Dream Team

It's a show that sharply divides opinion. A show that, is undoubtedly, utter rubbish. However, that is the appeal of the show - it's so ridiculous and overblown that it makes it an enthralling watch.

The show has seemed to have run out of ideas in recent years and the whole "fan wins the lottery and buys club" thing took it a little to far away from the good silliness and over to storylines that were trying to be more football-based. Who cares about the newer storylines of dodgy transfer dealings when you've had storylines where the chairman hired somebody to shoot his star player, who was carrying on with his wife? It also went to the well too many times with the "crash wipes out half the team" concept. Very few players die while playing for a club, maybe one every three to four years and that's spread across the whole of Britain.

I think the series has definitely seen better days; better storylines, better actors and better production values. However, to borrow a phrase from original Harchester manager Ron Atkinson, "in it's pomp" it was a very enjoyable series. If they ever repeat series three and four, warm up the video.

Dream Team is Eastenders, but at the ground of a football team. Since it began in 1997, it has run for five series and the sixth is on it's way. It was made for Sky One and focuses on the on and off pitch antics of members of fictional Premiership side Harchester United and their friends, girlfriends and even wives. It is really good because it is really realistic, unlike Footballer's Wives, Dream Team employs real footballers to play the extras of the team, (Danny Husbands, Peter Mack...) and they have real football conslutants. In an average episode, they show some real game footage, doctored to have purple shirts for Harchester. Off the pitch the stories are realistic and the acting is superb, particularly Terry Kiely (Karl Fletcher) and Alison King (Lynda Block) Watch this show if you want to know how a football club works, or if you want to see that footballer's lives aren't all fame and fortune.....

So what's with Hewland Intl not grasping the capitalist concept of DVD releases? Boatloads of US fans of the show are dying to see the rest of the series (FSC only aired 3 of them, torture!) and DVD seems to be a total money-maker for Hewland if only they'd agree to do it! I've emailed them and they don't get it. "Why would fans want a DVD, just watch the show." Um, because it's not being broadcast anymore you morons! Good grief, I've never encountered a TV producer who didn't want to make money.

Anyone else encounter this with Dream Team/Hewland?

I've found a guy online who sells what appears to be bootlegs and he says he has region 1 coded DVDs with menus and all. But I'm squeamish about spending $50 US for something that in this day and age could land me in jail. (do I have my 10 minimum lines yet?)

Well Dream Team is on its third series and nearly going to its forth.

Its great so far. Always you've got the love triangles between Jerry Block, Lynda Block and Luis Amor Rodriguez and Ann Patterson with ex - Liverpool man Scott Lucas. The on field you have the talented Italian/English joker supreme in Eddie Moliano. Also Ray Wyatt is in the hot seat now. Marilyn (Now gone), Roger and Sandra are all busy at the Dragon's Lair and with a friendship in Didier Baptiste, Billy O'Neill and Wes Kingsley you can't give this show a miss. And Karl Fletcher just tops it all off!!!

This series is terrific stuff. I've been watching it since it started and have been hooked since the first episode. The series follows a made-up Midlands football team called Harchester United, it shows drama on and off the pitch. There are lovable good guys and villainous baddies.There is great acting and a wonderful script with enough twists and turns to fill at least 5 Hitchcock movies. There are loads of great actors which have since starred in other network TV programmes (Ramon Tikaram-ITV's 'Daylight Robbery'). If you have sky 1, tune in when it's next on, whoever you are, you'll be hooked.