Playing for Real

1 9 8 8 (UK)
6 x 50 minute episodes

When her father dies, Chrissie Buchan (Patricia Kerrigan) inherits the position of manager of Real Falkirk – his Subbuteo football team.

While Chrissie is determined to follow in the footsteps of her father, Billy (“the Bill Shankly of table football”), new player-manager Sam Montgomery (Alec Heggie) is a dyed in the wool misogynist who will stop at nothing to stop Chrissie. Sam even hides Billy’s best player, Charlie Nicholas (identifiable by his earring), in an attempt to thwart Chrissie.

She finds Charlie in time, beats an established squad member, and is thus able to claim her place in the team built up by her father to be the most feared in Britain.

But there will be many obstacles on the path to the British Subbuteo Final – not least a team of existentialists from Chelsea captained by one Jean-Paul Witherspoon.

This six-part miniseries was produced by BBC Scotland and directed by Jim Hill. Four of the six episodes were written by Julie Welch, formerly football correspondent with The Observer. It aired on Fridays at 9.30 pm on BBC1.

Chrissie Buchan
Patricia Kerrigan
Sam Montgomery
Alec Heggie
Dougie Kemp
Jake D’Arcy
Mo Maconachie
Iain Andrew
Bern McAvennie
David Meldrum
Toni Rossi
Lawrie McNicol
Perry Gilbert-Walker
Sandy Welch
Agnes Buchan
Anne Kristen
Teresa Kelly
Juliet Cadzow
Suzy Gilbert-Walker
Grace Glover
June Maconachie
Libby McArthur
Elton Trelford
Michael Garner
Dennis
Harry Jones
Big Bob
Sean Scanlan
McIntosh
Paul Young
Willie
Johnny Irving
Gladys
Nancy Mitchell
Harry Milburn
Harry Herring
Roderick Ferris
Billy Fellows
Duncan Drysdale
Stuart Bishop