Fantasy Football League relaunch is an antidote to the fury and death threats of modern football

The Fantasy Football League set is similar to the 1990s original, although thankfully the humor has moved on. Photo: Ellis O'Brien

Who can joke about football now? The answer increasingly sounds like this: former professionals and only former professionals. The Premier League has never been bigger, but the tone of its coverage is narrowing and becoming more respectful. Thus, there are several significant YouTube channels or TV and radio programs dedicated to Mickey.

Of course, the jokes haven't gone away, they've just become more personalized. The frivolity we used to see on terrestrial television now happens on WhatsApp groups, podcasts or meme accounts on social media. This results in supposed programs targeting fans who are as gullible and evasive as the official club websites. Tell a modest audience something snide about a particular club, player or coach, and real death threats are unlikely to be far away.

That's the atmosphere of the second series of the rebooted Fantasy Football League (FFL) on Sky Max, where the old Frank Skinner and David Baddiel's sofa is now occupied by Alice James and Matt Lucas. Like its gladiator counterparts from the 1990s revival, this set is geometrically identical to its predecessor. However, a broadcast from a company that relies so heavily on Premier League football does not provide the optimal environment for biting satire.

The «Traitors» sketch started the show with a imitation of faltering quality. Mikel Arteta, Gareth Southgate, Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson, Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish and Jurgen Klopp, so no knocks on who the target is. But the biggest catch was that Lucas Tango wanted to look like Claudia Winkleman, whose online fan base is certainly large, but hopefully not so crazy that it sends bullets through the mail.

Some reticence is understandable after James' first impression of Steve Cooper led to Sky Sports apologizing to Nottingham Forest. But why, in this era of minimizing crime, has a show like FFL reawakened? A recognizable brand should help attract an online audience, but even then, it requires special sauce. One clip from this week's show, a light-hearted mockery of the crowd's muted reaction to Gary Neville, is advertised on YouTube as «Gary Neville gets punched by Matt Lucas & Alice James» and a fire emoticon. Click.

But there's so much here that doesn't require sexy video captions. James isn't among the many charismatic stand-ups who fail as a TV presenter while bringing genuine warmth. Lucas delivers some unexpected moments, and Andrew Mensah improves greatly as Statto. While the '90s used Angus Loughran mostly as a punchline, Mensah is much more intricate and poignant, comparing Ivan Tony's overblown return video to «the way we greet someone when they get out of prison, after all.»

< p>The generational charisma of Skinner and Baddiel is missing, but there is still life in the humorous analysis of the week's stories and well-researched clips that even the most seasoned football viewer will miss. Guest Michael Sheen reading the Crystal Palace protest banner as a rousing speech is great. «Phoenix from Blaze» starring Jermain Defoe is, ironically, a faithful recreation of the original segment and is as fun as ever.

One of the differences in the new incarnation is that it retains the actual fantasy football element, which was practically abandoned. after the original's first years. Sheen and Mo Gilligan chatted with their teams in what seemed like unnecessary entertainment. Perhaps this is the intrusion of personal opinion that fantasy football is a tool of the devil.

The mind can play tricks on the old TV. A 30-year-old episode from the second series of the original show is available on YouTube. Its tone is almost identical to the new era, but by modern standards the pace is glacial. Five minutes later, Skinner made an unfortunate joke at the expense of Justin Fashanu.

The world moves on, which means the revived FFL will never be able to fill the void of its predecessor. But look around or up and down the electronic program guide. The football landscape on television is seriously lacking in wit. Be grateful there's still room for one cheeky tonic.