Rugby League Where You Least Expect It

[CmonTheBorough]

I was recently watching boxed-set episodes of the 1970's police drama The Sweeney (yes, I know I'm sad and should get out more!).  

In the episode 'Jackpot' from 1975 the Flying Squad have intercepted a gang of villains who have turned over a security van and a bag containing £35,000 has gone missing during the inevitable protracted violence.  The whole thing had been filmed by the Squad and as Regan and Carter analyse the film, they see the bag being thrown to a known villain they have in custody.  He catches it, tucks it under his arm and sprints away from the scene.  As Regan grudgingly admires his skill and pace, he is informed by Carter that the villain once "had trials with St. Helens Rugby League".

Anybody got other examples of Rugby League in the arts where you don't expect it?

 

 

[Usera]

I always remember rugby league being mentioned in 'Murphy's Mob', the Children's football series, in the early eighties. Janet Fielding, later famous as Tegan in Doctor Who and here  playing Mac Murphy's niece from Sydney, defends rugby league. 

 

About min 4.40 in this not too great quality clip:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXVkZ26wY3g

[The Electric Gentleman]

In the 1990 sit com Not with a bang about the last 4 survivors left after some type of plague had wiped out the rest of the population the central charecter played by Stephen Rea was a rugby league fan who in one episode on primetime ITV  waxed lyrically about the rugby league abilities of the Papua New Guinea race.It was set  in Cumbria if i remember correctly

[Spidey]

Only Fools & Horses - To Hull & Back

they had a KR poster in the background of the cafe at the docks

Doctor Who - Blink

Somebody was reading a paper and there was a headline about the Hull derby on it

Just seems to be the Hull teams I seem to be spotting ?

[Flagedgetouch]

I remember in the 1990's satirical comedy 'drop the dead donkey' there was a scene where a character called Dave was lost in his thoughts and the other character in the scene (it was a woman but her name escapes me) described some politician of the day as having taken up playing rugby league, at scrum half, for Hull Kingston Rovers in an effort to rouse him from his mental fugue! 

Also there is a guy on time team who I believe is a pottery expert and speaks with a Midlands accent who must single handedly keep the St. Helens club shop in business - so positively dripping with saints gear is he! 

[Copa]

In the 2004 Hollywood movie, The Last Shot, the Hopoate “finger in the backside” incident is on a TV in the background and gets a brief mention.

.......

”Look at this. They say American football don't compare to rugby. Last night, a player was kicked out for shoving his index finger up another guy's ass at the bottom of the pile.”

[deluded pom?]

There was a sitcom in the early 80s (I think) set on a space station and Barry Rutter asks the ground controller (Bruce Boa of Fawlty Towers fame) for the English football results, which the controller delivers in a monotone voice. Rutter then asks for the rugby league results which are delivered in a similar manner. If I remember rightly Rutter's character delights in a Hull KR win. Particularly galling because Rutter is from west Hull.

[B rad]

Jessica Jones on Netflix, A lady's boyfriend goes over to beat up Luke Cage with a bunch of other dudes. They are from a "Rugby League" she warns him on the phone before they get there. 

Later in the series the main villain is watching what I think is the New Zealand England test on TV. He calls out a high tackle as Jessica Jones sneaks around behind him. 

[Spidey]

14 minutes ago, B rad said:

Jessica Jones on Netflix, A lady's boyfriend goes over to beat up Luke Cage with a bunch of other dudes. They are from a "Rugby League" she warns him on the phone before they get there. 

Later in the series the main villain is watching what I think is the New Zealand England test on TV. He calls out a high tackle as Jessica Jones sneaks around behind him. 

Yeah. Remember that. Think it was Aus-NZ though. David Tennant being the bad guy

[Futtocks]

36 minutes ago, deluded pom? said:

There was a sitcom in the early 80s (I think) set on a space station and Barry Rutter asks the ground controller (Bruce Boa of Fawlty Towers fame) for the English football results, which the controller delivers in a monotone voice. Rutter then asks for the rugby league results which are delivered in a similar manner. If I remember rightly Rutter's character delights in a Hull KR win. Particularly galling because Rutter is from west Hull.

Seems like this series was called 'Astronauts' (1981 - 1983), a show of which I have precisely no recollection.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081828/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_52

[Tommygilf]

RL features prominently in C4s new show Abbey Road (sort of a Revamped Waterloo road). "The great Wigan side of the late 80s" gets a mention too.

[deluded pom?]

26 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Seems like this series was called 'Astronauts' (1981 - 1983), a show of which I have precisely no recollection.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081828/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_52

Yep, that's the one.

[Richard de la Riviere]

Barbara in the Good Life (Felicity Kendall) mentions rugby league in one episode! 

[Futtocks]

Somewhere in the LPL archives is a photo they once published of Diana Rigg at a RL match. I think it was at Headingley.

[RayCee]

A rather obvious one was this show:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_the_Heart_Is_(UK_TV_series)

We watched it in NZ and RL was woven into the script often, although that Wiki article above does very well to miss that point. What was unexpected (in keeping with the title) was the level of exposure RL got with it. 

Apparently Underbank Rangers Rugby League Club at Holmfirth received hundreds of pounds a time for scenes shot there.

[Adelaide Tiger]

Just watched the 3 series of SAM on you tube.  It was on TV in the mid 70's when I was about 12 and it was too grown up for me.

The series followed the Barraclough/Wilson family from the 1930's to 1970's living in Skellerton a ficticious pit village near Cas and Wakey.  The shots of the pit stacks are of Ackton Hall colliery near Fev.

They talked of going to 'the game' every so often and in the pub you could see posters advertising RL fixtures such as Wakefield v St Helens Recs.

[RayCee]

Coronation St is based on Salford and do recall RL being mentioned vaguely or a poster in the background. John Bowe played Dougie Ferguson (1999-2002) who was an ex-RL player. Overall I didn't think RL got as much coverage as it probably should in that show. 

[DKL79]

Z Cars had a rugby league playing copper.

[RP London]

full monty... Dave (IIRC) continually wearing an eagles away shirt... in a football town!

[Usera]

12 hours ago, Futtocks said:

Seems like this series was called 'Astronauts' (1981 - 1983), a show of which I have precisely no recollection.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081828/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_52

I vaguely recall the Barry Rutter character singing 'Red, Red Robin' when he finds out that Rovers had won.

[Usera]

10 hours ago, RayCee said:

Coronation St is based on Salford and do recall RL being mentioned vaguely or a poster in the background. John Bowe played Dougie Ferguson (1999-2002) who was an ex-RL player. Overall I didn't think RL got as much coverage as it probably should in that show. 

Jack and Vera's son Terry used to play RL although it was rarely mentioned. They had a photo of him on the mantelpiece in his chevron jersey. 

[Usera]

19 hours ago, The Electric Gentleman said:

In the 1990 sit com Not with a bang about the last 4 survivors left after some type of plague had wiped out the rest of the population the central charecter played by Stephen Rea was a rugby league fan who in one episode on primetime ITV  waxed lyrically about the rugby league abilities of the Papua New Guinea race.It was set  in Cumbria if i remember correctly

Steve Rea was a Barrow fan in that. The only thing I remember about the series is him fantasizing  about scoring for Great Britain after taking a pass from Joe Lydon.

[Fabou]

I posted recently on this forum a Music video clip from a french gangsta rap Group which takes Place in a paris poor suburb... one of the drug dealers has a South sydney hoodie  

2´20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEbJwZOkvDM&t=143s

 

[deluded pom?]

32 minutes ago, Johnoco said:

I remember once in The Bash Street Kids, when Mt St Helen blew up and Smiffy asking the teacher 'aren't they a Rugby League team?'

I always liked Smiffy.

[deluded pom?]

11 hours ago, RayCee said:

Coronation St is based on Salford and do recall RL being mentioned vaguely or a poster in the background. John Bowe played Dougie Ferguson (1999-2002) who was an ex-RL player. Overall I didn't think RL got as much coverage as it probably should in that show. 

There was also a reference to the Salford physio coming down to treat one of the main characters. I can't remember which one though. Another obvious programme was 'Fallen Hero' from the 70s about a former rugby union player who had taken the money and gone North to play league.