OU/BBC co-pro ‘Freddie’s Field of Dreams’ returns

Posted on 8 September 2025 • Around the OU, TV and radio

In this new four-part series, sporting hero Freddie Flintoff is back with ambitious plans to create several new cricket teams made up of local teenagers across his home turf of Northwest England.

Starting on Sunday 7^th September at 8.10 pm on BBC One (excluding Northern Ireland) and available on iPlayer, the first episode sees Freddie head to Liverpool to persuade local kids to give cricket a try – but he faces a tough crowd.

In Blackpool he meets a more receptive group of girls but finds himself out of his comfort zone, having never coached females before.

Dr Jim Lusted, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Fitness, and Dr Jessica Pinchbeck, Programme Leader, Sport and Fitness, were the OU academic consultants for the series. They said:

“Throughout the filming and editorial process, our primary role involved reviewing the rough and final cuts of each episode and providing feedback and comments to the production team. Our input centred on factors influencing young people’s engagement in sport and how these were portrayed throughout the series narrative. We were able to offer academic insights into coaching practices and coach-athlete relationships that were presented in the early edits. With the inclusion of the girls’ team in this series, we were also keen to ensure that considerations related to adolescent female participation in sport were represented appropriately.

 The programme shows some of the issues organisers and coaches face in grassroots sport, particularly engaging young people and maintaining their participation in more exclusive sports like cricket. The personal stories of the players offer valuable insights into the barriers to participation as well as the powerful impact when such barriers are overcome. In particular, the inclusion of a girls team in this series offers a gendered view of youth participation in cricket.

 It’s been great to see the development of the production from the initial editorial/project meeting, to the rough cuts and then the fine cuts and a pleasure to play a part in the creation of this brilliant series.”

Supporting Online content:

Visit our Broadcast & Partnerships site, OU Connect, where you can discover the pioneers and trailblazers who changed the game for women’s cricket. 

This series was commissioned by Broadcast & Partnerships and is supported by the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, with particular relevance to Q76 | BSc (Hons) Sport, Fitness and Coaching, W07 | Diploma of Higher Education in Sport and Fitness and T05 | Cert HE in Sport, Fitness and Management

• Commissioned by Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Director, Broadcast & Partnerships

• Academic Consultants: Dr Jessica Pinchbeck and Dr Jim Lusted

• Media Fellow: Dr Alex Twitchen

• Broadcast Project Manager: Matthew Ray

• Supporting Online Content: Steff Easom

NB: The series will also be repeated on BBC Three on Wednesdays at 8pm, from 10 September.

Image Credit: BBC/South Shore/Lauren Hira