Blackball (film)
Encyclopedia
Blackball is a 2003 British comedy
sports film, borrowed from the Australian film, Crackerjack about Cliff Starkey (played by Paul Kaye
), a fictional rebellious young bowls
player. His dream is to play for his country
, but always preferred to play by his own rules, much to the disapproval of the local bowls
club. After winning the local bowling competition he is subsequently banned from competing in the sport for fifteen years by the head of the local lawn bowls association, Ray Speight (James Cromwell
), for writing an expletive on an opponent's scorecard. Picked up by sports agent
Rick Schwartz (Vince Vaughn
), Starkey is re-branded as the 'bad boy of bowls', turning the normally sedate sport into a glitzy, in-your-face competition. He and Speight take on Australia
's unbeaten Doohan brothers in 'The Ashes'; a one-off tournament in a custom made bowls arena in Torquay
. They make a remarkable comeback thanks to Speight's experience and Starkey's extravagance, while Cliff also bends the rules to the maximum to force the game into extra time, much to the disbelief of Carl and Mark Doohan.
During the last interval, Starkey and Speight retrieve the black balls (that Starkey abandoned earlier in the movie) from the beach and return to the stadium. Starkey's confidence, Speight's concentration and the power of the black balls beat the Doohan brothers in a brilliant finale.
Although the plot is fictional, the central character of Cliff Starkey is based on real-life bowls player Griff Sanders. On the BBC Two
series Comedy Map of Britain, broadcast 3 February 2007, Sanders joked that Kaye was 'not good-looking enough' to play him, and that his performance was 'crap', while Kaye claimed that Sanders was 'annoying' and had been banned from attending the filming because he irritated everyone on set.
The film also spoofed Bjørge Lillelien
's infamous commentary from Norway
's 2-1 defeat of England at football in 1981. This was first spoofed on David Baddiel
and Frank Skinner
's Fantasy Football League
programme, and was spoofed by the commentator on the England-Australia
climax in the film. Incidentally, the other commentator for the match was Angus Loughran
, who played 'Statto' on Fantasy Football.
Blackball was filmed on the Isle of Man
and Torquay
during October and November 2002.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
sports film, borrowed from the Australian film, Crackerjack about Cliff Starkey (played by Paul Kaye
Paul Kaye
Paul Kaye is an English comedian and actor. He achieved notoriety in 1995 portraying the character of Dennis Pennis, a shock interviewer on The Sunday Show...
), a fictional rebellious young bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
player. His dream is to play for his country
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
, but always preferred to play by his own rules, much to the disapproval of the local bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
club. After winning the local bowling competition he is subsequently banned from competing in the sport for fifteen years by the head of the local lawn bowls association, Ray Speight (James Cromwell
James Cromwell
James Oliver Cromwell is an American film and television actor. Some of his more notable roles are in Babe , for which he earned Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First Contact , L.A...
), for writing an expletive on an opponent's scorecard. Picked up by sports agent
Sports agent
A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...
Rick Schwartz (Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
), Starkey is re-branded as the 'bad boy of bowls', turning the normally sedate sport into a glitzy, in-your-face competition. He and Speight take on Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's unbeaten Doohan brothers in 'The Ashes'; a one-off tournament in a custom made bowls arena in Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
. They make a remarkable comeback thanks to Speight's experience and Starkey's extravagance, while Cliff also bends the rules to the maximum to force the game into extra time, much to the disbelief of Carl and Mark Doohan.
During the last interval, Starkey and Speight retrieve the black balls (that Starkey abandoned earlier in the movie) from the beach and return to the stadium. Starkey's confidence, Speight's concentration and the power of the black balls beat the Doohan brothers in a brilliant finale.
Although the plot is fictional, the central character of Cliff Starkey is based on real-life bowls player Griff Sanders. On the BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
series Comedy Map of Britain, broadcast 3 February 2007, Sanders joked that Kaye was 'not good-looking enough' to play him, and that his performance was 'crap', while Kaye claimed that Sanders was 'annoying' and had been banned from attending the filming because he irritated everyone on set.
The film also spoofed Bjørge Lillelien
Bjørge Lillelien
Bjørge Lillelien was a Norwegian sports journalist and commentator.A commentator for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation from 1957 until just before his death from cancer in 1987, he commentated on many sports, but concentrated on winter sports and football.Lillelien was a popular and engaged...
's infamous commentary from Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
's 2-1 defeat of England at football in 1981. This was first spoofed on David Baddiel
David Baddiel
David Lionel Baddiel is an English comedian, novelist and television presenter.-Early life:Baddiel was born in New York, and moved to England when he was four months old. His father, Colin Brian Baddiel, was a Welsh research chemist with Unilever before being made redundant in the 1980s, after...
and Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner is a British writer, comedian and actor. He is best known for his television presenting, often alongside David Baddiel, with whom he also collaborated for the football song "Three Lions."He is a radio presenter on the Saturday morning slot on Absolute Radio.-Youth and early career...
's Fantasy Football League
Fantasy Football League
Fantasy Football League is a British television programme hosted by Frank Skinner and David Baddiel. The Programme began on BBC Radio 5 and was hosted by Dominik Diamond before transferring to BBC 2, with three series being broadcast from January 1994 to May 1996...
programme, and was spoofed by the commentator on the England-Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
climax in the film. Incidentally, the other commentator for the match was Angus Loughran
Angus Loughran
Angus Loughran is a British sports commentator and pundit. He appears regularly on television, newspapers and websites, usually concentrating on horse racing and football, such as the Daily Telegraph and online bookmaker Easyodds, writing tipping sections every day...
, who played 'Statto' on Fantasy Football.
Blackball was filmed on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
and Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
during October and November 2002.
Cast List
- Paul KayePaul KayePaul Kaye is an English comedian and actor. He achieved notoriety in 1995 portraying the character of Dennis Pennis, a shock interviewer on The Sunday Show...
- Johnny VegasJohnny VegasJohnny Vegas is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his angry rants, portly figure, high husky voice and support of St Helens rugby league club. More recently he has moved into dramatic acting.-Early life:He was born in St Helens, Lancashire, the youngest of four children of Laurence...
- Vince VaughnVince VaughnVincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
- Alice EvansAlice EvansAlice Jane Evans is an American-born English actress.-Early life:Evans, the daughter of educators and the granddaughter of a coal miner, was born in New Jersey, USA and grew up in Bristol, England. She graduated from University College London with a 2:1 in French and Italian.-Career:After...
- Emma Amos
- Kenneth CranhamKenneth CranhamKenneth Cranham is a film, television and stage actor. He starred in the title role in the popular 1980s comedy drama Shine on Harvey Moon. He also appeared in Layer Cake, Gangster No. 1, Rome, Oliver! and many other films. He is probably best known to horror genre fans as the deranged Dr...
- Bernard CribbinsBernard CribbinsBernard Cribbins, OBE is an English character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian with a career spanning over half a century who came to prominence in films in the 1960s, has been in work consistently since his professional debut in the mid 1950s, and as of 2010 is still an active...
- James CromwellJames CromwellJames Oliver Cromwell is an American film and television actor. Some of his more notable roles are in Babe , for which he earned Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First Contact , L.A...
- Josie D'ArbyJosie D'ArbyJosie d'Arby is a Welsh actress and television presenter from Newport, Wales.-Biography:d'Arby went to Lliswerry High School in her younger years then went on to attend the Anna Scher Theatre School, and later the London School of Journalism.d'Arby began a presenting career while still a student...
- Tony SlatteryTony SlatteryAnthony Declan James "Tony" Slattery is an English actor and comedian who has appeared on British television regularly since the mid 1980s, most notably as a regular on the Channel 4 improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? As a film actor, both comedic and serious, his credits include The...
- Imelda StauntonImelda StauntonImelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton, OBE is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the British comedy television series Up the Garden Path, the Harry Potter film series and Vera Drake...
- James FleetJames FleetJames Edward Fleet is an English actor. He is most famous for his roles as the bumbling and well-meaning Tom in the 1994 British romantic comedy film Four Weddings and a Funeral, and the dim-witted Hugo Horton in the BBC situation comedy television series The Vicar of Dibley.-Personal life:Fleet...
- David SchneiderDavid SchneiderDavid Schneider may refer to:*David Schneider , English actor and comedian*David Schneider , American film writer , director and actor*David Schneider , former pro tennis player...
- Mark LittleMark LittleMark Little may refer to:* Mark Little , Australian actor, television presenter and comedian* Mark Little , Irish journalist, television presenter and author...
- Comedian Vic ReevesVic ReevesJames Roderick Moir , better known by the stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer . He is known for his surreal and non sequitur sense of humour....
is often listed as being in the film, and was scheduled to play the director of the cola advertisement, but other commitments prevented him from doing so. He does not appear in the end credits of the film.