Jossy's Giants
Jossy's Giants is a children's footballing comedy drama that ran on BBC1 between 1986 and 1987.[1] The show's plot centred on a boys' football team, the Glipton Grasshoppers, and their enthusiastic Geordie manager Joswell 'Jossy' Blair. The show was written by darts commentator and television personality Sid Waddell, himself a native of Newcastle upon Tyne. Ten episodes were made. The producer and director Edward Pugh later became an executive producer and ran the Children's Programmes Department at BBC Manchester. The theme music was written by Mike Amatt. Football scenes were shot at a since demolished Oldham Town FC site off Middleton Road, Chadderton, exterior scenes were shot in and around Stalybridge, and the studio material was shot at BBC Oxford Road.
| Jossy's Giants | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Written by | Sid Waddell |
| Directed by | Edward Pugh |
| Starring | Jim Barclay |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC 1 |
| Original release | 23 April 1986 – 8 April 1987 |
Stars
Many of the child actors from the series have since left acting, although Jim Barclay, who played Jossy Blair, has appeared on My Family and Blessed. Julian Walsh, who played Harvey, has appeared in Sorted and The Street. Walsh was also the face of the Warburton's Bread TV advertising campaign in 2007. Julie Foy, who played Tracey Gaunt, went on to appear in Press Gang and Coronation Street and acted on stage and in film. In 2017 Julie was Assistant Producer on the short film The Silent Child which won Best Live Action Short Film at the Academy Awards. Suzanne Hall, who appeared in four episodes as Harvey's girlfriend Opal, went on to appear in Hollyoaks .
Cast
| Character | Played by | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jossy Blair | Jim Barclay | Profligate manager of the Glipton Grasshoppers and fiance to Glenda Fletcher |
| Albert Hanson | Christopher Burgess | Blair's assistant manager and business partner |
| Tracey Gaunt | Julie Foy | The Giants' number one fan |
| Bob Nelson | John Judd | Jack of all trades and father to Ross |
| Ross Nelson | Mark Gillard | Glipton's star turn |
| Ricky Sweet | Paul Kirkbright | Captain of the team |
| Harvey McGuinn | Julian Walsh | Goalkeeper |
| Glenn Rix | Stuart McGuinness | One of two outlandishly coiffured strikers |
| Ian 'Selly' Sellick | Ian Sheppard | As above |
| Wayne Chapman | Oliver Orr | Club stalwart |
| Daz | Lee Quarmby | Bright young thing |
| Bex | Ray Callister | Funny ginger haired kid with flatulence problem |
| Cllr Glenda Fletcher | Jenny McCracken | Jossy Blair's fiancée |
Releases
Jossy's Giants was released on DVD in 2018 by Simply Media.