First performance 1991 | ||
 | ||
Adaptations An Evening with Gary Lineker (1994) Playwrights Arthur Smith, Chris England Similar A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, Absurd Person Singular, A Chorus of Disapproval, Daisy Pulls It Off, Dead Funny | ||
An evening with gary lineker
An Evening with Gary Lineker is a 1991 stage play, adapted for television in 1994, by Arthur Smith and Chris England.
Contents
The action takes place against the backdrop of the 1990 Football World Cup semi-final, between England and West Germany, which is taking place in Italy while Monica and Bill are on holiday in Ibiza. Bill desperately wants to watch the match; Monica wants to talk about their relationship.
The play was nominated for an Olivier Award.
A 90-minute television drama, adapted by Smith and England from their playscript, was produced by Andy Harries for Granada Television and aired on 14 June 1994 on ITV just before the start of the 1994 World Cup and was repeated 4 years later during France 98. It starred Caroline Quentin as Monica and Clive Owen as Bill, with the supporting cast including Quentin's then real-life husband Paul Merton as Bill's wet, annoying best friend Ian, who has accompanied them on the holiday to Monica's consternation. Lizzy McInnerny plays Birgitta, a German whom Ian has met in Ibiza, and Martin Clunes plays Dan, a client of Bill's publishing company who is coincidentally in Ibiza too. Gary Lineker makes a cameo appearance and the voice of John Motson is provided by impressionist Alistair McGowan.