My TV life: Phil Tufnell

What was your first TV memory?

Being allowed to stay up with my dad and my brother to watch Match Of The Day back in the 70s. There were a lot of beige suits and brown ties.

Who was your first TV crush?

Pamela Anderson on Baywatch! But before her, it might have been Joanna Lumley. Oh, and Debbie Harry of course. I remember seeing her on Top Of The Pops and those first stirrings… the music was good as well. 

What was your first TV appearance?

Apart from playing and doing a few little interviews it was on Question Of Sport ‑ turning up in civvies, with a dodgy haircut…it was almost like a badge of honour. Mum and Dad didn’t acknowledge I’d done anything until I got invited on to Question Of Sport.  

What is your favourite current show?

So many…all the sport, of course, but I quite like documentaries where they reconstruct true crimes.

Which TV show would you take to a desert island?

Only Fools & Horses. I remember watching that and laughing my head off. It was the best ever sitcom, the characters were relatable and the scripts were sublime.

What TV show would you like to put out of its misery?

I don’t really like those Real Housewives shows, but my wife loves them, so I go upstairs and watch the sport.

Guiltiest TV pleasure?

I love watching cooking shows, but I eat beans on toast. I like all the Rick Stein stuff, especially his French Odyssey series when he went around southern France on a barge. I quite enjoy Gone Fishing too, the tranquillity washes over you.

What are you up to at the moment? 

I’ve got my new book, How Not To Be A Cricketer, and I’ve also gone into the wine industry with a line called Tuffers’ Tipples with Virgin Wine. I thoroughly enjoyed tasting them all. 

 How Not To Be A Cricketer by Phil Tufnell (Simon & Schuster, £20) is out now

 

source: express.co.uk