‘Fantasy Football League’ with David Baddiel and Frank Skinner was the ultimate lads football banter show back in the 90s and its format and hilarity have never really been replicated since, but after 18 years off the air Sky Max, Matt Lucas and Ellis James are going to give it a shot.

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The original series saw a bunch of celebrity guests join Baddiel and Skinner for a host of dumb challenges and skits with the main objective of competing against each other in the fledgling version of Fantasy Football that was just emerging in this country. People like Sean Bean, Karren Brady, Ant & Dec and  Dani Behr – who once dated Ryan Giggs – showed up on the show to further cement its status and then we all know that Baddiel and Skinner contributed to one of the biggest football anthems of all time. They were massive stars for that generation.

The show really did achieve legendary status over here so the new version will have a lot to live up to when it airs next season. Here’s what Matt Lucas had to say about it:

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I loved watching Fantasy Football League with Frank, David and Statto and am chuffed to bits to be a part of this new incarnation.

I now make a living eating cake and watching football. I must be the luckiest man in the world.

I also get to share the sofa with Elis, who is not only hilarious but the biggest football geek I’ve ever met. See you next season.

Well he sounds positive doesn’t he, but I’m just not sure it’s the right climate for a new series of the show now. Back in the 90s most people only had four TV channels so you weren’t exactly spoiled for choice, but these day there’s so much content out there in the ‘football banter’ genre – just on regular TV before we even consider YouTube – that I think these guys are going to have to put out something really special to even be part of the conversation.

I guess people will tune in to start with because of the name, but they’ve gotta pull off something massive from the off to hit the heights that used to exist or even just to stay relevant. Good luck to them.

For more of the same, check out our investigation into which England footballer could have been blackmailed by a transgender prostitute. Any guesses?