  • Iain Morris
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Damon Beesley
  • Caroline Leddy
  • Iain Morris
  • Gregor Sharp
  • Tom Werner
ProducerSam Pinnell
CinematographySimon Tindall
Editors
  • Charlie Fawcett
  • William Webb
Running time27–30 minutes[2]
Production companies
Release
Original network
Original release28 May (2020-05-28) –
2 July 2020 (2020-07-02)

Produced by BBC Studios and the creators' production company Fudge Park Productions, the sole series began broadcasting on BBC Two on 28 May 2020, consisting of six episodes, concluding on 2 July the same year.[2] The series received mixed reviews by critics.[5][6]

Plot

Focusing on the lives of young players Mattie, Jack and Benji, the show follows the trio as they contend with the manifold issues on and off the field that are associated with modern-day football. One of the overriding themes of the show, according to Beesley, is the "fault lines, where masculinity and insecurity collide".[4]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Guest

Production

Development

The series was created by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris, who were notable for producing the famous E4 comedy television series The Inbetweeners.[9] The series, entitled The First Team, was reported to be focused on the lives of players in a fictional Premier League football team, similar to the format of former ITV drama television programme Footballers' Wives.[9] The programme's crew was mainly made up of former members of The Inbetweeners crew, with Beesley and Morris' self-constructed production company Fudge Park Productions collaborating with BBC Studios to produce the series.[9][10]

Casting

In September 2019, the cast was confirmed, with Jake Short, Shaquille Ali-Yebuah and Jack McMullen set to star.[10] This was the first British production in which Short had appeared - he was previously known for his work for Disney Channel in the United States (although Short's previous Disney Channel appearances had been broadcast to viewers in the British Isles on Disney Channel UK and Ireland and Disney XD UK and Ireland respectively).[11] It was Ali-Yebuah's first lead role in both television and film.[10]

Theo Barklem-Biggs and Tamla Kari were cast in supporting roles, both having appeared in previous Beesley and Morris projects: Barklem-Biggs in The Inbetweeners Movie and Kari in both this and The Inbetweeners 2.[10] Other notable cast members included Will Arnett, Phil Wang and Neil Fitzmaurice.[10]

Filming

The series was filmed across the United Kingdom. The football stadium and training complex were filmed at Charlton Athletic Football Club's facilities: The Valley and their Sparrows Lane training complex.[12] Furthermore, a fan of the programme stated that they had witnessed the programme also being filmed in a local Charlton pub named The Rose of Denmark.[12]

When filming in Chester, England international footballer Raheem Sterling was seen at the same Costco store where the crew were filming.[12] It appeared that Sterling was a friend of Shaquille Ali-Yebuah, who portrays the role of Benji Achebe.[12] The scenes where the three main characters visit Petey Brooks's (Theo Barklem-Biggs) home was filmed at a private residence in Sevenoaks, Kent.[13][12]

Episodes
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
11"Selling Shirts"[14]Damon Beesley
Iain Morris		Damon Beesley
Iain Morris		28 May 2020 (2020-05-28)N/A
New signing Mattie arrives. Meanwhile, club hardman Petey takes a dislike to him, and a team-mate shares an embarrassing problem.
22"New Friends"[15]Damon Beesley
Iain Morris		Damon Beesley
Iain Morris		4 June 2020 (2020-06-04)N/A
Mattie befriends the team's star player Carlos Velez. Meanwhile, Jack plucks up courage to date a girl he met online, and Benji is approached by a mysterious Malaysian businessman.
33"Octopus Situation"[16]Damon Beesley
Iain Morris		Damon Beesley
Iain Morris		11 June 2020 (2020-06-11)N/A
After a sexual conduct briefing, Mattie, Benji and Jack are determined to keep out of trouble, but a chance meeting with friendly Nicola leads to a very tricky situation.
44"International Break"[17]Damon Beesley
Iain Morris		Damon Beesley
Iain Morris		18 June 2020 (2020-06-18)N/A
Petey insists that Mattie, Jack and Benji come to his BBQ. Meanwhile Jack's dad oversteps the mark with his online posts and Cesare's job as manager starts to look uncertain.
55"Pints of Sorry"[18]Damon Beesley
Iain Morris		Damon Beesley
Iain Morris		25 June 2020 (2020-06-25)N/A
The Chairman announces a caretaker manager. After a poor start the team is forced to attend a pub night as an apology to the fans. Benji employs a social media manager.
66"Upheaval"[19]Damon Beesley
Iain Morris		Damon Beesley
Iain Morris		2 July 2020 (2020-07-02)N/A
Petey plots to bring an end to Chris Booth's run of success. Meanwhile Jack gets a girlfriend and plans a romantic surprise. Benji has had enough of his social media manager.

Reception

The show received mixed reviews after its release, being dubbed "a football sitcom fit for relegation", with 2/5 star reviews in both The Guardian[5] and The Radio Times.[6] The review from The Evening Standard, however, was more positive, asserting that despite a slow start, by episode two, the series "feels a lot more confident and funny".[20]

See also
  • Ted Lasso, American sitcom featuring an American manager who joins a Premier League club

References
  1. "BBC Two - The First Team". BBC. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  2. "BBC iPlayer - The First Team". BBC. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  3. "Meet the cast of BBC Two's The First Team". The Radio Times.
  4. "The First Team: Release date, trailer, cast & how to watch new football comedy series". Goal.com.
  5. Nicholson, Rebecca (28 May 2020). "The First Team review – a football sitcom fit for relegation". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  6. Cremona, Patrick (28 May 2020). "The First Team review: BBC Two's football sitcom hits the post with underwhelming start". The Radio Times. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  7. "The First Team - BBC2". British Comedy Guide.
  8. "The F1rst Team (TV Series 2020 -) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb.
  9. "The First Team release date, cast, trailer for BBC comedy". Radio Times. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  10. "BBC - Casting announced for brand new BBC Two comedy The First Team - The Media Centre". BBC. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  11. Andreeva, Nellie (3 September 2015). "Lab Rats & Mighty Med Spin-off Series to Succeed the Two Comedies on Disney XD". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  12. "Where was The First Team filmed? Filming locations of BBC show explored". HITC. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  13. "Kent Film Office".
  14. ""The F1rst Team" Selling Shirts (TV Episode 2020)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  15. ""The F1rst Team" New Friends (TV Episode 2020)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  16. ""The F1rst Team" Octopus Situation (TV Episode 2020)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  17. ""The F1rst Team" International Break (TV Episode 2020)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  18. ""The F1rst Team" Pints of Sorry (TV Episode 2020)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  19. ""The F1rst Team" Upheaval (TV Episode 2020)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  20. Butter, Susannah (28 May 2020). "The First Team review: Unlikely lads make this slow-burn sitcom not just for football fans". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
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