Do you remember when Baddiel and Skinner weren’t annoying idiots?

We do. It was in this time they were at the helm of the show Fantasy Football League – a show that ran originally on the BBC as a weekly series, before being relegated to ITV and only being shown every other night during some international tournaments.

The novelty factor of it was that it was actually funny, consistently, and produced some fine pre-internet memes that fans of the show, and football in general, could share. Just ask Jason Lee. So here we go, in no particular order – and quite annoying as we couldn’t find all the clips we actually wanted…

10. The Jimmy Hill Interview

The legendary chinlord Jimmy Hill, being interviewed. And he’s drunk. It doesn’t exactly split many sides, but it raises a chuckle and it’s good to see the old man being mocked and shot some derisory looks from Des and the ‘tache.

9. Pele Was Shite

Probably one of the best gags FFL ever came up with, if only for its sheer audacity. Not only was Pele ‘shite’ but – if the lyrics are to be believed – he was ‘worse than Jason Lee’. Harsh, but the clip backs up the claims with some undeniable evidence.

8. The Adventures of Cristiano Ronaldo

By the time this series rolled out in 2004, the jokes had become a bit stale, and David Baddiel had managed to become even less funny. Which is quite the achievement. Nevertheless, these simple gags still make us giggle heartily.

7. John Motson Swearing at the Germans

It was a gag that had written itself the day Stefan Kuntz was born – it just needed Motty to let it loose on the public.  And he did so in his own inimitable style, with a comment so nonchalant and throwaway that you actually forget how utterly offensive he’s being.

6. David Pleat Proving he Shouldn’t be Allowed on TV

It isn’t the clip we actually wanted – we wanted to see Pleaty driving past on some more of his kerb crawling exploits – but this will have to do. It’s the commentator extraordinaire showing us once again why he should not be allowed on television.

5. Kevin Keegan: Domestic Abuser?

Pretty much what it says, and a pretty startling admission from a young Keegan. Just another example of the great one-off humour the show was so good at throwing at you.

4. Dave Higson Should Have Been a Sky Commentator

Bolton Wanderers’ own commentator, Dave Higson, with more of his pearls. What we really wanted to see was the ‘shining… like a light’ segment, but this is more than good enough on its own. Balls to Tyler and co. – this is really entertaining commentary.

3: Johnny Rotten Being a Prat

The Sex Pistols frontman came on the show and played up to his usual punker-than-thou attitude, acting like a massive berk and generally annoying everyone.  It was no real surprise to see Lydon wasn’t present after the advert break. Well, he was quite funny, but come on – he’s an irritant.

2. Peter Beardsley’s Phoenix From the Flames

So, so many Phoenix From the Flames sketches, so many choices – but this one wins out purely because you can’t help but love Beardsley from the very beginning, with his little confused Geordie voice asking for ‘no jokes about Quasimodo’. Classic.

1. Jason Lee

Well, how could we get through without mentioning ol’ Pineapple Head?  Granted, his name is in this about three times already, but hush down. Baddiel and Skinner managed to ruin the career of a player through their TV show, according to Jason himself, and it was hilarious. Everyone knows about it, everyone remembers it – just watch this one for a brief reminder of what they subjected Lee to.

It’s a nice trip down Memory Lane and it warms the soul – at least a little.

Just a shame we missed out on a few other classic moments like Andy Cole switching off halfway through an interview, ‘Saint and Greavsie Talk About the Endsleigh League as if it’s Important’, Bridgette Nielsen, Pleat’s kerb-crawling antics, trying to figure out what Cantona was talking about, ‘the funniest moment in football history’, a Big Hello to Dean Windass and many more we can’t quite think of right now. If anyone has any ideas where to find them online, give us a shout and we’ll give you a big pile of thanks.

Follow hecklerspray on Twitter