James Richardson talks ‘90s nostalgia, life in Italy, models trains and analysing the beautiful game

Best known as the pun-loving former host of cult Channel 4 show ‘Football Italia’, James Richardson is in Liverpool this November to present ‘The Totally Football Show’ podcast live at the Epstein Theatre.

Interview by Lawrence Saunders

How did you get the job hosting ‘Football Italia’? Is it true you had no previous experience presenting in front of a camera?

Good question! I think largely because I spoke Italian and I knew someone at the company who was looking for somebody to go out and basically do the job.

At the start, it was as much about filming stuff with Paul Gascoigne, who was going to be the face of the programme, but because Gazza gonna Gazza, it swiftly ended up with someone else needing to do the links and stuff.

Do you have a favourite Gascoigne moment from the show?

He was always great fun, really friendly, generous and very down to earth, but I think my favourite moments were probably when we tried to do vaguely amusing openings with him. He was so good at those – it was such a buzz to be alongside him while he was turning it on for the cameras.

I remember doing one, which isn’t funny to recount, but his expression made it. We were talking about the Rome derby and naturally he was injured, as he spent most of the time being. We ‘simmed’ the match on whatever console we had at the time – it was probably a SEGA Mega Drive or something.

The basis of the piece was I was going to talk to him whilst we played as Roma and Lazio. I won and held up the lead of his controller and said ‘next time, plug the controller in!’. His face was so perfect. He knew, but he was just so good at anything like that.

Where did you live in Italy whilst ‘Football Italia’ was on the air?

I lived in Rome from 1992 till 2002. When I came back [to the UK] I definitely missed it. I’ve lived in London since 2002 and they are such different places.

Once you get into the rhythm of one place, it’s quite hard to imagine the other kind of lifestyle. There’s something about life in Italy, and Rome particularly.

 

Why do people still talk about the show with such reverence today, even though it’s been off the air for nearly two decades?

I think there’s a couple of things. Firstly, we were all a lot younger! Secondly, at the time it was quite an unusual thing – it was kind of crazy, the thought of foreign football being on a mainstream channel. That came about mainly because of Gazza, but also Sky taking what became the Premier League off ITV – so there was a vacuum there.

But it was our greatest player, Gazza, going up against the best in the world. It was a unique proposition having not played football in about
18 months.

Why people feel that way [about the show]? There is a lot of nostalgia for the ‘90s, but it was different because you didn’t get [to see] foreign football in the way that you can’t move for it now. In those days it was a real innovation to see these players, who previously you maybe only saw once every couple of years.

It was definitely a different approach which the producers took on the show – basing it in Italy. The fact we didn’t use a studio, I think largely for budget reasons, had the advantage of getting us out and making the most of one of the show’s main features – Italy.

A lot of people find Italy fascinating, and particularly back then. The fact that we could be in all these exotic, aspirational places on a Saturday morning when maybe what was outside the bedroom window wasn’t quite as glamorous, was probably a real selling point.

Speaking of those alluring locations, what is your favourite part of Italy?

There are so many nice parts but per square inch, possibly my favourite bit would be the coastline around Genoa. The little towns where we used to go to hookup with Sampdoria – just some beautiful places – Nervi, Bogliasco – those areas.

Away from football, you’re currently appearing in the second series of Channel 5’s ‘The Great Model Railway Challenge’. Has that been fun to work on?

Yes it has. Any person competing against another person, I think there’s an element to that which anyone can enjoy whatever the medium is – whether it’s football or in this case making miniature dioramas of railway lines.

I love it, but I’ve always really liked model railways. It’s great fun to see people putting something together from scratch and then three days later you’ve got, in some cases, absolutely exceptional recreations of London King’s Cross station or scenes from ‘The War of the Worlds’.

It’s great fun. I just to get wander round, drink cups of tea and make stupid puns about trains. I really like the show and I would urge everyone to watch it!

Will you back on our screens this Christmas with ‘The World’s Strongest Man’?

Yes. It took place in Bradenton, Florida this year. It’s a particularly spectacular edition – the way that it works out is quite dramatic.

The Totally Football Show (TFS) is bringing its live show to Liverpool for the first in November. What should people expect?

I’m not entirely sure what people should expect! Basically, we like to talk about football and we like to hear each other talk about football but only when we’ve got something funny and interesting to say, or maybe a different or provocative take on the subject.

Football gets talked about all the time so we like to take a slightly different approach, entertain ourselves and everybody who comes along. The live shows are an opportunity to say some of the things we really can’t air in a broadcast environment because they’re either a bit strong or legally questionable.

But also [the live shows] are a chance to meet people and throw the floor open – as much as possible I like to get the agenda driven by whatever audience members want to ask. We’re just coming along to do what we normally do in the studio, which is have some fun talking about football, and maybe, just maybe, learn something along the way.

TFS heads to the Epstein Theatre on Monday 25 November with James Richardson and producer Ben joined on stage by Raphael Honigstein, as well as podcast favourites Julien Laurens and Duncan Alexander. Tickets are available here