News: Please be patient while modifications are made to the new themes to add in familiar menus and features.
How did the Premier League become so overhyped, overblown and overdramatic?The answer is simply that it’s had a lot of practice. 25 years ago, though, Sky Sports needed to make an immediate impact with their brave new world of football broadcasting. What they came up with through the 1990s was a far cry from the cinematic polish of today. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t far more enjoyable…
1997: Mr. Bean How could they find a way to crank up the gravitas another notch for 1997/98? Sean Bean, of course! This is one of his rare roles where he isn’t killed off halfway through, but he is deployed for some serious soul-searching.Let’s examine the lyrics of Bean’s sub-Trainspotting sermon:“Life…it can be difficult…you know that.” “We all need someone to rely on…”“…someone that’s gonna be there…” “…someone who’s going to make you feel like you belong…”Barry Skolnick, the producer and co-director of this exceptional piece of work, offers some background to its creation. “I’d just been binned by my girlfriend and was feeling pretty low,” he recalls. “I went round to a mate’s and told him that the only thing in my life I could rely on was Leeds United.”Sean Bean’s breathy earnestness struck the producers as the perfect blend for Sky’s Premier League sales pitch. “Credibility, that was the top priority,” said Skolnick. “We could have had Cindy Crawford stick her chest out and say how much she loves football but no one would believe her. Sean Bean is known as a football fan, and is known to care about his team.”“I knew it was a powerful script so I didn’t want someone to act it — I wanted someone who could feel it.”Bean seems concerned about the future, and what it might hold for us all. Just wait until he hears about goalline technology, muted celebrations and Leicester City winning the Premier League.
