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Tina and Bobby is a new three-part drama from ITV which dramatises the partnership of future England captain Bobby Moore (Lorne MacFadyen) and his wife Tina (Michelle Keegan).
As it’s just a trilogy of episodes, it speeds along fast to get to the wedding as well as Bobby’s promotion to Captain at West Ham United – David Cameron’s favourite football team… or was it Aston Villa? I forget… he did, certainly.
Unfortunately, while Tina tries to build a life for her and her new husband, football is never far away, even on her honeymoon. On the plus side, she gets introduced to the other WAGs, so she has more friends.
Patsy Kensit plays Tina’s mother, Betty, and many men of my age will remember her best nearly 30 years ago when she led pop group Eighth Wonder and had a role as Mel Gibson’s better half in Lethal Weapon 2.
Prior to watching this, I didn’t really know a great deal about their relationship, nor much about Moore, himself, other than he was carried aloft after England won the World Cup in 1966, as I don’t follow football.
Overall, based on just the first episode alone, Tina and Bobby is an okay hour’s worth of inoffensive entertainment, but it doesn’t feel like anyone’s really pushing the boat out. Ms Keegan is exactly how she normally is, while I’ve never seen Lorne MacFadyen before this, so I don’t know if he’s very much like Moore or just rather wooden. Not knowing a huge amount about the late England captain, I have to presume the latter.
Based on Tina Moore’s book, Bobby Moore: By the Person Who Knew Him Best, this is an easy watch, and after part 1, I said I’d be interested to see how it pans out, hoping it would pick up as head into the bigger part of Moore’s England career.
Well, I’ve since seen episodes 2 and 3 and, while I’ll give no spoilers, as a drama it plays out with little change in pacing and acting – I was neither hugely impressed, nor did I feel like I had to turn it off, but I did want to see it through to the conclusion. Ms Keegan is fine, but Mr MacFadyen is mostly the same and I can only imagine he was picked for looking a bit like Bobby Moore when he was younger. Even though this drama is based on a true story, I didn’t know how things would go before I watched it, so I’ve therefore approached this review assuming that there are others in the same position.
And since I’m giving no spoilers, I’m not saying how England get on in the 1966 World Cup, other than we do a bit better than we usually do…
Tina and Bobby begins tonight on ITV at 9pm, and then later on the ITV Hub. The series is available to pre-order on DVD ahead of its release on February 6th. You can also buy Tina Moore’s book, Bobby Moore: By the Person Who Knew Him Best. Also, click on the packshot for the full size version.
Overall Score: 5/10
Director: John McKay
Producer: Spencer Campbell
Writer: Lauren Klee
Music: Kevin Sargent
Cast:
Tina Dean: Michelle Keegan
Bobby Moore: Lorne MacFadyen
Jenny Cox: Jessica Madsen
Betty Greene: Patsy Kensit
Eddie Greene: Bernie Phillips
Ron Greenwood: Louis Hilyer
Geoff Hurst: William Troughton
Doss Moore: Clare Burt
Big Bob Moore: Neal Barry
Noel Cantwell: Robert Flaherty
Maggie Cantwell: Erin Shanagher
Malcolm Allison: Mark Holgate
Alf Ramsey: David Bamber
Kathy Peters: Linzey Cocker
Judith Hurst: Sophie Austin
Dr. Kennedy: Roger Ringrose
Mr. Pritesh Gupta: Ranjit Krishnamma
Rev. Michael Stone: Roger Alborough
Del Simmonds: Tom Bennett
Jack Charlton: Matthew Canny
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.