Karl Fletcher
Encyclopedia
Karl Fletcher was a character in the Sky One
drama Dream Team
played by Terry Kiely
. He is the only character to have appeared in every series of the show (and its subsequent spin-off, Dream Team 80's) until the death of the character in the 2004-05 series, at which point he has appeared in a flashback, and most recently, a ghost.
Fletcher has the honour of being the most popular character in the show's history winning every fan poll to decide the most popular character at the end of each season minus season 8 (not counting seasons in which he made limited appearances and was not eligible to receive votes), and in the show's last season, was voted as the most popular character in the show's 10 year run.
He started at Harchester United
as a schoolboy, then played in the reserves . He broke into the first team after the club's first season in the Premier League.
despite his mentor Henry Leslie's disapproval.
From then on, he was part of the furniture at Harchester, until the end of the second series, when he was on his best form, helping Harchester to the FA Cup
, having defeated Manchester United
. His form did not go unnoticed, and in a big move, he joined Real Mallorca
.
Karl spent several months in Spain until he realised he wasn't happy there missing his mentor Henry Leslie, and arranged for a transfer back to Harchester. In this second spell at Harchester, he fell in love with Lynda Block
, and they had an on-off affair for several years. At one point he asked her to marry him, but she declined by laughing in his face.
All of this led to Fletch being accused of Prash's murder, for which he was tried. Following a large campaign by fans, Fletch was bailed to play in possibly his last game for Harchester United & his career. Fletch played as if he were indeed never going to play for Harchester again & finished the game as captain. At the final whistle, an emotional Fletch stayed on the pitch, receiving a standing ovation from the grateful Harchester fans, as he thanked them for the support throughout his trial. He was found guilty of murder, but at that point, Lynda Block admitted that she killed Prash, and Fletch was innocent.
final, and spent several months in hospital. Whilst in hospital, he met Abi Fletcher (maiden name: O'Leary), whom he quickly fell in love with, and married in the first episode of series six.
This was at the start of the sixth series, when Patrick Doyle became manager. Karl discovered Patrick's plan to relegate
Harchester, and became the main fighter against it alongside Henry Leslie.
This included a stunning performance where Karl scored a hat-trick
against Patrick's wishes, who thought he had brought him on board to help Harchester get relegated.
In the ongoing fight, Karl was voted Dragon of the Year by the supporters, but on the same night he had his drink spiked with cocaine
. This was part of a plot, as Patrick later had a drugs test conducted, making Karl ineligible to play.
All the while this was going on, Karl did not realise that it was his best friend, Jamie Parker, who was the main person helping Patrick. When Jamie died, Karl was at first reluctant to forgive him, but after hearing all of the evidence, he realised that Jamie was manipulated against his will.
He later delivered a moving eulogy at Jamie Parker's funeral, Quote; "We will beat Everton
, and we will stay in the Premiership...and we will do it for you, Jamie". Fortunately the Dragons went on to win the match and were saved from relegation when star striker. Karl had a son, Louie Block, through his affair with Lynda Block
; because Lynda was incarcerated, she let Karl and Abi look after him.
arrived at the Dragon's Lair, Karl was no longer needed. He took the opportunity to move to Saudi Arabia
, playing football over there for large sums of money in order to solve his money troubles.
This meant leaving his wife Abi behind with his son Louie Block, appointing teammate Marcel Sabatier to look after them. This later led to problems, as Marcel and Abi became closer, eventually sleeping together. When Karl found out about this, he ended the relationship with Abi.
, because Fletch was friendly with Batistuta's cousin. The deal with Batistuta never materialised and after promising a big-name signing for the Harchester fans, Dean Boyle had to recruit an overweight and unfit Fletch for yet another stint in Harchester. Fletch had a new girlfriend this time, Gina Moliano, the sister of Fletch's good friend & ex-Harchester player Eddie Moliano.
Karl never got on with Harchester's manager at the time, Don Barker
, and after weeks of build-up and on the day of the Championship Play-Off final (they did manage to get to and from the Millennium Stadium
in Cardiff
exceedingly quickly as various characters went back and forth a number of times on the morning of the game all before kick-off!), Fletch was murdered by Don in the changing room of the Dragon's Lair... with the help of a clothes peg to the back of the head. His body was found in the back of Don's BMW at the Millennium Stadium
just minutes before Don drove his car, with Fletch's body inside, into the Harchester coach.
in the form of a "spiritual advisor" to the troubled player Jason Porter in the tenth and final series. Fletch stays with Porter, either badgering his troubled conscience or encouraging him, leading Porter to make the final pitch of the series in the closing minutes, as Porter scored the final goal, his body superimposed into Fletch, who smiled as the crowd erupted in cheers and jubliation. Dream Team ended its ten year run with the image of its most popular character smiling at the win he had helped influence.
, League Cup
, Champions League
and UEFA Cup
, his total tally was an impressive 235 goals for the club.
Season 2 (1998-99 Football Season): 1-76 (All episodes)
Season 3 (1999-2000 Football Season): 7, 48-62 (16 episodes)
Season 4 (2000-01 Football Season): 1-26 (All episodes)
Season 5 (2001-02 Football Season): 1-32 (All episodes)
Season 6 (2002-03 Football Season): 1-32 (All episodes)
Season 7 (2003-04 Football Season): 1-2, 19-20 (4 episodes)
Season 8 (2004-05 Football Season): 10-32 (23 episodes)
Season 9 (2005-06 Football Season): 11 (1 episode)
Dream Team 80's (Aired 21 May - 4 June 2006): 1 (1 episode)
Season 10 (2006-07 Football Season): 24-32 (9 episodes)
Sky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
drama Dream Team
Dream Team (TV series)
Dream Team is a British television series produced by Hewland International which aired on Sky1 and Sky3 from 1997 to 2007; it chronicled the on-field and off-field affairs of the fictional Harchester United Football Club....
played by Terry Kiely
Terry Kiely
Terry Kiely is an English actor best known for his role in the Sky One series Dream Team, where he played the popular character Karl Fletcher - lasting many seasons although only initially signing up for 6 episodes...
. He is the only character to have appeared in every series of the show (and its subsequent spin-off, Dream Team 80's) until the death of the character in the 2004-05 series, at which point he has appeared in a flashback, and most recently, a ghost.
Fletcher has the honour of being the most popular character in the show's history winning every fan poll to decide the most popular character at the end of each season minus season 8 (not counting seasons in which he made limited appearances and was not eligible to receive votes), and in the show's last season, was voted as the most popular character in the show's 10 year run.
He started at Harchester United
Harchester United F.C.
Harchester United Football Club was a fictional Premier League football club from the Midlands, featured in the television series Dream Team...
as a schoolboy, then played in the reserves . He broke into the first team after the club's first season in the Premier League.
Early life at Harchester
At the end of the first season, he was suspended after being found to have taken cocaineCocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
despite his mentor Henry Leslie's disapproval.
From then on, he was part of the furniture at Harchester, until the end of the second series, when he was on his best form, helping Harchester to the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, having defeated Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. His form did not go unnoticed, and in a big move, he joined Real Mallorca
RCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix....
.
Karl spent several months in Spain until he realised he wasn't happy there missing his mentor Henry Leslie, and arranged for a transfer back to Harchester. In this second spell at Harchester, he fell in love with Lynda Block
Lynda Block
Lynda Block is a fictional character in the Sky One drama, Dream Team. She was also a big rugby fan growing up and idolised lions player like Bill Beaumont and Rodney O'Donnell. Lynda is played by British actress Alison King....
, and they had an on-off affair for several years. At one point he asked her to marry him, but she declined by laughing in his face.
Accused of murder
At the end of the fourth series, owner Prasant "Prash" Dettani was found murdered in the board room. In the build up to this event, Prash had been aggravating Fletch, which to those outside indicated a motive for Fletch killing Prash. To further compound this, Fletch had just been substituted off in the game. Angry at this, he punched the tunnel wall, making his hands bleed.All of this led to Fletch being accused of Prash's murder, for which he was tried. Following a large campaign by fans, Fletch was bailed to play in possibly his last game for Harchester United & his career. Fletch played as if he were indeed never going to play for Harchester again & finished the game as captain. At the final whistle, an emotional Fletch stayed on the pitch, receiving a standing ovation from the grateful Harchester fans, as he thanked them for the support throughout his trial. He was found guilty of murder, but at that point, Lynda Block admitted that she killed Prash, and Fletch was innocent.
Fight against Patrick
He was involved in the coach crash at the end of the fifth series on the way to the UEFA CupUEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
final, and spent several months in hospital. Whilst in hospital, he met Abi Fletcher (maiden name: O'Leary), whom he quickly fell in love with, and married in the first episode of series six.
This was at the start of the sixth series, when Patrick Doyle became manager. Karl discovered Patrick's plan to relegate
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
Harchester, and became the main fighter against it alongside Henry Leslie.
This included a stunning performance where Karl scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
against Patrick's wishes, who thought he had brought him on board to help Harchester get relegated.
In the ongoing fight, Karl was voted Dragon of the Year by the supporters, but on the same night he had his drink spiked with cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. This was part of a plot, as Patrick later had a drugs test conducted, making Karl ineligible to play.
All the while this was going on, Karl did not realise that it was his best friend, Jamie Parker, who was the main person helping Patrick. When Jamie died, Karl was at first reluctant to forgive him, but after hearing all of the evidence, he realised that Jamie was manipulated against his will.
He later delivered a moving eulogy at Jamie Parker's funeral, Quote; "We will beat Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
, and we will stay in the Premiership...and we will do it for you, Jamie". Fortunately the Dragons went on to win the match and were saved from relegation when star striker. Karl had a son, Louie Block, through his affair with Lynda Block
Lynda Block
Lynda Block is a fictional character in the Sky One drama, Dream Team. She was also a big rugby fan growing up and idolised lions player like Bill Beaumont and Rodney O'Donnell. Lynda is played by British actress Alison King....
; because Lynda was incarcerated, she let Karl and Abi look after him.
Move to Saudi Arabia
Karl had had money troubles throughout the sixth series; although he was on in excess of £20,000 per week, his extravagant lifestyle and crippling tax bills led him to struggle. When new superstar Luke DavenportLuke Davenport
Luke Davenport is a fictional association football player who appeared on the British drama Dream Team, about the equally fictitious Harchester United. He is played by Neil Newbon....
arrived at the Dragon's Lair, Karl was no longer needed. He took the opportunity to move to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, playing football over there for large sums of money in order to solve his money troubles.
This meant leaving his wife Abi behind with his son Louie Block, appointing teammate Marcel Sabatier to look after them. This later led to problems, as Marcel and Abi became closer, eventually sleeping together. When Karl found out about this, he ended the relationship with Abi.
Last stint at Harchester
In 2004, Dean Boyle had asked for Fletch's help in buying Gabriel BatistutaGabriel Batistuta
Gabriel Omar Batistuta , nicknamed Batigol, is a former professional footballer. The prolific Argentine striker played most of his club football at Fiorentina in Italy, and he is the tenth top scorer of all-time in the Italian Serie A league, with 184 goals in 318 matches...
, because Fletch was friendly with Batistuta's cousin. The deal with Batistuta never materialised and after promising a big-name signing for the Harchester fans, Dean Boyle had to recruit an overweight and unfit Fletch for yet another stint in Harchester. Fletch had a new girlfriend this time, Gina Moliano, the sister of Fletch's good friend & ex-Harchester player Eddie Moliano.
Karl never got on with Harchester's manager at the time, Don Barker
Don Barker
Don Barker is a fictional character in the series Dream Team, played by Jon Morrison.Don Barker had a reputation of being a hard-nosed, tough manager, renowned for making teams achieve promotion in the lower leagues...
, and after weeks of build-up and on the day of the Championship Play-Off final (they did manage to get to and from the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
exceedingly quickly as various characters went back and forth a number of times on the morning of the game all before kick-off!), Fletch was murdered by Don in the changing room of the Dragon's Lair... with the help of a clothes peg to the back of the head. His body was found in the back of Don's BMW at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
just minutes before Don drove his car, with Fletch's body inside, into the Harchester coach.
Spiritual Redemption
Surprisingly, Fletcher would be instrumental in helping Harchester win their game against ChelseaChelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
in the form of a "spiritual advisor" to the troubled player Jason Porter in the tenth and final series. Fletch stays with Porter, either badgering his troubled conscience or encouraging him, leading Porter to make the final pitch of the series in the closing minutes, as Porter scored the final goal, his body superimposed into Fletch, who smiled as the crowd erupted in cheers and jubliation. Dream Team ended its ten year run with the image of its most popular character smiling at the win he had helped influence.
Records
In his time at Harchester United, Karl became one of the club's most prolific goal scorers, scoring (In his own words) "172 Premiership goals... Bosh!" during his time at the club. In addition to this, with the goals Fletch scored in the FA CupFA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
, Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
and UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
, his total tally was an impressive 235 goals for the club.
Appearances per Season
Season 1 (1997-98 Football Season): 1-64 (All episodes)Season 2 (1998-99 Football Season): 1-76 (All episodes)
Season 3 (1999-2000 Football Season): 7, 48-62 (16 episodes)
- Fletcher left Harchester to join Real Mallorca between seasons 2 & 3. He returned in the seventh episode of season 3 to pay his respects to the Harchester players who died in a plane crash. In episode 48, he re-signed for the club.
Season 4 (2000-01 Football Season): 1-26 (All episodes)
Season 5 (2001-02 Football Season): 1-32 (All episodes)
Season 6 (2002-03 Football Season): 1-32 (All episodes)
Season 7 (2003-04 Football Season): 1-2, 19-20 (4 episodes)
- In the second episode of season 7, Fletcher was sold to a club in Saudi Arabia. He reappeared in episodes 19 & 20, assisting a Saudi sheikhSheikhNot to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
in his attempt to buy Harchester
Season 8 (2004-05 Football Season): 10-32 (23 episodes)
- Fletcher re-signed for Harchester in the tenth episode of season 8. He was killed off in the episode 31, but his body was seen in episode 32
Season 9 (2005-06 Football Season): 11 (1 episode)
- A 23 year old Fletcher reappeared in a flashback set in 1994 during the ninth episode of season 9. He was not played by Terry Kiely in this episode
Dream Team 80's (Aired 21 May - 4 June 2006): 1 (1 episode)
- A young Karl Fletcher is seen as a troublesome young mascot for the Dragons. He famously stated "My Dad said one day I will be the best striker this club has ever seen"
Season 10 (2006-07 Football Season): 24-32 (9 episodes)
- In episode 24 of season 10, Jason PorterJason PorterJason Porter was a fictional footballer for Sky One's television drama Dream Team. He played both midfielder and striker for Harchester United.His highest moment with Harchester came in the final game of the season...
began seeing visions of Karl Fletcher taunting him. Throughout this ghoulish stint, Fletch was mostly seen as an aggravator to Porter, however in the final three episodes of the season, he revealed he was actually helping him, right to the point in the series finaleSeries finaleA series finale refers to the last installment of a series with a narrative presented through mediums such as television, film and literature. In many Commonwealth countries, the term final episode is commonly used in regards to a television series...
, where Porter volleyed a shot that could have won Harchester the Premier League towards goal when the camera switches away from Porter and back onto him only this time it's Fletch shooting at the goal. Whilst we never see the full outcome of the shot, the sound of the crowd cheering and Fletch smiling as the last shot in Dream Team's history meant that Porter scored albeit assisted from his hero Karl Fletcher
External links
- Karl Fletcher at Harchester.net
- HarchesterUnited.org
- Karl Fletcher's 1st reign profile at Harchester.TV
- Karl Fletcher's 2nd reign profile at Harchester.TV
- Karl Fletcher's 3rd reign profile at Harchester.TV