Sport on TV: I just met a girl named Maria.I hope she doesn't tell anyone

News in pictures
News in pictures
On Facebook
From the blogs

We need to avoid another ‘lost generation’

A tiny green shoot one day, and then a chill wind the next. Anyone hoping for signs of economic spr...

More than half of Afghanistan’s families live in extreme poverty

Leila is watching her baby intently, as his mouth moves trying to swallow the small blob of yellow p...

Time for a new approach to alcohol

Ambulances were called and three drunk teenagers were brought to my care. One was so drunk we had to...

Bahrain: One year on

I am used to endless lies and criticism from the BNP and its favourite blogster, as well as Islamist...

It's the party season. Did somebody say "recession"? Maria, the boss of Scandalous Chicks enterprises, wouldn't know about such things as she takes her employees off into the night in their Hummer limousine. She is paid by nightclubs to provide girls to keep footballers entertained of an evening. 'From WAGs to Riches' (BBC3, Thursday) showed them necking £700 bottles of Cristal champagne and burning £50 notes as they cavorted around London's Funky Buddha club. But all they found was some bloke off 'Big Brother'. Times must be hard.

Footballers are "modern-day princes", according to the narrator, Radio One DJ Annie Mac, and marrying one is "a fairytale ending". Mark Fuller, the big cheese at the Embassy club, thinks the players are "just like jousters coming back and winning their maidens".

Sophie Anderton, former wife of Mark Bosnich and a recovering addict, doesn't see it that way, but she was never "technically" a WAG because "Mark never played, he was always on the bench. I saw a lot of white lines but not quite those ones". Ian Walker'sex-wife Suzi also tasted the poisoned apple. "I wouldn't want my daughter to marry a footballer," she says. "A lawyer would be much better." But if you didn't marry a footballer, you might not need a lawyer.

Francesca Amber Sawyer has written "the smart girl's guide to dating a footballer", in which she details her seven-month affair with a Premier League player known only as Wesley. Her new life as an author depends on discretion, but at a publicity event she blurts out to a complete stranger, "I had sex with Russell Brand last night", then sells her story for £10,000.

"I've always said it isn't about the money, but it kind of is," she confides. "Especially now half of London's falling down and everyone's losing their jobs." She adds: "Well, at least I didn't kiss and tell on a footballer," as she reads the 'News of the World' exclusive with her mum and tells her how Brand had done Frank Spencer impressions while he was on the job. Some mothers really do 'ave em. And some jobs will always be in demand.



The final part of 'Dangerous Adventures for Boys' (Five, Friday) had nothing to do with predatory ladies. It featured the sprinter Darren Campbell and his young son Aaryn trying to become a kart-racing team. They could have shown Sir Richard Branson's attempt to break the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing in his delightfully named yacht Virgin Money. He took his son Sam and daughter Holly, but it all ended in disaster, despite having some chap called Ben Ainslie on deck. Perhaps it sounded like too dreadful an example of attention-seeking. But wait, 'The Bransons: Come Hell or High Water' was on TV last Tuesday. Which channel was it on? The blessed Virgin, of course. There aren't many of those in the Funky Buddha.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Career Services

Day In a Page

How an abortion divided America

How an abortion divided America

Single mother who took a pill to end her pregnancy is now fighting a landmark prosecution in a conservative state
Can you master a language in a weekend?

Can you master a language in a weekend?

Ed Cooke insists he can use his techniques as a memory expert to help novices learn even the hardest tongues.
The 10 best heaters

The 10 best heaters

From the DeLonghi Retro Fan Heater to the Dimplex MicroFire
Coming soon to a shelf near you: The publishing industry has gone mad for film-style trailers

Coming soon to a shelf near you

The publishing industry has gone mad for film-style trailers
Mad, bad and delightful to know: How Lord Byron became a cultural superstar

How Lord Byron became a cultural superstar

As the poet takes centre stage in the West End, Boyd Tonkin looks into the life of the outspoken champion of the poor
Did they all live happily ever after? That's up to you...

Did they all live happily ever after? That's up to you...

New digital novel will overturn centuries of literary tradition by allowing readers to choose how they would like story to end
How to look good for less – Primark in copycat row

How to look good for less – Primark in copycat row

With London Fashion Week starting tomorrow, designers are closeted in studios putting finishing touches to their collections
James Lawton: Arsène and Arsenal are living in the past

James Lawton

Arsène and Arsenal are living in the past
How Docherty's resurgent Reds beat Dutch greats

How Docherty's resurgent Reds beat Dutch greats

United have met Ajax only once before in Europe, in 1976. The key performers recall an electric occasion
Civil war at Ajax

Civil war at Ajax

A rift between two club legends has torn the Dutch giants apart
Lewis Moody: For an idea of where England are headed, look at Wales now

Lewis Moody column

For an idea of where England are headed, look at Wales now
Geoff Toovey: Little gem with huge incentive to become king of the world

Geoff Toovey interview

Little gem with huge incentive to become king of the world
Picture preview: Portrait of London

Portrait of London

Picture preview
No secularism please, we're British

No secularism please, we're British

Arguments about the role of religion in national life have recently acquired a new urgency
Harold Tillman: 'Chinese tourists can save the high street – if we let them'

Harold Tillman interview

'Chinese tourists can save the high street – if we let them'