''Footballers' Wives'' is a British television
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
about fictional
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club Earls Park F.C., its players, and their wives, broadcast on
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
from 2002 to 2006. The show initially focuses on three very different couples, but from the third series onward revolves around a complex love triangle between
Tanya Turner
Tanya Louise Turner (also Laslett and Frederico) is a fictional television character. She is the lead character on the ITV drama ''Footballers' Wives'', and also briefly appeared on the drama '' Bad Girls''. Tanya is portrayed by English actress ...
(
Zöe Lucker
Zöe Elizabeth Lucker (born 11 April 1974) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Sonya Leach in ''Coronation Street'' Tanya Turner in the ITV drama series, ''Footballers' Wives''; Vanessa Gold in the long-running BBC One soap ope ...
),
Amber Gates
The following is a list of actors/actresses featured in the five series' of the United Kingdom TV series ''Footballers' Wives''.
Series 1
*Zöe Lucker as Tanya Turner (Series 1–5)Lucker and Taylforth are the only cast members to have starred ...
(
Laila Rouass
Laila Rouass (née Abdesselam) is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayals of Amber Gates in ''Footballers' Wives'' (2004–2006) and Sahira Shah in ''Holby City'' (2011–2012, 2021). She has also starred in ''Primeval'' and '' ...
), and
Conrad Gates
The following is a list of actors/actresses featured in the five series' of the United Kingdom TV series ''Footballers' Wives''.
Series 1
*Zöe Lucker as Tanya Turner (Series 1–5)Lucker and Taylforth are the only cast members to have starred ...
(
Ben Price
Ben Price (born 30 June 1972) is a British actor, director and writer. He has played the role of Nick Tilsley in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' and has made four films as a writer/director, the first of which, ''I'm Sorry To Tell You' ...
).
The show has earned a cult following since its cancellation and launched on
BritBox
BritBox is an online digital video subscription service, founded by BBC Studios and ITV plc, operating in nine countries across North America, Europe, Australia and South Africa. in 2021.
Background
The show is centred on the fictional Earls Park Football Club (nicknamed "Sparks"). The series, based on the book, ''Footballers' Wives Tell Their Tales,'' by
Shelley Webb
Shelley Webb is a British TV presenter, writer, and sports journalist and author of the book ''Footballers' Wives Tell Their Tales''. The book was the basis of the ITV series ''Footballers' Wives'', which was an "enormous hit."
Personal life
Web ...
, wife of British footballer
Neil Webb
Neil John Webb (born 30 July 1963) is an English football manager, former footballer and television pundit.
He primarily played as a midfielder but also played as a defender between 1980 and 1997, notably in the top flight for Manchester Unit ...
,
was produced by Liz Lake, Claire Phillips, and Cameron Roach, with Brian Park as executive producer. The show began as an ensemble of three different football couples, but from the third series on the show largely revolved around the character
Tanya Turner
Tanya Louise Turner (also Laslett and Frederico) is a fictional television character. She is the lead character on the ITV drama ''Footballers' Wives'', and also briefly appeared on the drama '' Bad Girls''. Tanya is portrayed by English actress ...
(
Zöe Lucker
Zöe Elizabeth Lucker (born 11 April 1974) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Sonya Leach in ''Coronation Street'' Tanya Turner in the ITV drama series, ''Footballers' Wives''; Vanessa Gold in the long-running BBC One soap ope ...
). Lucker left the series halfway through series four, and returned midway through the next series, by which time the series' ratings had fallen significantly. The series was cancelled in 2006.
Cast
*
Zöe Lucker
Zöe Elizabeth Lucker (born 11 April 1974) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Sonya Leach in ''Coronation Street'' Tanya Turner in the ITV drama series, ''Footballers' Wives''; Vanessa Gold in the long-running BBC One soap ope ...
as
Tanya Turner
Tanya Louise Turner (also Laslett and Frederico) is a fictional television character. She is the lead character on the ITV drama ''Footballers' Wives'', and also briefly appeared on the drama '' Bad Girls''. Tanya is portrayed by English actress ...
(Series 1–5)
*
Gillian Taylforth
Gillian Taylforth (born 14 August 1955) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Kathy Beale on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', and has also appeared as Jackie Pascoe/Webb on ITV's ''Footballers' Wives'' (2002–2006), and as ...
as Jackie Pascoe/Webb (Series 1–5)
*
Alison Newman
Alison Newman (born 25 January 1968) is a British actress, best known for her role in the hit ITV1 television series ''Footballers' Wives'' as Hazel Bailey, and as DCI Samantha Keeble in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''.
Biography
Alison N ...
as Hazel Bailey (Series 1–4)
*
Gary Lucy
Gary Edward Lucy (born 27 November 1981) is an English actor, television personality and model who is best known for playing Will Fletcher in the ITV police drama ''The Bill'', Luke Morgan in ''Hollyoaks'', Kyle Pascoe in ''Footballer's Wives' ...
as Kyle Pascoe (Series 1–3)
*
Susie Amy
Susie Amy is an English actress and model. She is best known for her role as Chardonnay Lane-Pascoe in the ITV series ''Footballers' Wives''. Amy has also appeared in films '' Modigliani'', ''La Femme Musketeer'', '' House of 9'' and ''Hollyoaks ...
as Chardonnay Lane-Pascoe (Series 1–2)
*
Cristian Solimeno
Cristian David Solimeno (born 27 April 1975) is a British actor, writer and director.
Personal life
Solimeno was born in Hammersmith, London, England. He grew up in Paris and is of English and Italian descent via his father Ambrogio.
Career
He ...
as Jason Turner (Series 1–2)
*
John Forgeham
John Henry George Forgeham (14 May 1941 – 10 March 2017) was an English actor known for his television work, notably the role of businessman Frank Laslett in the ITV (TV network), ITV series ''Footballers' Wives''.
Born in Kidderminster, Wo ...
as Frank Laslett (Series 1–3)
*
Julie Legrand
Julie Legrand (born in Pitlochry, Scotland) is a British television, film, and stage actress best known for her role as Jeanette Dunkley on ''Footballers' Wives''. She has also guest starred in a wide variety of British television shows, as we ...
as Jeanette Dunkley (Series 1–2, 4; crossed over to ''Footballers' Wives: Extra Time'' (recurring))
*
Daniel Schutzmann
Daniel Schutzmann is a half-Israeli actor. He is a fan of football and a big Arsenal Football Club fan. He is most popular for his role as Italian football player, Salvatore Biagi, on the ITV drama, ''Footballers' Wives'' and for his role as M ...
as Salvatore Biagi (Series 1–2)
*
Nathan Constance
Nathan Constance (born 7 January 1979 in London) is an English actor and Voice Over Artist. He is best known for his work as a character performer in AAA Video Games, as handyman-turned-Prison Officer Josh Mitchell in prison drama series, '' Bad G ...
as Ian Walmsley (Series 1–2)
*
Katherine Monaghan
Katherine Monaghan (born 1980) is a British actress best known for her role as Donna Walmsley on ''Footballers' Wives''. Since then she has appeared in the BBC dramas ''55 Degrees North'' and ''Judge John Deed''.
Away from television Monaghan a ...
as Donna Walmsley (Series 1–2)
*
Philip Bretherton
Philip Bretherton (born 30 May 1955) is an English actor best known for his role as Alistair Deacon in the long-running British television series '' As Time Goes By''.
Early life
Bretherton was born in Preston, Lancashire, and studied English ...
as Stefan Hauser (Series 1–2)
*
Peter Ash
Peter Ash (born 4 February 1985) is an English actor from Newton Heath, Greater Manchester who has starred in British television series such as ''Casualty'', ''Footballers' Wives'', ''Hollyoaks '' and ''Coronation Street''.
Early life
He atten ...
as Darius Fry (Series 2–5; crossed over to ''Footballers' Wives: Extra Time'')
*
Laila Rouass
Laila Rouass (née Abdesselam) is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayals of Amber Gates in ''Footballers' Wives'' (2004–2006) and Sahira Shah in ''Holby City'' (2011–2012, 2021). She has also starred in ''Primeval'' and '' ...
as Amber Gates (Series 3–5)
*
Jesse Birdsall
Jesse Birdsall (born 13 February 1963) is an English actor, known for his roles as Marcus Tandy in the BBC1 soap opera ''Eldorado'', Nick Beckett in the adventure series '' Bugs'' (1995–1999), football manager Roger Webb in ''Footballers' Wive ...
as Roger Webb (Series 3–5)
*
Sarah Barrand
Sarah Barrand (born 2 November 1985) is an English actress known for her role as Shannon Donnelly-Lawson in ''Footballers Wives'' and its ITV2 spin-off, '' Footballers' Wives: Extra Time''. Barrand grew up in Southport, Merseyside.
She has play ...
as Shannon Donnelly-Lawson (Series 3–5)
*
Ben Price
Ben Price (born 30 June 1972) is a British actor, director and writer. He has played the role of Nick Tilsley in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' and has made four films as a writer/director, the first of which, ''I'm Sorry To Tell You' ...
as Conrad Gates (Series 3–4)
*
Jamie Davis as Harley Lawson (Series 3–4)
*
Marcel McCalla
Marcel McCalla (born February 1981) is a British actor, voice artist and musician from London. He has appeared in several stage productions and television shows, including ''Grange Hill'' for five series and ''Footballers' Wives'' for two series ...
as Noah Alexander (Series 3-4)
*
Helen Latham
Helen Latham (born 2 March 1976, in the UK) is a British actress. She is best known for playing Lucy Milligan in series 4 and 5 of the British TV drama ''Footballers' Wives'' and in series 1 and 2 of its spin-off '' Footballers' Wives: Extra Ti ...
as Lucy Milligan (Series 4–5)
*
Ben Richards as Bruno Milligan (Series 4–5)
*
Tom Swire
Tom Swire is a former British actor best known for playing Seb Webb in ''Footballers Wives'' and its ITV2 spin-off '' Footballers' Wives: Extra Time''. He has also appeared in the BBC series ''Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in La ...
as Sebastian Webb (Series 4; crossed over to ''Footballers' Wives: Extra Time'')
*
Craig Gallivan
Craig Gallivan (born 9 February 1984, in Swansea) is a Welsh actor best known for playing Callum Watson in the ITV1 series ''Footballers Wives'', alongside the ITV2 spin-off '' Footballers' Wives: Extra Time'' and more recently as Luke in Ru ...
as Callum Watson (Series 5)
*
Lucia Giannecchini
Lucia Giannecchini is an England, English actress (born 9 June 1980) who played Urszula Rosen in the fifth season of ''Footballers' Wives.'' As a child she lived in Cheshire, England and Lucca, Italy and now resides in Central London.
References
...
as Urszula Rosen (Series 5)
*
Phina Oruche
Phina Oruche (born 31 August 1969) is a Nigerian British actress, radio presenter and former model best known for her performances as Liberty Baker in ITV's ''Footballers' Wives'', for which she won a Screen Nations Award for Favourite TV Star.
...
as Liberty Baker (Series 5)
*
Angela Ridgeon
Angela "Angel" Ridgeon is a British actress best known for her role as Trisha Watson on the fifth season of ''Footballers' Wives''.
Filmography
*''Footballers' Wives'' as Trisha Watson (2006)
*'' Footballers' Wives: Extra Time'' as Trisha Watso ...
as Trisha Watson (Series 5)
*Jay Rodan as Paulo Bardosa (Series 5)
*
Chucky Venice
Charles Venn (born 24 June 1973), formerly known by the stage names Chucky Venice and Chucky Venn, is a British actor, known for his roles as Ray Dixon in ''EastEnders'', Jacob Masters in '' Casualty'', Curtis Alexander in Sky One's ''Dream Team ...
as Tremaine Gidigbi (Series 5)
*
Nicholas Ball as Garry Ryan (Series 5; crossed over from ''Footballers' Wives: Extra Time'')
A number of celebrities made cameo appearances in the series, appearing as themselves. They include:
Peter Stringfellow
Peter James Stringfellow (17 October 1940 – 7 June 2018) was an English businessman who owned several nightclubs.
Early life
Stringfellow was born in the City General Hospital, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on 17 October 1940, to Elsie Bowers a ...
,
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
Tara Claire Palmer-Tomkinson (23 December 1971 – 8 February 2017), also known as T P-T, was an English socialite and television personality. She appeared in several television shows, including the reality programme '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me ...
,
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
,
Antony Worrall Thompson
Henry Antony Cardew Worrall Thompson (born 1 May 1951) is an English restaurateur and celebrity chef, television presenter and radio broadcaster.
Early life
Worrall Thompson was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. His parents, Michae ...
,
Peter Andre
Peter Andre (born Peter James Andrea, 27 February 1973) is an English-Australian singer and television personality of Australian descent.
Andre gained popularity as a singer, best known for his singles "Mysterious Girl" and " Flava". He is als ...
,
Lionel Blair
Lionel Blair (born Henry Lionel Ogus; 12 December 1928 – 4 November 2021) was a Canadian-born British actor, choreographer, tap dancer, and television presenter. From the late 1960s until the early 1980s, he made regular appearances as a danc ...
,
Richard Madeley
Richard Holt Madeley ( born 13 May 1956) is an English television presenter and writer. Alongside his wife Judy Finnigan, he presented '' This Morning'' and the chat show ''Richard & Judy''. Madeley's solo projects include the ITV series '' Fort ...
,
Judy Finnigan
Judith Adele Finnigan (born 16 May 1948) is an English television presenter and writer. She co-presented ITV's '' This Morning'' (1988–2001, 2019–) and the Channel 4 chat show, ''Richard & Judy'' (2001–2008) alongside her husband Richard ...
,
Calum Best
Calum Milan Best (born February 6, 1981) is a British-American television personality. He is the only child of footballer George Best.
Early life
Best was born in San Jose, California, the son of parents from the United Kingdom: Angie Best (bor ...
and
Rula Lenska
Rula Lenska (born Róża Maria Leopoldyna Łubieńska, 30 September 1947) is a British actress. She mainly appears in British stage and television productions and is known in the United States for a series of television advertisements in the 19 ...
, as well as footballers
Sol Campbell
Sulzeer Jeremiah Campbell (born 18 September 1974) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of club Southend United. He previously managed Macclesfield Town from November 2018 to August 20 ...
,
David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman (born 19 September 1963) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In a career lasting from 1981 to 2004, he is best known for his time playing for Arsenal. He won 75 caps for England, and is the country's ...
,
Teddy Sheringham
Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham, MBE (born 2 April 1966) is an English football manager and former player. He played as a forward, mostly as a second striker, in a 24-year professional career.
Sheringham began his career at Millwall, where he ...
and
Nigel Quashie
Nigel Francis Quashie ( ; born 20 July 1978) is an English-born Scottish former footballer who played more than 300 games as a midfielder in the Football League. Between 2004 and 2006, he represented Scotland, the country of his grandfather, at ...
.
Production
The part of Tanya Turner was originally named Tansy.
In the earlier series, Earls Park Football Club's home games were played at the real life
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon which is the home ground of Premier League side Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted international footba ...
, which is the home of
Crystal Palace Football Club
Crystal Palace Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon, Borough of Croydon, South London, England, who compete in the Premier League, the highest level of English ...
. From series three onward, stadium scenes were filmed at the original
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
, former (now demolished) home of
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
.
Episodes
Series 1 (2002)
Series one was shown between 8 January and 26 February 2002 with eight episodes. The series follows a group of footballers' wives whose husbands play for Earls Park (nicknamed "Sparks"). Ian Walmsley, Sparks' latest signing, deals with his up-and-coming success. His wife Donna is more concerned with getting their son back from the woman who adopted him after her parents forced her to give him up when she was a teenager. In the final episode, their 8-year-old daughter Holly is kidnapped. Donna's younger sister causes trouble while staying with them. She has a secret fling with the Sparks' mid-fielder, ruthless bad boy Jason Turner, who is married to the beautiful-yet-vile Tanya Turner. Tanya is too busy to worry about the affair as she tries to save her husband's job when club owner Frank Laslett buys 'Italian stallion' Sal Biagi, who takes Jason's job. Tanya and Jason take matters into their own hands on the way home from a club dinner, and in a drunken brawl, Tanya puts Frank in a coma. Jason helps her push his car off the side of the road, making it look like a drunken accident. Series one was produced by Liz Lake.
Series 2 (2003)
Series two was shown between 8 January and 26 February 2003 with eight episodes. Series 2 begins with Tanya and Jason in court, lying on oath. The British population is convinced that Frank is deranged and that he tried to rape Tanya. Charges are dropped, and Tanya walks away scot-free. Chardonnay Lane-Pascoe and
Kyle Pascoe raise
Jackie Pascoe
Jackie or Jacky may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jackie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters named Jackie or Jacky
** Jackie, current ring name of female professional wrestler Jacqueline Moore
** Jackie Lee (I ...
's baby son Paddy as theirs. At the series' end, Jason sits on the rooftop, drunk and feeling sorry for himself, but as he slips and desperately grasps for a life-saving hold on the ledge, an unseen (by the audience) assailant hits his hands with a champagne bottle, causing him to fall to his death. Series two was produced by Claire Phillips.
Series 3 (2004)
Series three was shown between 11 February and 7 April 2004, with nine episodes. The series begins with Chardonnay's funeral following her death from anorexia. It is also revealed that she killed Jason. Tanya marries Frank Laslett as Jason had left her in debt. He also wanted her to admit that he did not rape her and that Jason had made her lie in court. Kyle finds new romance. Tanya has an affair with the new captain
Conrad Gates
The following is a list of actors/actresses featured in the five series' of the United Kingdom TV series ''Footballers' Wives''.
Series 1
*Zöe Lucker as Tanya Turner (Series 1–5)Lucker and Taylforth are the only cast members to have starred ...
and endures his jealous wife,
Amber Gates
The following is a list of actors/actresses featured in the five series' of the United Kingdom TV series ''Footballers' Wives''.
Series 1
*Zöe Lucker as Tanya Turner (Series 1–5)Lucker and Taylforth are the only cast members to have starred ...
. Tanya and Amber soon became arch-enemies and have a vicious catfight. Amber Gates fakes her own kidnapping when Conrad starts seeing Tanya. Harley Lawson and
Shannon Donnelly
Shannon Donnelly (b. March 15 CA) is an author of children’s books, romance novels, video games, and non-fiction books.
Her work has repeatedly earned 4½ Star Top Pick reviews from Romantic Times magazine, as well as praise from Booklist and ...
's lives are turned upside down when he becomes Earls Park's new signing. Conrad also has an affair with new signing Noah Alexander. The season ends with a shocking cliff-hanger. Tanya is pregnant with Frank's child. She killed Frank for his money by "shagging him to death" on a lethal combination of Viagra, alcohol and cocaine. When Amber Gates announces that she is pregnant with Conrad's child, Tanya tries to keep Conrad by claiming that she too is expecting his child. Series three was produced by
Sean O'Connor. This series was nominated for a
National Television Award
The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted ...
in 2004, the only time the series was nominated.
Series 4 (2005)
The fourth was shown between 31 March and 26 May 2005 with nine episodes. Tanya and Amber both have their babies; Tanya had the babies swapped at birth to hide the possibility that hers could be Frank's, but this backfired when Amber's son (Tanya's, really) was smothered to death by Amber's dog. When the swap was discovered, Conrad and Amber claimed their rightful baby back and banished Tanya abroad. The footballers are involved in a rape scandal during a party in Spain. Shannon and Harley have marriage problems and eventually split up. Darius turns out to be the rapist of Katie in Spain, and has a breakdown when she kidnaps him for revenge. Jackie Pascoe marries club manager Roger Webb, who signs his son Seb to the club. Seb tries to cause trouble in their marriage, and is thrown out. Hazel leaves the club with her new girlfriend, a tennis player. New characters
Bruno
Bruno may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname
* Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880)
* Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne, ...
and
Lucy Milligan
Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Luci ...
have an adorable daughter, Angelica, but their marriage is eroding due to control-freak Bruno's emotional and sometimes physical abuse of Lucy. Lucy meets Dr. Giles Arrowsmith on the Internet and runs to him with Angelica in tow. He tries to kill Lucy, Angelica, and himself in his car, believing he is re-creating the accident that killed his real fiancée the previous year. Bruno accidentally shoots Conrad, thinking he is Giles. The final episode was considerably edited for broadcast on ITV, though the full episode was shown in Ireland and Australia. Some cuts from the episode were featured in the first series of Footabllers' Wives: Extra Time, others were featured in series five of Footballers' Wives. The episode was restored for the DVD release. Series four was produced by Cameron Roach.
Series 5 (2006)
After Lucy leaves Bruno at the altar of their ''
Pride and Prejudice
''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...
''-themed wedding, Amber takes the lead as the central character and wastes no time getting revenge on Bruno, knowing he killed Conrad. She moves in with him and inflicts her own brand of psychological torture on him by making him think he is losing his mind. Becoming more desperate, Amber tries to poison, then shoot, him. In her last scene, she shoots Roger Webb, who loses his sight. Amber is then
sectioned
Involuntary commitment, civil commitment, or involuntary hospitalization/hospitalisation is a legal process through which an individual who is deemed by a qualified agent to have symptoms of severe mental disorder is detained in a psychiatric hos ...
and sent to a mental institution for bleeding on the brain. With Amber out of the way, Tanya returns and immediately aims to seduce Earls Park's latest star, Paulo Bardosa, and goes head-to-head with
Eva de Wolffe
Eva or EVA may refer to:
* Eva (name), a feminine given name
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
* Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment
* Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in t ...
(
Joan Collins
Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime ...
). Tanya's joy at snatching Paulo from Eva's clutches is short-lived; he has a breakdown and is taken to a mental hospital, and Tanya finds herself penniless. Shannon, now divorced from Harley and feeling lonely, is delighted to hook up with the new Earls Park signing, Callum Watson. Shannon moves Callum in, but his interfering mother comes along and causes havoc. New club chairman Garry Ryan kills Roger, and Jackie leaves to live with her son Kyle in Australia. Tanya discovers evidence that proved Garry's involvement. As series five ends, Tanya is trying to come to a "settlement" with Garry over the tape-recording that proves he caused Roger's death, when he offers her cocaine laced with poison.
New characters include
Tremaine Gidigbi
The following is a list of actors/actresses featured in the five series' of the United Kingdom TV series ''Footballers' Wives''.
Series 1
*Zöe Lucker as Tanya Turner (Series 1–5)Lucker and Taylforth are the only cast members to have starred ...
and
Liberty Baker
The following is a list of actors/actresses featured in the five series' of the United Kingdom TV series ''Footballers' Wives''.
Series 1
*Zöe Lucker as Tanya Turner (Series 1–5)Lucker and Taylforth are the only cast members to have starred ...
, who marry in episode 5 in a typically over-the-top Egyptian-themed wedding. Liberty, a top supermodel with a striking resemblance to
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is an English model, actress, singer, and businesswoman. She began her career at the age of 15, and established herself amongst the most recognisable and in-demand models of the past four decades. Cam ...
, is exposed by the press for having a lesbian affair with her P.A. Urszula Rosen, then stars in a Japanese advert that makes her look like a cannibal. The fifth and final series was shown between 23 February and 13 April 2006 and consists of eight episodes, and was produced by Cameron Roach.
Cancellation
In May 2006, it was announced by Shed Productions and ITV that no further series of ''Footballers' Wives'' would be commissioned. Its cancellation had been blamed on falling ratings, particularly during its fifth and final series.
Reception
Ratings
Awards and nominations
''Footballers' Wives'' has been nominated for several awards; in 2004, there were two nominations at the
National Television Awards
The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted ...
– for Most Popular Drama and Zöe Lucker for Best Actress. Zöe Lucker received the
TV Quick Award for Best Actress in 2004, as well as a nomination for Best Actress in 2005. The series also received the TV Quick Award for Best Loved Drama in 2005.
Related series
''Bad Girls''
Between the third and fourth series of ''Footballers' Wives'',
Zöe Lucker
Zöe Elizabeth Lucker (born 11 April 1974) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Sonya Leach in ''Coronation Street'' Tanya Turner in the ITV drama series, ''Footballers' Wives''; Vanessa Gold in the long-running BBC One soap ope ...
's character
Tanya Turner
Tanya Louise Turner (also Laslett and Frederico) is a fictional television character. She is the lead character on the ITV drama ''Footballers' Wives'', and also briefly appeared on the drama '' Bad Girls''. Tanya is portrayed by English actress ...
crossed over to
Shed Media
Warner Bros. Television Studios UK (formerly Shed Media Group and later Warner Bros. Television Productions UK) is a British creator and distributor of television content. The Group produces long-running television brands in drama, factual, doc ...
's highest-rated series ''
Bad Girls'' for three episodes of that programme's sixth series. In ''Bad Girls'', which centres on a women's prison, Tanya is convicted for drug possession and sent to jail for six months. After stirring up mischief in the prison and even being arrested for poisoning inmates, Tanya is eventually released when a series of events leads to the wing governor coercing a criminal to confess to planting the drugs on her.
''Footballers' Wives TV''
''Footballers Wives TV'' is a spin-off mockumentary comedy series that was broadcast to tie-in with the original broadcast of the fourth series of ''Footballers Wives''. It aired on Thursdays at 10:30pm on ITV2 and only lasted for one series of eight episodes. The series was loosely based on the book ''How to be a Footballer's Wife'' and centred on a chat show presented by
Katherine Jakeways
Katherine Jakeways is a British comedian, actor and writer. She has appeared in numerous television, radio and theatrical productions.
Career
Jakeways' television appearances include '' Extras'', ''Horrible Histories'', '' Sherlock'', ''Trace ...
and
Glenn Hugill
Alwyn Glenn Hugill (born 8 February 1970 in Darlington, County Durham) is an English television presenter, actor, musician and producer. He is best known for playing policeman Alan McKenna in '' Coronation Street'' during the 1990s, presentin ...
as TV presenters Gary Fox and Lorna Miller. Characters from ''Footballers' Wives'' appeared in interviews as did parody celebrities.
''Footballers' Wives: Extra Time''
The
spin-off series ''
Footballers' Wives: Extra Time'' premiered on
ITV2
ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, a ...
on 26 May 2005, after series four of ''Footballers' Wives''. Several characters from the original programme appeared, including Bruno and Lucy Milligan, Seb Webb, Harley and Shannon Lawson, Katie Jones, and Amber Gates. The first series of ''Extra Time'' features Tanya Turner's sister, Anika Beevor. Series two began on 23 February 2006 with
Peter Ash
Peter Ash (born 4 February 1985) is an English actor from Newton Heath, Greater Manchester who has starred in British television series such as ''Casualty'', ''Footballers' Wives'', ''Hollyoaks '' and ''Coronation Street''.
Early life
He atten ...
as Darius Fry and
Julie Legrand
Julie Legrand (born in Pitlochry, Scotland) is a British television, film, and stage actress best known for her role as Jeanette Dunkley on ''Footballers' Wives''. She has also guest starred in a wide variety of British television shows, as we ...
as Janette Dunkley from the original series as regular cast members.
Nicholas Ball, who portrayed Garry Ryan in the series, crossed over to ''Footballers' Wives'' for series five as the new Chairman of Earl's Park Football Club. The series' executive producer was Cameron Roach. It was shown in the United States under the name ''
Footballers' Wives: Overtime''.
Adaptations and successors
In 2005,
RTL in Germany adapted the programme as ''Das geheime Leben der Spielerfrauen'' (''The Secret Life of Footballers' Wives''). The original scripts were rewritten to appeal to a German audience, and the show was cancelled after only four episodes.
Mediaset
Mediaset Italia S.p.A., also known as Mediaset, is an Italian-based mass media company which is the largest commercial broadcaster in the country. The company is controlled by the holding company MFE - MediaForEurope. Founded in 1987 by former ...
produced its own version of the series in Italy, called ''
Ho sposato un calciatore
''Ho sposato un calciatore'' (Italian for "''I married a footballer''") is a 2005 Italian television mini series written and directed by Stefano Sollima. It was broadcast on Canale 5, and is based on the UK serial ''Footballers' Wives''.
Main ca ...
'' (''I Married a Footballer''), which was written and directed by
Stefano Sollima
Stefano Sollima (born 4 May 1966) is an Italian director and screenwriter.
He is best known for his gritty crime-drama films such as ''ACAB – All Cops Are Bastards'' (2012), ''Suburra'' (2015), and '' Sicario: Day of the Soldado'' (2018), as w ...
and lasted for four episodes on
Canale 5
Canale 5 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel of Mediaset, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It was the first private television network to have a national coverage in Italy in 1980.
On 4 December 2012, Mediaset launched Canale 5 HD, a s ...
in 2005. It stars
Paolo Seganti
Paolo Seganti (born 20 May 1964 in Rovereto, Trentino, Italy), is an Italian actor and model, known for playing Damian Grimaldi in the CBS television soap opera ''As the World Turns''.
Career
Seganti is known for his portrayal of Damian Grimald ...
and
Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander (née Quigley; born October 28, 1939) is an American actress and author. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Academy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. From 1993 to 1997 ...
as Bruno and Tonia Caracci,
Karin Proia
Karin Proia (born 14 March 1974 in Latina, Lazio) is an Italian actress who began acting in 1994.
Movies she has appeared in include the Italian movies '' The Crusaders'', the comedy '' Cinque giorni di tempesta'' and ''Wasteland''.
She has al ...
and
Edoardo Leo
Edoardo Leo (born 21 April 1972) is an Italian actor, director and screenwriter.
Life and career
Born in Rome, Leo, a graduate in Literature and Philosophy from the Sapienza University of Rome, started attending acting courses at young age a ...
as Anna and Vito Palma, Maria Elena Vandone as Crystal Ferrari, and Mirko Petrini as Luca Martelli.
A US version, called ''Football Wives'' and focusing on an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
team, was developed for
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
in 2007.
The
pilot episode
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
, written by
Marco Pennette
Marco Pennette (born July 9, 1966) is an American television writer and producer.
Early life
Pennette was born in Greenwich, Connecticut where he grew up loving theatre: "I want to go into theatre; TV sort of lured me away." He attended New Yor ...
and directed by
Bryan Singer
Bryan Jay Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is the founder of Bad Hat Harry Productions and has produced almost all of the films he has directed.
After graduating from the University of Southern California, Singer d ...
, starred
Lucy Lawless
Lucille Frances Lawless (; born 29 March 1968) is a New Zealand actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Xena in the television series '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', as D'Anna Biers on the re-imagined '' Battlestar Galactica'' seri ...
and
Eddie Cibrian
Edward Carl Cibrian ( ; born June 16, 1973) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Cole Deschanel on the television series '' Sunset Beach'' and Jimmy Doherty on ''Third Watch''.
His other notable television roles include Mat ...
as Tanya and Jason Austin,
James Van Der Beek
James William Van Der Beek (; born March 8, 1977) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in the WB series ''Dawson's Creek'' and Johnny "Mox" Moxon in '' Varsity Blues'' (1999). He played a fictionalized version of hi ...
and
Kiele Sanchez
Kiele Michelle Sanchez ( ; born October 13, 1977) is an American actress who starred in the A&E Network drama '' The Glades''. Previously, she had starred as Anne Sorelli in The WB comedy-drama ''Related'' and as Nikki Fernandez on the main cast ...
as Brian and Donna Reynolds,
Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade ( Union; born October 29, 1972) is an American actress. Her career began in the 1990s, when she made dozens of appearances on television sitcoms, prior to landing supporting roles in 1999 teen films ''She's All That' ...
as Chardonnay Lane,
Brian J. White
Brian Joseph White (born April 21, 1975) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in films such as ''The Family Stone'' (2005), '' The Game Plan'' (2007), '' 12 Rounds'' (2009), '' I Can Do Bad All by Myself'' (2009), ''Good Deeds'' ( ...
as Kyle Jameson,
Holly Robinson-Peete
Holly Elizabeth Robinson Peete (born September 18, 1964) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Judy Hoffs on the Fox police drama ''21 Jump Street'', Vanessa Russell on the ABC sitcom '' Hangin' with Mr. Cooper'', and ...
as Jackie Jameson, and
Ving Rhames
Irving Rameses Rhames (born May 12, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his supporting roles as IMF Agent Luther Stickell in the ''Mission: Impossible'' film series and gang kingpin Marsellus Wallace in ''Pulp Fiction''. He also ap ...
as Frank Wallingford.
''Football Wives'' was not picked up for series for the fall 2007 season, but ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' later reported that the production company ABC Studios had extended its options on the show's cast, and that
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
and
FOX
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
, even
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
were interested in the series.
A number of websites, including ''
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
'', speculated that ''Football Wives'' was not picked up due to potential conflicts with the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
and ABC sister network's
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
's ''
Monday Night Football
''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...
'' and broad surrounding NFL programming deal.
In Canada,
CBC Television
CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...
launched ''
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
'' in early 2008. Creator Mary Young Leckie acknowledged ''Footballers' Wives'' as an inspiration, but chose to create a similar series about
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
rather than directly adapting ''Footballers' Wives'', as she felt that some elements of the original series—particularly the broad
campiness of some British humour—would not translate well to a Canadian audience.
In
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
,
kykNet launched ''
Getroud met rugby
''Getroud met rugby'' is a South African television series which premiered on kykNET on 7 April 2009. It was marketed as an Afrikaans-language version of the British television show ''Footballers' Wives''; the title literally translates to Engli ...
'' or "Married to Rugby", an
Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...
series in 2009, which became a nightly soap opera before being cancelled in 2022. In addition to being influenced by ''Footballers' Wives'', it was also inspired by ''
Friday Night Lights''.
Home releases
Series 1 through 5 have been released on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
in the United Kingdom and Australia, and Series 1 through 3 have been released on DVD in the United States.
All five series were re-released in the UK by Acorn Media in
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital, originally synonymous with Dolby AC-3, is the name for what has now become a family of audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. Formerly named Dolby Stereo Digital until 1995, the audio compression is lossy ...
and with new artwork. Acorn also released a "Complete Collection" box set featuring all five series, and both series of ''Footballers' Wives Extra Time''.
Legacy
On Saturday 15 July 2006 in the UK, the BBC made a
spoof
Spoof, spoofs, spoofer, or spoofing may refer to:
* Forgery of goods or documents
* Semen, in Australian slang
* Spoof (game), a guessing game
* Spoofing (finance), a disruptive algorithmic-trading tactic designed to manipulate markets
__NOTOC__ ...
mini-episode entitled ''The Last Ever, Ever Footballers' Wives'' that was broadcast as part of ''
Sport Relief
''Sport Relief'' was a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002.
It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Educati ...
'' live telethon. The six-minute episode featured four cast members from the last season,
Zöe Lucker
Zöe Elizabeth Lucker (born 11 April 1974) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Sonya Leach in ''Coronation Street'' Tanya Turner in the ITV drama series, ''Footballers' Wives''; Vanessa Gold in the long-running BBC One soap ope ...
,
Sarah Barrand
Sarah Barrand (born 2 November 1985) is an English actress known for her role as Shannon Donnelly-Lawson in ''Footballers Wives'' and its ITV2 spin-off, '' Footballers' Wives: Extra Time''. Barrand grew up in Southport, Merseyside.
She has play ...
,
Laila Rouass
Laila Rouass (née Abdesselam) is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayals of Amber Gates in ''Footballers' Wives'' (2004–2006) and Sahira Shah in ''Holby City'' (2011–2012, 2021). She has also starred in ''Primeval'' and '' ...
, Halacy Kurenski and
Ben Richards, who played their respective roles, with ''Sport Relief'' host
Graham Norton
Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator, and presenter. Well known for his work in the UK, he is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy ...
playing new Sparks captain Brendan Spunk.
''The Guardian'' described the show upon its 20th anniversary, "The show is now regarded as something of a kitsch cult classic, regularly appearing in meme form on social media."
A musical in the works based on the show.
References
External links
*
*
*
BBC America - ''Footballers Wives''
{{Footballers' Wives
2002 British television series debuts
2006 British television series endings
2000s British drama television series
British sports television series
English-language television shows
ITV television dramas
2000s British LGBT-related drama television series
Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
Television shows set in England