Field of Dreams
Synopsis
The BBC's press office tells us:
- Sporting legend Freddie Flintoff takes on his toughest challenge yet: creating a cricket team from scratch with reluctant teenagers from his hometown of Preston.
- In the last Ashes series, two thirds of the England squad were privately educated - but Flintoff broke the norm, rising from a working-class background to become one of the world’s most famous cricketers. For today’s young generation the opportunity to take Freddie’s path is unlikely, and he wants to change that.
- Flintoff’s determined to prove that anyone, whatever their background, can find confidence, camaraderie and success playing the sport he loves. From the outset, he quickly comes up against negative attitudes to cricket. Not only does he need to attract people to turn up, he needs to train his new team and get them ready to take on an elite private school. He also needs to find them a club and secure funding.
- Can he inspire the next generation to give cricket a chance? Or has he bitten off more than he can chew?
Key moments
The sight of Flintoff going "cap in hand" to South Ribble Council to beg for money. You're a multi-millionaire!
See also
Idris Elba's Fight School, a take on the same idea which aired earlier in 2022, but for boxing.
