Talk:Ray Wilkins

Mention on BBC 'Have I Got News For You' picture quiz

Stephen Mangan: Who's that? Paul Merton: Bobby Charlton. Stephen Mangan: Right profession. Suzanne Evans: Somebody old in football. Is that it? Stephen Mangan: He will be thrilled to hear that. [Pause] It's Ray Wilkins. Paul Merton: Why's he been in the news? Stephen Mangan: He hasn't. [Cut to shot of Merton theatrically 'looking amazed' / cut to shot of Mangan raising his eyebrows]. Stephen Mangan: Suck it up. [HIGNFY panel and audience laughter all round].

Q: Anyone care to elaborate on the joke?

MBE

What did he get it for? --Uksam88 (talk) 19:10, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

I would guess that it's probably for services to football. – PeeJay 20:39, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

Pin-up?!

Any citation for the bit about him featuring as a pin-up due to his "dark good looks"? I only ask because he always struck me as an ugly git! Keresaspa (talk) 22:03, 9 March 2009 (UTC)

It was me added that bit, and I'll have a look to see what sources I can find. I was a bit too young to be impressed by him that way myself but he certainly was a regular feature in those late 70s teen-girls' mags that were a mix of pin-ups, pop, photo-stories and the usual make-up/clothes stuff - mags like Oh Boy!, Patches, Blue Jeans. I don't recall any of his footballing contemporaries getting the same treatment - the footballer-as-sex-symbol era seemed to have largely gone along with George Best. Butch's looks didn't last but for a few years he made the most of it.

Thinking about it some, the late 70s were comparatively lean years on the teen pin-up scene in the UK: earlier stalwarts like the Osmonds, Essex, Rollers had grown up/moved on and none filled their places. Pop was now ruled by unappealing older guys and groups like Rod Stewart, ELO, Queen etc. You were never going to see Lou Reed or Yes or Dr Feelgood featured in Jackie mag. Whereas their older brothers liked the later pub rock/punk/New Wave music, their younger sisters mostly didn't like the guys involved, so efforts to launch barechested Bob Geldof (really) or 'I can't find the perfect girl' Gary Numan were doomed (although I think Billy "Sneering" Idol was a popular topless poser in his Gen X days). It wasn't until 1981 and Duran, Ant etc found the dressing-up box came along that the situation was reversed.

So, around 1978 all they had was largely-obscure American barrel-scrapes like Leif Garrett and Shaun Cassidy, all of whom were featured but were never popular, being a) barely known and b) not possessed of much appeal beyond the Valley demographic. Native talent was thin on the ground: no boy bands, soapstars, reality tarts, slebs; not even any marketable young actors to fill these pages. And Butch was - during his youthful Chelsea-captain, full-head-of-hair days - objectively quite a good-looking bloke. Who was happy to pose with balls and nets and flagposts and discuss his ideal night-in and perfect woman and all that guff. I wonder if at least some of the near-constant stick he got later - especially when playing for England - had its origins in those singular exhibitions of bare-chested self-love.

I realise this is probably far more info that you wanted (or anyone needs) but do Google up some images of him from back then and see what you think...it'd be good if we could find one to use on the page. And I'll get cracking on something appropriately citational. Plutonium27 (talk) 04:56, 2 August 2009 (UTC)

A reference to support the info that Uncle Fester here was a teen heart-throb c.1978 has now been added. Am looking out for a photo from around them that can be used here. Plutonium27 (talk) 01:50, 19 June 2010 (UTC)

And here's a link to one to be going on with: [1] Plutonium27 (talk) 02:15, 19 June 2010 (UTC)