Rovers

One of those bemusing shows that I immediately catalogue as a show that other people watch but I do not.

If you remember "The Royal Family" (the show, not those Germans in Windsor Palace) it's reminiscent of that but I like this a lot more.

A glimpse into a world that is totally beyond me; not only is it about sports followers but the lives of people whose primary passion is an Association Football Team and indeed, not one of those that Spanish people strangely know about.

The humor is often based on low hanging fruit but there is a charm in the mundanity of this landscape of fruit machines and smoking out in the rain as the fortunes of this football team fuel a million conversations. The sheer passion and devotion is both curious and oddly charming as it brings something to cheer about to these people who will never exactly go into the history books.

Romances emerge, lives change key, old-school sorts learn they have to adjust to change but the old friendships survive despite life throwing everything at them. The mocking affection for this community has no delusions that there is something a little crazy about the whole thing but one leaves this 6 episode meditation with a changed impression of these folks.

They embody comradery standing strong when we need it most.