Jossy's Giants

Jossy's Giants was a BBC children's TV programme about a hopeless football team full of quirky Lancashire lads who take on mouthy Geordie Joswell 'Jossy' Blair as their manager. The former footballer has a fondness for betting on the gee-gees that often causes him (and his team) problems, but with the brains of the team's biggest supporter - Tracey Gaunt - and the willingness of the lads to pull together in times of crisis, the Glipton Giants come out on the other side with some success! This was a great programme (written by legendary darts commentator Sid Waddell) full of fun and football and remembered with great affection by a generation of kids who grew up in the 80s. Although the cast was largely made up of kids who hadn't acted before, they still acted the pants off Bryan Robson when he did a cameo! The first series was mostly about the formation of the team and their footballing exploits, while the second series expanded the cast to include girls who took the boys' minds away from match day!

This show was a lot of fun really about a team of young Geordies who couldn't play football being mashed together, often letting in soft goals. Football at this time was not the big business it is today and Jossy's Giants reminds me of more innocent times. Great tactics displayed in the opening title song; "Kick the ball, now score a goal...Jossy's Giants." The only thing that ever annoyed me about this wonderful programme was the time when the girls formed a team to play the boys and SHOCK, HORROR... the girls won! This seemed a little formulaic to me and unrealistic. Loved Bryan Robson's cameo too, give that man a BAFTA!

Jossy's Giants was a seminal programme in the eighties and is part of the fabric that was my youth. A simple story about misfits coming good, redemption through the power of hope and above all, football. Jossy's Giants was a towering giant of a show and i'm thankful that Sid Waddell, the guru of Darts commentators, dreamt this up. My world is all the richer for seeing this show and i miss it terribly.

Pure genius.