Using a game show format, pundits and celebrities are invited to talk a good game in order to win points. Given topics and view points from the world of sport, the pundits just throw out quips, argue among themselves and throw out indefensible viewpoints with as much humour as they can muster, while Johnny Vaughan and his trusty bell gives out points.
I first heard Fighting Talk when it started on Radio 5 on Saturday morning with Johnny Vaughan heading it up; the radio show is still there but Johnny no longer does it as he has gone with it as it moves to BBC2. The series is a bit of a strange idea and is best enjoyed as a bit of banter and fun before the football match best enjoyed while travelling to the match for example. So moving it to TV and making it visibly a game show (and therefore a bit less chaotic) loses this strength and risked not making it work. And in fairness it doesn't work as well as it did on radio although the essence is still there in the freewheeling joking and banter; the closest thing I can compare it to is the imaginative humour of Danny Baker if you like him then you're bound to enjoy this series.
Vaughan is perfect for the host and does it very well he is caught up in the humour and he makes it infectious to the audience because he is so into it. The guests have included a good collection of faces from comedians to football managers to former players to musicians, they are all passionate about football but don't take themselves so seriously that they can't have a bit of a laugh with the others and at themselves. Certainly they all seem to like the big boards behind them and the atmosphere.
Overall this is an OK series that, for sports fans with humour, can be great fun in small doses. It works best on radio to be honest, but at least on television it is limited to a nice 30 minute running time and never outstays its welcome.
