Fictional Spurs

Episode 6 of the series – the final episode – features a shoot out as the villain in the series attempts to escape from the US Embassy.  It take place in the underground car park, which had the trademark Tottenham Hotspur Stadium markings on the ceiling, as the baddie gets away by rolling under the closing shutters.  The area he runs away into appears to be the area in front of the Spurs stadium on the High Road.

In the screen adaptation of Stephen King’s novel about a dystopian , there are some scenes that are filmed in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.  One is inside the first team changing room, while another features the concourse under the South Stand pretending it is a rail station.

A thriller series screened by Netflix starred Keira Knightley, Sarah Lancashire and Ben Wishaw in a political drama where Wishaw is an assassin and Knightley a spy, who has married and has a family with the Secretary of State for Defence, works for the Black Doves to extract sensitive information for the group to sell to the highest bidder.  In Series 1 Episode 6 “In The Bleak Midwinter”, the Webb family celebrate Christmas, with one of the children opening their one of their presents and being overjoyed to find a Spurs shirt with “Webb” on the back.  “It’s a number 7 !”, they shouted with glee.

Real life Gooner fan Jack Whitehall (playing part-time tutor Adam Healey) features in a psychological thriller series about a sociopath who infiltrates the family of venture capitalist Jamie Tanner (David Duchovny) with a revenge plot at the heart of the story. 

In the very first episode, Healey is seen entering the USA at an airport, is pulled aside by US Border Security and taken into an office away from passport control to be questioned and an external shot shows Lilywhite House logo’d up to be a Homeland Security building, with the ‘twisted’ linking bridge to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium clearly seen.

A sci-fi film about a man dying of cancer wanting to buy a star (one of those in the sky, not a player !). 

A scene is shown of the facade of the East Stand that is supposed to house a company called “The Stars Our Destination”.

Crime series starring Adrian Scarborough as a detective (DI Max Arnold) investigating cases in and around Chelsea, with his Detective Constable Jess Lombard played by Lucy Phelps. In “The Blue Room – Part 1” (Series 2, Episode 1), they investigate a murder at an art gallery theft. 

When interviewing an art dealer with DC Connor Pollock (Peter Bankole), Lombard criticises the dealer for using public school Latin.  When leaving she turns to him and says, “Audere Est Facere”.
Outside Pollock says to her, “I didn’t know you knew Latin ?”, to which she replies, “I don’t.  My old man’s a Spurs fan.  It was written on a scarf !”

Series on Disney+/ITV about everyone in the population having superhero powers that features a shape-shifting man who could turn into a cat called Jizzlord (played by Luke Rollason).  In “Magic Bullets” (Series 1, Episode 2), his friends are trying to establish how long he had been able to do this and one of the last things he can remember before he acquired his superpower is Spurs beating Arsenal 4-2 at home.  It is established that the match took place three years ago.

In the first episode of Series 2 of the violent story about warring gangs in the capital city, Basem Soudani (head of an Algerian gang played by Salem Kali) buys a shipment of guns but is unaware that he is being betrayed by Hakim (his number two in the organisation).  Hakim informs Koba (the head of a mafia organisation from Georgia played by Waleed Zuaiter) of the plan to cut him out of the deal for the armaments, so Koba lures some of Basem’s men to an underground car park before killing a number of them and then forcing Faz Soudani (Basem’s nephew played by Fady Elsayed) to eat some bullets before shooting dead another member of the Algerian gang to warn Basem of what might ensue should he mess with Koba again.

The car park where the killing takes place is at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In the final episode of Series 2 of the sitcom, biological father – Larry (played by Nigel Havers) – of Simon Cockfield (Joe Wilkinson) tells him that he has won some hospitality tickets to a Spurs game and goes on to quote players who are no longer at the club that he is looking forward to meeting.  He remembers that Simon is a Spurs fan and his son’s face lights up until his father tells him that it will be really convenient to spend the night with Simon before he takes his girlfriend to the match.

Kenny Stowton – a former MI6 agent and working for investigative on-line publication Bitter Pill and played by Sean Delaney (a real life Fulham fan) – featured in this thrilling TV series, being the son of Carolyn Martens (played by Fiona Shaw)

Kenny is killed off in the first episode of Series 3 and at his wake, the tribute photo of him is sitting on a table with a THFC scarf under it.

In Series 12, Episode 3  “Orphan 55” of the long-running BBC TV Sci-fi programme, it involved a pair of security staff called Kane and Vorm.

Now, Kane could easily be a commonplace name of any Tom, Dick or Harry, but Kane AND Vorm together ?

TV drama about the use of editing to “correct” video footage to achieve the right result for the Police and Secret Services featured an expert to give evidence on the technological issued that may lead to videos being doctored and he worked as a consultant working on TV football coverage.  In the scenes featuring Marcus Levy (played by Paul Ritter) there is lots of Spurs memorabilia seen in his flat and footage of him attending a night match outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Two of the main characters in this Edwardian drama about building a viaduct across a Yorkshire valley had somewhat surprisingly familiar names.

The Afro-American who came in with vast experience of building railroads in the USA was named Ralph Coates.

His nemesis, the prodigal brother of the man building the viaduct, was Johnny Jackson.

Coincidence ? … Maybe, but then again …

The lead character was James Nesbitt (a renowned Man U fan in real life) playing a maverick police detective, but his female side-kick, Detective Sergeant Nuri Chohan (played by Amara Karan), was a Spurs supporter, as she explained when detailing the differences between her boyfriend and herself.

This detective series put a new spin on the Sherlock Holmes stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in which Lucy Liu takes on the role of Joan Watson, a female version of the side-kick to the genius with addiction problems with Johnny Lee Miller playing the lead role.  Set in New York, in this episode they are visited by disgraced former Inspector at Scotland Yard, Gareth Lestrade played by Sean Pertwee, who had worked with Holmes on cases in the UK.

In Series 2,  Episode 16 of Series 8 – “The One Percent Solution”, Watson asks Holmes what he was doing the previous evening.
Holmes :  “I spent several minutes last night trying to work out Lestrade’s password.”
Watson :  “Birthday ?”
Holmes :  “Year Tottenham last won the FA Cup.  Ages ago by the way.”

The series featured a gang of con artists, who are modern day Robin Hoods, trying to hit those who prey on the vulnerable.  In Episode 1 of Series 8 entitled “Gold Finger”, Dexter Gold (born Dexter Pratt and played by Paterson Joseph) is a gold dealer who claims to give the best prices, but cheats his customers, so they target him to work their con.  During one scene, he can be seen talking about being a Spurs fan, but never goes to the games.

A series of crime novels written by Mark Billingham feature the central character Tom Thorne, who is a country music loving Detective on the Metropolitan Police Murder Squad who supports Tottenham Hotspur.

Ironically, the author is a fan of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Martin Fowler had Spurs posters on his wall, while the actor playing him was alleged to be a big Gooner.

Joe McGann plays a former footballer – Charlie Burrows – whose playing days at Spurs were ended early by injury.  He is a widower and has a 12 year old daughter and to provide for her, he moved out of South London to Henley-on-Thames to take up a position as a housekeeper for a female advertising executive Caroline and her young son.  On leaving London, he drives a transit van with a “Tottenham Hotspur” windscreen sticker.
In Series 1 Episode 7 – “Growing Pains”, he is playing football in the garden with his daughter Joanne, pretending to be Spurs in the last minute of the FA Cup Final.
In Series 1, Episode 8 – “Paint Your Wagon”, talking with other local house-keepers, Charlie is asked if he has any complaints and replies “Spurs don’t look too good this year.”
In Series 1 Episode 11 – “Just Like Charlie”, Caroline’s son Tom needs something to take to “Show and Tell” at school and Charlie suggests, “Why don’t you take my old Spurs shirt ?”
In Series 2, Episode 2 – “Common Entrance”, Charlie’s daughter is going for an interview at a private school.  When asked how it went, she replies, “Great.  Miss Cooper (the head teacher) is a Spurs fan !”  He friend asked her how she had got on and she replied, “It was a piece of cake.  Mention Gazza and you’re in !”
In Series 3, Episode 1 – “Bedroom Story”, Charlie’s daughter’s bedroom has a poster of Gary Mabbutt lifting the FA Cup in 1991 on the wall.
In Series 3, Episode 8 – “The Honeymooners”, Charlie goes to a hotel as he is playing in a Tottenham Veterans And Football All-Star Team in a charity match and Caroline goes along to watch.
In Series 3, Episode 9 – “Whiz Kid”, Caroline introduces Charlie to her company’s new Creative Director, who says “Aren’t you the same Charlie Burrows who used to play for Spurs ?  I’ve seen you play loads of times.  Didn’t you once score a hat-trick against Liverpool ?”.
In Series 5 Episode 7 – “The Price is Right”, Caroline is hoping to close a deal for footballer Gary Grant to endorse some trainers and introduces Charlie as “The Pride of White Hart Lane”.
In Series 5 Episode 12 – “Mixed Doubles”, Charlie is playing doubles tennis with Caroline, wearing a Spurs baseball cap.
In Series 5 Episode 16 – “Happy Ever After”, Charlie wants to propose to Caroline and engineers that she goes with him to a football match, where he is surrounded by fans in Tottenham scarves and he is wearing his Spurs baseball cap.  He gets “Marry Me Caroline.  Love Charlie” on the stadium screen, although the ground didn’t look like White Hart Lane, more like Highbury.

Patsy (Stephen Rea) and Andy (Jim Broadbent) are enjoying a few pints in the pub in the film and engage in a conversation on the football of today (while contrasting it with that of the past).

Patsy : Far as I’m concerned, football died, the day Arsenal won the double.
Andy : That’s right. yeah
Patsy : What was they, workhorses.
Andy : Boring buggers hey.
Patsy : Well the Spurs Double team, they was artists.
Andy : They was artists.
Patsy : 21 quid a week they got, can you imagine. What do they get today, millions.
Andy : And they got their backhanders on top of that ain’t they.
Patsy : Poncing round the penalty area with their handbags.
Andy : Primadonnas
Patsy : Ohh, he kicked me ref.
Andy : Brown, Baker, Henry,
Andy : Blanchflower
Patsy : Danny boy
Andy : Yeah.
Patsy : He was the architect of the modern game you know.
Andy : That’s right, yeah.
Patsy : Norman, Mackay, John White, Smith, Allen, Dyson
Andy : Yeah, Come On You Spurs.
Patsy : John White, what a player, aye.
Andy : Yeah.
Patsy : I used to have a little picture of him on my wall, ringed in black.
Patsy : Tragic. what a way to go.
Andy : Struck by lightening.
Patsy : On a golf course.
Andy :  What a waste, aye. You want another.

A touching film commissioned by Channel 4 as part of their “First Love” series about a group of three schoolgirls Julia, who likes to be called Danny after her favourite player Danny Blanchflower (played by Zoe Nathenson), Sara Sugarman (Toni), Liz Campion (Jailbird) and Cathy Murphy (Tub), who are all avid Spurs fans in 1960-1961.  The film is written by Tottenham Hotspur fan and journalist Julie Welch, with it being partly auto-biographical.

A tale about their friendship in an age when girls liking football wasn’t a common interest, but their aim of getting tickets for the FA Cup Final to see Spurs complete the League and Cup Double binds them together.  Going to great lengths, including queuing at the ticket office (in the old Red House building on Bill Nicholson Way) and camping on the White Hart Lane pitch, the girls do eventually get to Wembley, although not without consequences.

Other scenes depict Julia in the team bath in the Spurs changing room at the Lane, with her also trying on Blanchflower’s team shirt.

The denouement comes when the film moved into the 1980s and Julia, now a football reporter, is in the Press box at White Hart Lane, being treated as a visitor rather than a journalist and after the game is kindly offered a lift by none other than Danny Blanchflower, who is also a journalist.

This novel, written by Dick Morland (the sci-fi pseudonym adopted by crime writer Reginald Hill), is set in a futuristic society where tribal groups are based on football teams and the main character Whitey is a Spurs fan.

In the Episode – The Blackboard Jungle – a member of a class that Tony Hancock is teaching is running a book on the football results and when they ponder on the outcome of matches, he shouts out “What about Tottenham !”