Mike Bassett: Manager
Mike Bassett: Manager is a British television comedy series by Steve Barron. It is a follow up to the 2001 film "", and stars Ricky Tomlinson, Steve Edge, Amanda Redman and Dan Renton Skinner. The film follows Mike Bassett who after leading England to the World Cup semi-finals in 2002 has seen his career decline as he decides to postpone his retirement in Spain to take over as manager of EFL League Two side Wirral County, the team for whom his father was a club legend. The show ran for one series of six episodes and was  first shown on 29 September 2005 on ITV. In 2014, there were plans to bring Mike Bassett back to the big screen in a movie titled "Mike Bassett: Interim Manager." However, a kickstarter project that was essential for raising funds for the film did not meet its target, essentially making the series the final instalment. Premise. The series is a sequel to the film "", in which Bassett, having won the Mr Clutch Cup with second-tier side Norwich City, takes over England following the previous manager's heart attack. Despite failing to win any of the final three qualifiers, England  reach the World Cup finals, held in Brazil. After drawing with Egypt, a 4–0 defeat to Mexico, captain Gary Wackett being sent home for hooliganism and Bassett being pictured in a drunken incident, he is expected to resign, but instead inspires England to victory over Argentina. England reach the semi finals, before being knocked out by eventual winners Brazil. The series picks up some time after Mike Bassett took England to the semi finals of a fictional 2002 World Cup. The side failed to qualify for the 2004 European Championships, losing to lowly Liechtenstein during the campaign, resulting in Bassett  being sacked. Since then, a spell at Newcastle ended in similar fashion after getting them relegated two seasons in a row, while his returns to former clubs Norwich and then Colchester fared little better. Mike decides to retire and is set to move to Spain, but at the last minute is offered the manager's job at Wirral County F.C., for whom his father was a player. Episodes. Episode 1: Football's Coming Home. It is revealed that Bassett was axed by England after failing to qualify for the 2004 European Championships. He then took over Newcastle, where he was  sacked after back to back relegations, before an unsuccessful return to Norwich. Then sacked by Colchester, Mike Bassett heeds the call to manage his boyhood club, Wirral County. After persuading his wife Karine to forego a sun kissed retirement on the Costa Del Sol, Bassett gears up for a final shot at glory in Ellesmere Port. Things get off to a bad start when the team concedes a goal in less than ten seconds to Torquay United, causing the chairman to have a heart attack. Episode 2: Going Dutch. After a terrible start to the league campaign, Bassett tries to  turn the club's fortunes around. He uses his own money without Karine knowing to sign up and coming Dutch striker Ronnie Van Needlemans, after watching him score several goals on a video sent by his agent. However, Van Needlemans is not the striker from the video but rather the goalkeeper. Meanwhile, an argument with the side's regular keeper, Lazlo Vig, played by Adam Tedder, results in him receiving a concussion that rules him out for the rest of the season. Episode 3: Flat Pack Four. Bassett employs a hypnotist to help break his star striker's goal drought . In the next game he scores a hat trick of own goals. Bassett also realises that the club may be taken over by a cheap Ikea knock off. The hypnotist is called upon to hypnotise the buyer into making a mockery of Wirral, telling the press people in attendance to see his "Norwegian arse" and therefore get himself chased out of town. Episode 4: Return of the Paralytic Son. With Wirral County looking doomed, the fans turn on Bassett wanting results or his head. Not only that but former England wonder kid Kevin 'Tonka' Tonkinson (played by Dan Renton Skinner ) turns up on his door step. With the help of Bassett and a cold shower a drunken Tonka leads Wirral to a 2–1 victory over Wycombe Wanderers despite the death of his wife in a car llama incident hours earlier. Episode 5: Seven Brothers for Seven Brothers. Following a glorious winning streak, reformed alcoholic Tonka has lifted Wirral County out of the relegation zone. Along with his brilliance on the pitch, he also causes the relegation rivals Mansfield Town's bus to crash and injure most of their squad. Bassett then finds out Tonka is going on a stag night , and to keep his star man off the drink, Bassett drinks all the spiked drinks himself. In the process, he injures Tonka when he punches him to the ground, putting him out for the rest of the season. Having by this time missed his son Jason's drama school showcase, Mike returns home to find Karine has left him. Episode 6: Abide with Me. With Karine gone for two months, Wirral look set to go down after a dismal run following Tonka's injury. Mike then finds out that his father took a bribe in the 1956 FA Cup Final  for money to help fix Mike's legs as a boy and allow him to play football. With this to spur him on, he reunites with Karine and heads to the Wirral County ground. After a passionate speech to players, fans and reporters, Wirral must get a better result than Mansfield Town to avoid relegation (barring an improbable defeat for York City), and with Tonka playing despite his injuries they stay up. Wirral's last game is an intimidating match versus local rivals Chester City, who need a win in order to secure a play off spot. In the end , Chester beat Wirral 2–0, but Mansfield lose 6–1, allowing Wirral to survive on goal difference. After this, Mike leaves the club in Doddsy's hands and sets off to Spain with Karine, though a deliberately ambiguous ending suggests that he might stay yet. Bottom of the Final Table. Before Final Match: After Final Match: No reference is made to the result of the match involving York City, but with both Wirral County and Mansfield Town both losing they were safe. Production. In 2003, a pilot episode was shot using Bradley Walsh as Doddsy, the role he played in the film . However when the producers of the movie demanded a higher percentage of royalties, the project was delayed for two years. As a result of this when the series began filming Walsh was no longer available and the role was given to Steve Edge. Of the four returning characters, only Ricky Tomlinson and Amanda Redman reprised their roles with Dan Renton Skinner taking on the role of Kevin Tonkinson, as played by Dean Lennox Kelly in the movie. Despite being based in Ellesmere Port, filming for all football scenes and exterior shots of Wirral County's stadium were shot in London  using Brentford's Griffin Park stadium.