Football heroes appear in music video for festive version of Three Lions anthem
The feel-good video features Skinner and Baddiel superimposed next to their younger selves from the original 1996 music video.
Sir Geoff Hurst and Lionesses Jess Carter and Beth England have made cameo appearances in Frank Skinner and David Baddiel’s festive reworking of their classic football anthem Three Lions, ahead of the 2022 men’s World Cup.
The feel-good video sees Sir Geoff swap his England kit for a Santa suit, while Carter and England recreate their celebratory dance after winning the Women’s Euro 2022.
The video begins with the moment the Lionesses gate-crash a press conference with manager Sarina Wiegman singing the 1996 anthem, after their win over Germany in the Euros final this summer.
It also features Skinner and Baddiel dressed in Christmas jumpers, superimposed next to their younger selves from the original music video, singing while decorating a tree with Lioness baubles.
They sing: “The blokes seem cursed, whatever they try and I think I know why, they’re just jinxed in July, but it’s December. Three Lions on a sleigh, with she-lions inspiration, Santa says ‘let’s play’.”
The comedians told The One Show that although their famous refrain “football’s coming home” had become obsolete following victory for the England women’s team earlier this year, they would give it “one more go for the blokes.”
Baddiel, 58, later said: “At last it’s between me and Mariah Carey for who really is the voice of Christmas.”
While 65-year-old Skinner said: “We just had to do it. Christmas World Cup songs are not like buses. If we’d let this opportunity pull away, it would have been a very long wait for the next one.”
The festive anthem also features a line about having a beer while watching the game, to which Skinner adds: “Actually I won’t because I’ve got alcohol issues.”
It comes after it was announced the sale of alcohol to fans at World Cup stadiums in Qatar has been banned – just two days before the tournament kicks off.
No one attending matches will be able to consume alcohol within the stadium perimeter, FIFA said in a statement on Friday.
The men’s tournament, taking place in Qatar, is due to run from November 20 until December 18 while England’s first game in the 2022 World Cup is due to take place on Monday against Iran.
Three Lions was first released by Skinner, Baddiel and Lightning Seeds frontman Ian Broudie in 1996, becoming a staple song at every major international football competition since.
