How do you make a programme about the Euros with two men who know nothing about football?
“You must be kidding”
That was the immediate reaction of Jake O’Kane and Colin Murphy to the idea of making a film for the BBC about the Euros. We had made a very successful film together last year on Donegal. But the premise was simple – Jake hates to leave North Belfast, Colin enjoys the odd weekend in Donegal. So let’s see if we can get Jake to like what he sees there.
But they both hate football. So where do you go with that? Well we decided to make a film about football in the same way that Top Gear is all about cars.
The starting point had to be the fans. Over the course of a month we met some really amazing fans, and the usual bin lids. We came across people who were planning to travel there in a specially converted bus only to discover that it was too high for the bridges in France. We met people who were planning on camping and bought a motorhome. On a test run, they discovered that it only slept two (there are three of them). One fan didn’t tell his wife we were turning up to film, but then again he went to Stockholm for a game without telling her. She only found out when she texted him to bring home some milk and he replied that he was in Stockholm.
We did manage to get Colin and Jake to watch a match when Northern Ireland played Slovenia at Windsor Park. Simple enough you might think. But not with Jake and Colin. They got lost on the way in. The results are there on the screen.
Of course they only really signed up for the show because I promised them a trip to Paris. The idea was simple enough – what can Northern Ireland fans expect there? So we show them a few things they can do – like a Segway tour, and a French meal. But the piece de resistance was experiencing French driving. Jake nearly threw up. A car crashed into the back of them and they were overtaken by two motorcyclists in helmets – but without motorbikes…..
With Murphy and O’Kane it’s hard to tell what exactly will happen...
Watch Clips from Murphy and O'Kane do...Donegal
