Retro Football: Elton John Can’t Resist Innuendo While Presenting ‘The Big Match’ With Kevin Keegan And Mick Channon, 1976 (Video)

Chris Wright

24th, April 2015

By Chris Wright

Every year, The Big Match (pretty much ITV’s answer to Match of the Day) would produce a special Christmas edition of the show where the format went out of the window for a week and a mix of professional players and celebrity football fans were invited on to generally act up a bit in the spirit of the festive season.

For 1976’s Yuletide edition of the show,  hosting duties were bestowed upon Elton John, who had been appointed as chairman of Watford just a few months earlier.

Kevin Keegan and Mick Channon were invited on as wing-men, with the trio having a jolly old time while simultaneously looking as wooden and self-concious as you like in front of the cameras.

With Keggie and Channon suitably dressed in their finery, the segment began with a VT called “Right Old Ricketts” (a compilation of 1976’s funniest gaffes and own-goals) before Elton took the helm again to quiz his studio guests about their past footballing transgressions while slipping in a cheeky nudge-nudge-wink-wink joke about Crewe…

Of course, Elton being Elton, it wasn’t long before he had Keegan and Channon snorting into their lapels again with another choice bit of kitsch innuendo…

Ooh Matron! It’s hard to imagine the same level of brevity being allowed to fly in the surly, po-faced football studios of today.

We all know what happens when Phil Neville attempts jokes, don’t we? Public apologies, that’s what.

Here’s the first Big Match Christmas Special Editions compilation video in full, which contains various highlights from the programme over the years as narrated by the great, late and much-missed Brian Moore…

Suggested further viewing…

The Black-And-White Years: 15 Retro’riffic Photos Of Elton John At Watford
Mick Channon & Kevin Keegan Combine For Telepathic Southampton Team Goal

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