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With a working title of 'Rovers in Europe' locations have still to be determined, but Malta, Cyprus, Luxembourg and Albania have all been considered. The two 90 minute episodes will feature an entirely new but extremely expensive ensemble trying to win further trips to other parts of Europe in a take-off of 'It's a Knockout'. The cast list has still to be finalised, as director Graeme Sourpuss may have problems getting some stars to appear if the show is relegated to BBC2. For this reason Mr Sourpuss has asked that because they are scheduled to appear they should be allowed to maintain their BBC1 status, irrespective of the quality of their product.
The Ewood production company began their European specials in the mid-nineties, with arguably their funniest comedy to date. 'Swede Charity' was the story of a charity football match between a team of highly paid international footballers and the presenters of the Swedish versions of 'Changing Rooms' and 'Ground Force', featuring two painters, a carpenter, a plumber and a handful of landscape gardeners. In an extremely unbelievable plot, the team of decorators from Trelleborg won, and although it was a big comedy hit in the rest of the country, hardly anybody turned up to watch the 'live' performance at Ewood Park.
After that, who can forget the riotous martial arts slapstick comedy of Graeme Arsaux-Les and David Ratty in 'The Retreat from Moscow'? A parody of the 'Rocky' and 'Raging Bull' films, it featured the unlikely story of an intellectual, antique loving, Guardian reader from the Channel Islands becoming a bare knuckle prize fighter, slugging it out with a known Yorkshire hard man.
Although the film was very funny, the ending was rather inconclusive, and left the viewers wanting more, especially as the expected sequel never materialised.
It has been six years since that oft-repeated comedy special, but rarely has the Ewood production company been able to reach the same heights of entertainment.
One exception was the emotional drama 'Can't Buy Me Love'. It was the story of a Jersey-based multi-millionaire dying of a broken heart after watching the love of his life fade away - after he had squandered millions on bringing them success. I always choke when I see the pictures of our hero with tears rolling down his face as his dreams disappear. Billed as a drama, it still managed more than its fair share of laughs. Well I certainly laughed a lot.
Let's hope that the new programme keeps up the standard of entertainment and laughs we have come to expect from the Ewood outfit whenever they venture onto foreign soil.
