“We’re representing England,” Andrew Flintoff tells an assembled group of teenage cricketers, picking at exotic curries under a dusky Indian sky. “But we’re also representing something far bigger: Preston.” And so it proves in Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams On Tour, a BBC One follow-up to the 2022 series that chronicled the formation of a grassroots cricket club in the Lancashire town. This sequel follows the tried and tested route of breaking out of its parochial roots and taking its cast on the road.
Flintoff, better known as Freddie or Fred, is a former cricketer turned TV presenter, well known to British audiences from stints on shows like A League of Their Own and Top Gear. It was on the latter where, in December 2022, he sustained life-changing injuries, following a crash at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome. Rehabilitation ended his stint on the show (and possibly the show itself) and set back the planned sequel to Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams by many months. “I genuinely should not be here, with what happened,” an emotional Freddie croaks. “I’ve got another chance; I’ve got to go at it.” And that second chance takes Freddie, and his ragtag bunch of cricketers, to the streets of Kolkata and a shock immersion into Indian.
They say that travel broadens the mind: if so, Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams On Tour (an unforgivably clumsy title) is like Educating Yorkshire hopped on rocket-fuel black tea. “When was the last time you went away?” coach Josh asks new arrival Eli. “Never been away,” the teenager replies succinctly. From cadging KFC in favour of spiced fish (“Our immune system’s not ready for that”) to witnessing rats in the meat market (“The RSPCA would have a field day there”) and performing lotus positions at the crack of dawn, the lads from Preston must adapt quickly. Some flourish, some flounder.
The show exists in an emergent genre of socially conscious, character-driven, almost comedic documentary series. The prime example is Clarkson’s Farm, which balances meaty discussions about the state of British agriculture with high farce, but there are many others. The BBC has invested heavily in the celebrity-led travelogue format for this reason (at present, on iPlayer, you can watch Martin Compston in Norway, Amanda Holden in Italy, Eva Longoria in Mexico, Clive Myrie in the Caribbean, Miriam Margolyes in Australia – and so on). The balance of light entertainment and cultural inquiry make the shows much more palatable for a primetime audience.
And while some of the issues in Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams On Tour are treated rather superficially (the team attempt a day’s fasting during Ramadan to support star all-rounder, Adnan), the show has a genuine anthropological angle. If Rick Stein and Anthony Bourdain travel the world using food to elucidate tradition and customs, Flintoff and co harness the border-breaking impact of sport. From gully cricket in the back alleys of the city to pick-up games played on dusty wickets, sport transcends the barriers of differings. The kids might not know the same language or eat the same food or worship the same gods, but they all know the majesty of a well-hit cover drive.
Of course, Flintoff is at the centre of all this, and there will be undoubted curiosity about his return to screens following the Top Gear accident. A terrifically charismatic sportsman, Flintoff has carried that over to his television career. Here he is introspective, mulling over the similarities between him and the boys, and the way his life has changed. “You lads are helping me more than you’ll ever know,” he tells them, and the emotion feels more real than, say, Stanley Tucci weeping over a Bolognese. The “lads” themselves are a well-selected bunch. Adnan, the Afghan asylum seeker, has blossomed into the team’s sophisticated statesman; Sean, the scrappy truant, is trying to harness his devilish energy; Josh, an autistic tailender, is battling homesickness. For all of them, the trip to India is immersion therapy, but sticks just the right side of pushing them beyond their comfort zones.
It’s undoubtedly schmaltzy, and some will find the narrative beats of Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams On Tour rather predictable. In that way, it does not resemble the fickle carnage of true Indian street cricket. But as a testament to the power of sport – and sportsmanship – to overcome hurdles and break down barriers, this second innings marks a welcome return to the crease.