A sports writer friend of ours recently told us that Ruud Gullit was a massive fan of It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, which we didn’t believe. Just like you’re probably not believing us now. A week later he called us to say he had to interview Ruud again for his paper’s World Cup previews and would actually ask him on the record. This is what the great Dutch midfielder had to say.

“Yes. I was a massive fan of It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, the sitcom set in India at the end of the second World War. I definitely think it’s the funniest situation comedy ever, I liked it so much I based my management style on Sergeant Major Williams who was always shouting ‘Shaaaaaaaaaaaaat Up!.”

I used to regularly call my players at Newcastle and Chelsea My Lovely Boys. My favourite other characters were Gloria the camp concert party female impersonator, Lofty played by Don Estelle and Michael Bates’ Indian narrator who seemed to be the only wise man there.  I don’t think it was racist at all, there’s far too much political correcteness around, it was poking fun at everyone in the British Empire. Shaaaat Up!”