Imagine that you were paid to pretend to be a footballer. You'd get to have a kick-about, see yourself playing in front of huge crowds and jet out to hot climates for big European fixtures while barely having to do a day's training. That's what the lads on Sky One's smash hit footy show Dream Team get to do. After winning a place in the UEFA cup, fictional side – Harchester have been drawn to play Real Mallorca. Real Mallorca just happens to be the current club of Karl Fletcher – the ex-Harchester striker. To make it as realistic as possible, Harchester went to Spain to film scenes of 'Fletch' training with the Real Mallorca first team.
The Ground....Real Mallorca's San Moix stadium is a huge and impressive ground, basking in the Mediterranean sunshine. Walking in, MATCH is immediately accosted by the ground's portly security director who announces, "My house is your house." Presumably we're welcome. The crew and cast are filming by the pitch for pre-match training scenes with former Northern Ireland international Gerry Armstrong. MATCH grabs cocky and arrogant striker Scott Lucas, admirably played by Luke Mably, to find out how you get into this line of work. "I went for an audition and the casting director said they were looking for an arrogant, Robbie Fowler-type," says Luke, who is actually one of the least cocky people in the world. "He got me to improvise in front of a camcorder and I just went berserk. I cussed his mum and his clothes and I came out of the audition thinking 'I've messed that one and won't be hearing from them' But they called me back" That doesn't seem too difficult!
Meeting the Team....Former Harchester striker and fictitious Mallorca star Karl Fletcher, played by actor Terry Kiely, prepares to join the Mallorca squad for training. The Spanish team, including the former Barcelona legend and one-time Man Utd. Prospect Nadal, seem perplexed by the whole thing, and while they go for a jog, MATCH talks to Harchester coach Ray Wyatt, played by former 'Brookside' favourite Mark Moraghan, to find out why the show's so popular. "The football side of it is bang on. All the professional footballers watch it. I know a few Liverpool lads like Robbie Fowler and Jamie Redknapp, and they love the show. They sag us off when we get it wrong, but generally they're really in favour." As we watch the Mallorca lads play foot volleyball, MATCH asks the 'coach' what makes Dream Team so realistic. "I based a lot of my character on Peter Ried because as an actor you steal things from people." Says Mark. "Ray always chews gum during a big game. I've stolen that from Sir Alex Ferguson – and so much I do rings true. The only difference is, I'm not under pressure. My job is not on the line." It's a good job too, with the ups and downs Harchester have had this season.
Training with the Team....The sun's really beating down now, and watching Terry train with R.C.D Mallorca, it dawns on us that he could easily be mistaken for one of the player's. Funnily, one member of the team that actually happened to was Tom Redhill, who plays the already legendary Didier Baptiste. Baptiste was the character Liverpool were mistakenly linked with last Autumn after an almighty mix up involving one of England's top tabloids! "I was actually in France on my holiday and when I got back it was in the papers. I took the train to work and I was still half asleep. I was actually reading a Sunday tabloid and in the left hand corner was a picture of Jeffrey Archer and on the right was a picture of me! It was obviously quite a shock." Although Tom enjoyed the attention, he's quick to play down rumours that the makers of the show were behind it. "None of us on the show were involved in it at all, we just all found it funny." It's getting hot so MATCH goes in search of some shade in the Spanish outdoors. 'Fletch' has finally finished his scenes with the Spanish lads and we ask about the comparisons between flashy 'Fletch' and his lookalike, West Ham start Frank Lampard. "In the first series, I had longer hair and everyone said I looked like Frank Lampard," smiles Terry. "Then one day, I met Frank at a Spurs Vs West Ham game and he said to me 'Everyone thinks I look like you!' But he's a great footballer. He gave me his boots and I was like 'Cheers.'" So how important is it that the team can play football? "You don't want to have some poncy actor looking stupid and you, the viewer, going, 'No I don't believe it for a second'," stresses the former Reading Schoolboy. "No-one wants to watch a football show if it's rubbish.
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