FORMER TOP TWICKENHAM RUGBY REF MEETS TED LASSO
England’s former top rugby union referee Wayne Barnes, who lives in Twickenham had a surprise meeting during a visit to the darts World Championships at Alexandra Palace.
He bumped into US actor Jason Sudeikis, who plays Ted Lasso in the award-winning Apple TV+ series and who is a massive darts fan himself.
One of the most memorable scenes was in the first series in 2020 with Ted playing darts in the Prince’s Head pub on Richmond Green (The Crown & Anchor in the series) when he scored a triple twenty and a bullseye as part of a challenge.
Wayne, a big fan of the series himself, retired from top level rugby in November 2023.
Filming of Series Four stopped for Christmas last week and the filming base at West London Studios was locked up until an expected return in early January to resume the filming.
Various delays in production now mean it is highly likely the series will be on air about the same time as the FIFA World Cup launches in America in June next year which will give the series – about a new AFC Richmond Women’s Team – a massive boost and publicity especially given the fan base for women’s football in the US.