Do you like football? Are you slightly embarrassed by some of the louder voices in football culture? The ones who call up your local radio station to let everyone know that your team lost again because of your manager’s insistence on things like “tactics” and “possession” and other such continental muck?
Well do I have a podcast for you.
Dial F for Football is a new scripted comedy set at fictional radio station Totalsport FM. Lisa (Lolly Adefope) is a YouTuber hired to co-host the station’s flagship show alongside veteran Des. Replacing Pete, who has been “got rid of” by the higher ups for some as yet unknown indiscretion, Lisa quickly finds herself in the firing line of the station’s “legacy” audience.
Unlike many scripted podcasts, Dial F never once feels awkward (except when it’s meant to). The script is natural and worryingly believable, while the acting is genuinely top tier. Perhaps this shouldn’t be a surprise with some of the names involved, but it’s still rare to find a fictional podcast that sounds quite so seamless.
If you ever heard The Offensive - a scripted comedy about a Premier League club’s boardroom and one of my favourite podcasts ever - you know what you’re getting here. The podcasts share a sense of humour and over time will no doubt share a connection to their casts of characters too. If I were to have one wish, it would be for Dial F for Football to follow in the footsteps of The Offensive and take its storylines from the real-life current events of footballing discourse. While this would fit the setting of a sports news radio station to a tee, avoiding the inevitable nightmare for production and cast is understandable.
We’re only one episode in but it’s an exceptional start. Dial F for Football has the potential to go a long way. This is one to get into early and share with your friends.
