Season 3 Episode 4

Episode 144

 

Sky One Transmission Date:

Thursday 30th September 1999

 

Written By

Olly Dennis

 

Directed By

Henry Foster

 

Ann, Julie, Biloo

 

 

Sean, Scott

 

 

Julie, Leon

 

 

Tank, Pilot, Biloo

GS: Biloo Kapur (Hari Dhillon)  Johnny Rizzanella (Geoff Cotton)

 

At half time at the Amsterdam Arena, Sky Sports reports that Sean is coming on, with Gary Blackburn brought off. Luis praises Sean before they go out, asking him to be not one but two players out there, and to bring the "Hocknell magic". With only two goals away from winning tonight, the lads go out for the second half with their spirits raised. Ann listens as Biloo attempts to sweet-talk Julie into knowing what's best for Leon's career i.e. him. There is drama when it looks like Witschge has taken Ajax's lead, but it is ruled off-side.

 

Harchester win, and Sean speaks to the cameras with Scott, and is awarded the Man of the Match champagne. Sean is pressed on his future with Harchester, and he proudly announces that he is staying put. As the team gather to board the coach to the airport, Leon is shocked to see Julie is here, and Biloo organises a breakfast meeting with Jerry for Sean to sign his new contract with the club. Luis meets Johnny and his associate Ricardo Valdez from Real Madrid, and Johnny advises Luis that he needs to say what he wants pretty soon as there are other interested parties for Ricardo to consider.

 

Luis gets a message that the team's official flight home has been delayed. Leon finds a quiet corner of the airport to pluck up the coverage to present the impatient Julie with the engagement ring, and when he asks her to marry him she says yes. Luis tells Biloo the latest that the team's plane has to be changed but they can't do this until tomorrow morning. Biloo offers Luis a seat on his plane with Sean so the three can still make the breakfast meeting.

 

Biloo offers Michael and Ann seats on his private jet but when Julie comes along showing off her engagement ring they allow the happy couple to join Sean and Gary Blackburn on board. Johnny drills it into Luis that Ricardo isn't going to wait for him and Luis inadvertently sends Tank onto the plane in his place! As the rest of the team head off to the airport hotel, the others on the plane are warned to strap in as the flight will be experiencing some turbulence, as it flies off into thunder and lightening.

 

Notes:

 

Last appearances of Sean Hocknell (Daymon Britton), Leon Richards (Nathan Constance) and Julie Alexander (Julie Smith). Final appearance also of Biloo Kapur (Hari Dhillon) who had been a recurring character since the third ever episode 1.3.

 

·          The Best: Sean finding his form again and pledging his future to Harchester, kissing his badge. Richard Keyes reporting Ajax have been beaten by a team two weeks ago they had never heard of. Michael and Ann pondering if Leon and Julie will last(!)

 

Logic: That Biloo didn’t just re-call Jerry to arrange their meeting from breakfast to lunch, and fly the next day with the rest of the team on official transport and not in bad weather, would have saved a few lives.

 

·          Continuity: Luis’s half time team talk reminds the boys of how a few months ago they beat Manchester United, the best team in Europe. Kelly's “lucky match grapes” are green and not purple. Kind of defeats the purpose. Julie tells Ann she has only been going out with Leon for six months.

 

What Was The Score?: A pass from Sean leads to a goal from Scott, and although momentarily stunned, Ajax strike back with a second goal from Richard Knopper. Luis is brought down and a penalty is awarded, which Sean scores. Harchester win on the away goal rule.

 

·          Behind The Scenes: While it was Daymon Britton’s decision to leave the show, later confirmed by Jane that Nathan Constance would also have been kept alongside him, and presumably Julie Smith chose to leave, considering the wealth of work she did after DT, it is a damn shame, and felt in the series, that Sean Hocknell was killed off. With his special status as an original (Episode 1) character, plus the later returns of his best friend Fletch, it felt like there were many times in the show’s future where Sean could have fitted in had the door been left open.

 

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