Vive le Cricket! has been created by NG Bristow and Barney Spender who takes on the role of Rex, drawing on his own experience as… a cricket commentator in France.
Barney Spender is a sports journalist and broadcaster who spent 15 years on the cricket circuit before moving to mainland Europe. He moved to Paris in 2009 where he has commentated on cricket in French.
He is a regular commentator (in English) for Canal+ Top 14 rugby and has written for The Times, The Guardian and, most importantly, Wisden Cricket Almanack – otherwise known as ‘the big yellow book’.
He often claims to have played county cricket, conveniently neglecting that it was not for his beloved Somerset but for County Meath in Ireland.
Barney says:
Why the show? “I blame Nigel completely. He didn’t believe that cricket commentary in French was a thing, in fact he thought the very idea was hilarious. And so he badgered me to dig deeper. C’est merveilleux.”
Are you and Rex the same person? “Non. We share many characteristics, of course, notably our love for France and for cricket, and I have lent him some experiences. But Rex is far more polite than me.”
London-based NG Bristow, who has directed and co-written Vive Le Cricket!, is an award-winning writer/director with over thirty years experience directing television drama. He is a former Irish sabre champion, has acted opposite Vivian Stanshall and brought theatre to the terraces of Millwall FC – and lived to tell the tale.
Nigel says:
Pourquoi, Nigel? “What attracted me to the project? I blame Barney. I’ve always had a fondness for mavericks, misfits and underdogs. Commentating cricket in French… to the French, struck me as the ultimate act of a mad, English underdog.”
Did you play cricket: “I played cricket in school and was struck by the sheer viciousness of the whole thing. I was happier with a sword in my hand.”
Our thanks to the good people of Camden Fringe, Canal Cafe, Old Deer Park and Richmond Cricket Club.
Vive Le Cricket! 