The CBeebies television programme “Football Fantastics” is now officially on the air and available for everyone to view. However, villagers fortunate enough to get a ticket were given a pre-airing preview, with a lucky member of the website team, Paul Wade, also being invited along. His review is below.

Paul writes:-

Following nine weeks of filming in and around our village in the Spring, Strike Productions came good on their promise to give Bishop Monktoners the first viewing of their new BBC show ‘Football Fantastics’ at the Village Hall. A large audience of all ages thoroughly enjoyed the first two of the 10 programmes in the series.

Producer, Dominic Macdonald, said "We have made a lovely heart-warming family show’". He then announced that two of the child actors were about to arrive to join the audience.

Once they arrived, what the audience saw was 30 minutes of fast paced, colourful and entertaining TV, chronicling the adventures of a Saturday morning junior football club. The show is aimed at four to six year olds, and whilst those of that age in the audience watched agog, even more interesting was the reaction of their parents and grandparents who I think were surprised at just how well children’s TV is produced these days.

Former England player, Jill Scott, appears in the show and its trailers, with brief appearances from many others of the current England team, who will be very much in the nation’s footballing spotlight over the next few weeks.

Call me biased, but I have to say however, that maybe the star of the show was our wonderful Village Hall. It was exactly what the show needed on the inside (with the exception of the gym scenes which were filmed elsewhere) and resplendent outside with the buildings and grounds looking absolutely glorious in the Spring sunshine.

After the show, Phil Goodier, Chair of the Village Hall Committee, asked the key people responsible for the upkeep of this terrific facility to stand for a well-earned round of applause.

The series was launched on CBeebies and BBC IPlayer on Saturday, July 5th (to coincide with the start of England Women’s defence of the Euros title) and judging by the audience reaction, both Strike and the BBC will have a huge ‘Football Fantastics’ hit on their hands.