The twist is that the fans selected are fairly well known, although your mileage may vary. In the Arsenal corner we have Jordan Stephens from hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks, plus Beau the Beard, ChrisMD and Margie Keefe aka Grime Gran, three stars of social media. Keefe, eightysomething and sweary, is a welcome change from the usual dewy-cheeked sorts urging you to like and subscribe.
For Spurs it was DJ Jess Iszatt, comic Michael McIntyre, actual Ossie Ardiles and, presented Traitors-style with hood up on his touchline coat, Gary Lineker. I remember Lineker playing for Spurs but could have sworn he was a Leicester City fan, unless that Match of the Day boxers stunt was all a dream? Never mind. Telling that there was a C-list feel to the Arsenal fans willing to miss the match while some of the biggest celebrity names associated with Tottenham were queuing up to be locked away for it.
Staying positive, there were some classy retro shirts on show. Ardiles quickly plonked himself down next to Mrs Gran on the sofa and more or less checked out, refusing to be drawn into performative shouting at possession stats. Come on Ossie, earn your fee, do “Tottingham” again. Lineker demonstrated an impressive party trick: an internal football clock with which he can sense half-time with only the opening whistle as reference.
Your own football instincts may be kicking in by now to tell you this was not prestige television. We are in quite a fun era of this sort of high-concept telly, Last One Laughing was a particular success along similar lines: fixed cameras, small set, big names. In The Box was more like a bright idea in the meeting room which fundamentally did not work in practice.
