David Baddiel and Frank Skinner to re-record Three Lions anthem as Christmas song
IT wouldn’t be an England game without footie fans chanting Three Lions, but for the first winter World Cup they’ll be singing a more festive version.
Comedy duo David Baddiel and Frank Skinner are once again reuniting with The Lightning Seeds singer Ian Broudie to re-fashion the 1996 hit, but this time as a Christmas song, Three Lions On A Sleigh.
And they will be changing the lyrics to reference our Euros-winning Lionesses
The gang are meeting next month to film an updated video and are hoping to land a cameo from England 1966 goalscorer Sir Geoff Hurst.
It’s thought the track will be released soon after the tournament kicks off on November 20, with the hope that it becomes Christmas No1.
The famous lyrics are being updated to include plenty of Chrimbo puns.
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A comedy source said: “The Three Lions track has become synonymous with football, so the lads thought it would be really fun to get behind the first ever winter World Cup with a Christmas version.
“They’ve massively bigged up the Lionesses in the new song and had a laugh with some of the lyrics to include cheesy Christmas puns.”
Three Lions became the England anthem during the Euro 96 campaign and it was re-recorded as an unofficial anthem for the 1998 World Cup.
Another version was produced in 2010 with Robbie Williams and Russell Brand.
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In May, England legend Paul Gascoigne blasted FA plans to ditch the Three Lions anthem over fears that its lyrics could offend other footballing nations.
But this new reworking of the song should make sure it stays England fans’ anthem.
After the way the Three Lions played on Friday against Italy, let’s hope this song changes their fortunes . . .
Ouch Crouch
PETER CROUCH, Maya Jama and Alex Horne won’t be returning with their post-game footie chat show during the World Cup.
A source said of Crouchy’s Year Late Euros: Live: “It was decided not to bring it back as it was badly received.”
A BBC spokesman added: “It was commissioned specifically for the Euros.”
Storm in cup
AVID football fan Stormzy jumped at the chance of being involved in the World Cup.
I can reveal the grime artist is part of a lucrative Adidas ad campaign, where he plays a footie bus driver.
It comes as he prepares to release his long-awaited third album, featuring collabs with rising talent J Hus, Potter Payper and Tendai.
I bet it’s a (vossi) bopper.
Bella's new look
GIGI HADID is so worried about being rumbled sneaking off on secret dates with Leonardo DiCaprio that she has taken to wearing fancy dress costumes.
The supermodel donned a sexy Little Red Riding Hood-style get up at the Versace show afterparty at Milan Fashion Week on Friday night.
Meanwhile, I hear that actor Leo took a private plane to join her in the Italian city so they could spend some time together.
I just hope that his head isn’t turned by any younger models while he’s there . . .
CIAN DUCROT@The Lafayette, London
THE intimate venue was the perfect setting for Ducrot’s blend of raw lyricism and melancholic pop.
Currently on his first sold-out UK headline tour, the Irish singer-songwriter showed an easy-going charm as he gave jokey preambles before songs and took a fan’s photo for their social media.
Highlights included a powerful cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, which he performed while wearing a novelty onesie, and a spellbinding unplugged singalong while sitting on the stage.
In a moving moment, he broke into tears on the last line of his breakout hit All For You.
By the end of the show, it was clear that Ducrot wears his heart on his sleeve.
He’s a refreshingly honest talent you can’t help but root for.
Hollyoaks hunk link to jungle
HOLLYOAKS fans are in for a treat, as I can reveal that hunky Owen Warner is being lined up for I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here!.
The actor, who has played Romeo Nightingale in the Channel 4 soap since 2018, is set to head Down Under this winter as the ITV show returns to Australia after two years in Wales.
Owen – a former love of Geordie Shore party animal Chloe Ferry – is no stranger to showing off his six-pack on social media, so is bound to be a hit in the famous jungle waterfall shower.
He can also ask Malique Thompson-Dwyer for tips, as his Hollyoaks cast mate was on the show in 2018.
A telly source said: “Owen is so excited to be in the mix. He’s never done anything like this, and it would catapult his profile to a new level.
"His abs are on-point so he wouldn’t be shy about showing off his bod.”
I’m keen to see who he could be sharing the camp with.
Lucie wed and wild
LUCIE DONLAN looks like a jungle animal in this snap, but she wants an ocean-themed wedding to fellow Love Islander Luke Mabbott.
Speaking at the launch of her Ann Summers collection, she said: “We’d love a wedding location like Hawaii or Bali.
"We want our honeymoon at an underwater hotel in Australia but we want to be engaged a few years.”
Time to start saving up . . .
Mel: Spices a pain
THEY pioneered girl power, but Mel C has admitted that working with the Spice Girls can be “a pain in the a” and “a double-edged sword”. Ouch.
Sporty Spice also revealed bandmate Victoria Beckham lacked confidence on stage as she opened up about the inner workings of the girl band at a talk earlier this month to promote her new book.
Mel, right, said: “I love working with the girls. Sometimes it’s a pain in the a**. But I love them dearly.
“It’s a double-edged sword, but working with the Spice Girls, it’s a dynamic, like anyone with a group of friends, and you fit into that.
“And we created music that was collaborative, that we felt as a team, as a group of people, then going on and being what I call very self-indulgent.
"We played to our strengths. We know where everyone’s talents lie.”
Asked about their 2007 tour where Posh did a catwalk strut for her solo moment, Mel explained: “It’s all she needed to do, but she can do so much more.
“There’s an element of her not feeling confident enough.”
Newly single Mel also dropped the biggest hint yet about the Nineties hitmakers reuniting as their original five-piece to perform at Glastonbury next year.
She said: “100 per cent I’d like to do it. I believe that is too big a gig for VB to be busy that night.”
Maybe Mel should change her nickname to Shouty Spice . . .
BECK@The Lafayette, London
IN A hastily arranged acoustic show, the Californian singer delivered a set of rarely aired tunes from his extensive and varied discography.
The lucky few who crammed into this small club got to see Beck, in all of his raggedy, shabby-chic glory, blow his harmonica and strum an acoustic guitar for a stripped-back set.
Opening with The Golden Age, he went back to Nitemare Hippy Girl and Truckdrivin Neighbors Downstairs from 1994 breakout album Mellow Gold.
He ignored big hit Loser and debuted new song Ramona and kept the audience amused with tales from his career.
Forgetting a verse here and there only added to a very enchanting close encounter with alt-rock royalty.
Daisy's mum so guilty
DAISY LOWE has cut back on modelling to focus on a telly career, but her mum Pearl still feels guilt over the sleazy photographers her daughter encountered in the fashion world.
Daisy – who recently got engaged to property developer Jordan Saul – got scouted aged 15 and shot to fame.
But her fashion designer mum revealed Daisy has been confiding in her about unsavoury incidents when she was a young model.
Pearl said: “She’s been telling me some stories about photographers that were trying to make her take her clothes off or coming on to her.
“Daisy was very sexual at that age as well. Daisy’s always been very comfortable with her body.
“She’d strip off and not care so I think they possibly got the wrong message sometimes.
“I watched a programme recently about French modelling agencies and it really freaked me out because I knew some of the models there. It was so dark.
“You just think, ‘God, I’m letting my daughter go into that field.’ And it’s just awful.
“I don’t think Daisy actually told me at the time, but recently she’s been saying, ‘Oh my God, this happened . . . ’
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“But she’s very strong.”
I hope things are finally changing for young models.