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IN TOUCH 鈥� Futsal Star Steve Daley; Blind Actors in TV Ads

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TX:听 27.10.20听 2040-2100

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PRESENTER:听 听听听听听听听 PETER WHITE

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PRODUCER:听 听听听听听听听听听 MIKE YOUNG

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White

Good evening.听 Tonight, two visually impaired people at the top of their game.听 In a moment, the blind grandmother who鈥檚 being celebrated on the small screen.

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Clip

She was very, very strong; incredibly independent; self-deprecating 鈥� she had a brilliant sense of humour 颅鈥� but just also, so kind and caring.

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White

A grandson with treasured memories of his Nanna June, now the inspiration of a TV ad.

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But first, it鈥檚 not often that an international sporting career sees you at the top for 25 years but that鈥檚 been the case for 43-year-old Steve Daley, who retired as captain of England partially sighted five-a-side Futsal team after last year鈥檚 world cup final.听 In total he represented England in nine world cups and nine European championships, winning silver and bronze medals along the way.听 For 23 of those years he was captain.听 The FA has now offered him the head coach role.

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For the uninitiated, Steve 鈥� and I count myself as that 鈥� just talk us through how the partially sighted version of the game actually works.

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Daley

Futsal鈥檚 FIFA is a recognised version of small sided football.听 Futsal is a combination of five-a-side with 11-a-side and basketball rules.听 So, in terms of non-contact, smaller pitch, hockey size nets.听 We play with fully sighted goalkeepers.

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White

And you play indoors?

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Daley

Yeah, we play indoors, so, on a blue surface, usually.听 To restart the game, it鈥檚 kick-ins or corners which obviously keeps the game rolling quite fast.听

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White

And this shouldn鈥檛 be confused, should it, with blind football.听 Everybody who plays this has some sight yeah?

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Daley

Peter, that鈥檚 a great point that you raise and even in today鈥檚 society we do get mixed up, the minute you say you play partially sighted sport or partially sighted futsal, the first response you get is oh you鈥檙e the ones that play with a bell in the ball.听 So, yeah, the partial, so obviously we have to have a level of sight to play the game and the difference the blind version of the game, they play with blindfolds, so that everybody鈥檚 at an even playing field.

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White

And what about your own sight Steve?

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Daley

I suffer from cone dystrophy, which is like an equivalent of young person鈥檚 macular degeneration.听 Just over time it鈥檚 just deteriorated, so the centre part of my eye is disappearing but peripherally, and I鈥檒l use the outside parts of my eye better than the inside, that鈥檚 remained the same.

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White

Now you won 143 caps, how much has the profile of the sport been raised over that time?

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Daley

No one had ever heard of this game in the UK because we play traditionally five-a-side football, which we still do.听 So, the biggest game in the UK is 11-a-side and obviously the all five-a-side, so in the last 20 years, this game futsal, we鈥檙e playing it more, a lot of the professional academies are introducing it within their game.听 So, yeah, it was a 25-year journey of education really and thankfully got me to a world cup final but I just couldn鈥檛 get over the line, there weren鈥檛 enough years left for me.

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White

Just to emphasise, you were playing, I think, in a part-time national side against international competition, some of which was full-time professional.

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Daley

Yeah because futsal鈥檚 largely bigger in other international countries they鈥檙e far more established.听 Just to give an example, for Ukraine to beat us in the world cup final, bear in mind Ukraine are full-time athletes, they were all on a win bonus of 5,000 euros each.听 We鈥檙e struggling just to get training camps, to go away and play in tournaments.听 So, no, when you鈥檙e competing with countries like Spain, France, Italy, Ukraine, Russia where futsal鈥檚 been established for many years, we鈥檙e still trying to raise the profile.听 So, to get to a world cup final, we are punching well above our weight and that鈥檚 largely due to the hard work of all the young players, the staff, the FA that have invested in the game in the last 20 years.听 But we鈥檝e got to keep closing the gap, that鈥檚 the challenge for us as athletes.听 Unfortunately, futsal, the partial game, is not a Paralympic sport but the blind game is, so, you鈥檒l probably find that there鈥檚 more investment in the blind game because it is a Paralympic sport than it is in the partials.

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White

Now, just to give an idea of the structure, I think there are around 20 partially sighted teams around England.听 What are the plans for actually raising the sport even further?

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Daley

We鈥檝e got two divisions that are playing now, obviously based on ability and the idea is we want to encourage more young visually impaired or older visually impaired people that can play the game to affiliate with one of their local teams.听 We鈥檝e tried to make the teams sort of regionally based, so that you would be able to train on a weekly basis but then compete once a month in the partially sighted league.听 We have seen a slight decrease in participation levels.听 A lot of people need to understand being visually impaired one of the biggest challenges is public transport, young people have to travel and that鈥檚 something that we鈥檝e got to get parents or support around 鈥� how do we get some of these young people to some of these games so that they can play with players who are in a similar situation to themselves.

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White

So, as the main senior coach now, Steve, what are your plans to achieve even more than you have already in this sport?

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Daley

We鈥檝e got to win a trophy, I鈥檓 under no illusion that we have to win a European or a world cup.听 So, you know, my previous coach is talking about climbing this ladder but unfortunately the hardest steps are always at the top.听 So, there鈥檚 pressure on me, there鈥檚 pressure on the lads but over the last few years we鈥檝e medalled in the last four tournaments, two of which were world cup finals.听 It鈥檚 how we close the gap on the likes of Ukraine, Russia but keep progressing and we have to keep the players challenged by putting competition for places.听 So, first of all I鈥檝e got to replace me, so, the new captain鈥檚 in place but then we have to find players.听 So, yeah, I鈥檓 under no illusion.听 Listen, you love playing for your country, and you love going to tournaments but there鈥檚 no great feeling than winning medals.听 And that鈥檚 the challenge at international level.

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White

Steve Daley, congratulations on your career.听 Good luck for the future.听 And thanks for joining us on the programme.

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Daley

Thank you, Peter, for taking the time, really appreciate it.

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White

And thanks for all your emails responding to the programme.听 John Lafferty heard my conversation with world traveller and user of public transport 鈥� Mona Minkara 鈥� last week.听 Mona was unimpressed with the confusion among some London Underground staff over whether she could travel without any staff assistance.听 This was before lockdown.听 John says: 鈥淚鈥檝e been travelling on the Underground for the last 40 years and I鈥檝e always been asked whether I needed help.听 I have never been grabbed or directed where or when I didn鈥檛 want to be directed.听 I think it鈥檚 important to remember that we鈥檙e dealing with people who have good and bad days, who have greater or lesser people skills.听 To state the obvious, they are people not pre-programmed machines.鈥澨� He goes on to say: 鈥淚鈥檓 a great fan of the transport system in London, particularly, since audible announcements have become standard on all forms of transport, it鈥檚 been great to return to travelling on the upper deck of buses.鈥�

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Christine says: 鈥淚鈥檓 afraid Mona has to accept that VIPs and blind people are special and we sometimes need help.听 What would she do in a real emergency where she would need additional assistance?鈥�

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But Cathy McKay emailed to say she found herself in awe of Mona Minkara.听 Cathy says: 鈥淚鈥檓 actually one of your sighted listeners retired from my job as an NHS staff nurse and I confess to being terrified of the London Underground.听 I can鈥檛 imagine going down there and not being able to see where I am.听 Cue the cold sweat.听 So, for me it鈥檚 hats off to any of your visually impaired listeners who use that transport system.鈥澨� And she goes on to say: 鈥淚鈥檒l stick to motorbikes thanks.鈥澨� Well, I like those too Cathy although I usually stick to riding pillion these days.

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Now a TV advert that鈥檚 helping to break new ground with the casting of blind people in appropriate parts.听 It reached our screens this month.听 And it sees visually impaired actress Julie Bennett in her first professional acting role 鈥� she plays a blind grandmother who regularly makes the Sunday roast for her large family.听 Here鈥檚 just a flavour of the ad.听 See what I did there?

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I used to love my nanna鈥檚 roasts.听 She鈥檇 cook 鈥榚m every Sunday without fail.听 Never wanting help, that鈥檚 just how she was.听 She was an amazing woman, my nan, truly amazing.

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Come on you lot, it鈥檚 ready.

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Here come the Yorkshire puddings.

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I鈥檒l take them, nanna.

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Look at those.听 Are you alright love?听 Beef鈥檚 at six o鈥檆lock, spuds at nine 鈥榗lock.

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And the puds are at three.

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Caring is the hardest thing we do.

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Well perhaps the reason that this advert is particularly memorable is that it comes from its creator鈥檚 own direct experience.听 Chris Clarke based it all on memories of his grandmother, his Nanna June.听 Well I鈥檝e been speaking to Julie Bennett, who plays Chris鈥檚 grandmother and to Chris, himself, who is creative director at the Grey Advertising Agency.

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He told me more about Nanna June.

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Clarke

I mean she was one of a kind really, a legend in all sort of senses of the word.听 She was very, very strong; incredibly independent; self-deprecating 鈥� she had a brilliant sense of humour 鈥� but just also, so kind and caring.

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White

And I take it she was a pretty good cook, yeah?

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Clarke

She was, yeah, she was fantastic.听 She cooked every meal that we ate basically, whether that be breakfast, lunch, dinner, including our Sunday dinners as well.听 Fabulous cook.

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White

How did she lose her sight, how much do you know about her background?

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Clarke

When her mum was pregnant, she had 鈥� when she was pregnant with her 鈥� she had German measles and I think that that affected her sight as a baby.听 And then she was certified blind at 16.

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White

And this advert for Aunt Bessie鈥檚 Yorkshire puddings, when did the inspiration strike you to actually base it on your grandmother 鈥� Nanna June I think you knew her as didn鈥檛 you?

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Clarke

Yeah, I mean it was when we came up with the idea of caring is the hardest thing we do, it was that really that sort of triggered it.听 We talked a lot about people that care and kind of go on and do this sort of regardless of how ever hard it may be, they obviously get a great deal of reward from it, it鈥檚 just something built into them, something ingrained into them.听 And we were thinking about it and talking about it and I said well that鈥檚 sort of my nan, she always wanted to make you a cup of tea or make you some food or whatever, any way she could help you she would.

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White

Let me bring in Julie, Julie Bennett, who plays the part of Nanna June.听 How did you come to get this role?

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Bennett

Well I鈥檝e been taking part in a couple of zoom drama workshops and events with two companies actually, both unsighted or for people with sight problems and the company in London, she鈥檇 been contacted by the casting agency and she just put the email out.听 I showed it to my daughter, this was mid-August and I said 鈥� what do you think?听 And she said 鈥� oh go on, let鈥檚 do it mum.听 So, she became my agent and that鈥檚 it.听 We sent off three videos, which showed parts of the advert and yes, it went on from there.

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White

Are you a brilliant cook then Julie?

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Bennett

I鈥檇 rather eat the food than cook it.听 That鈥檚 not to say I don鈥檛 enjoy cooking, I think it鈥檚 that repetition of meals, I don鈥檛 mind doing special events but I鈥檇 rather eat the puddings than cook them.

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White

And you 鈥� you lost your sight 10 years ago but you do have a background in drama, don鈥檛 you?

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Bennett

Yes, I do.听 Certainly not a professional background, I鈥檝e never been paid for any work apart from the fact that I used to teach, therefore I was paid as a teacher and the subjects I taught here in Dorset were drama, dance and PE.

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White

Now portrayal, of course, is very important, how much say did you actually have in how Nanna June was portrayed in the ad, in terms of what a visually impaired person can do?

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Bennett

Tom was quite specific about what he wanted, which is absolutely correct as a director, but he did lead me through sort of a variety of ways to say the lines and so on.听 I was so afraid I was going to knock a camera over with movement and so on.听 But the last scene, sitting at the dinner table, Tom just said look around the table and feel proud with your family and think about the impact that you have on them.听 And I must admit it got very emotional and I think I cried at one point and the cameras kept on rolling and rolling.听 And I know it was only for a short period of time that they were going to find a piece to use but it was a very moving piece with me seemingly looking round at the people I loved.听 And yeah, I thought of Nanna June and I thought of my own situation with my own grandchildren and family.

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White

I鈥檒l tell you why I ask that question though.听 One thing that did strike me was that though Nanna June was clearly a very competent blind woman they still had someone telling her where all the food was on her plate.听 Now as she鈥檇 prepared it all and knew all about its textures wouldn鈥檛 she have known that?

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Bennett

Well I was 鈥� right from the time I lost my sight I was told by my rehab officer to get people to mark things out for me on plates by using a clock鈥�

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White

The clock method, yeah, right, yeah.

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Bennett

And it certainly does help.听 Obviously, you can tell when you鈥檙e cutting into something soft but I have been known to shoot Yorkshire puddings off my plate quite easily, yes.

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White

Well you can do that even when you know where it is, that鈥檚 the trouble.

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Bennett

True.

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White

Let me bring Chris in on that because that is always the challenge, isn鈥檛 it, getting the portrayal accurate because clearly you were going for a heart-warming picture here but you want it to be accurate as well.听 Your gran was a very competent woman clearly.

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Clarke

Absolutely, yeah, I mean that was kind of the main thing for us really was just making sure we got that authenticity.听 Obviously, we wanted to tell my nan鈥檚 story and how it was for us growing up together but also, we wanted to be true to the disability as well, to her disability and how that was and how she kind of dealt with things.听 So, that was one of the reasons we were absolutely certain that we wanted to bring in a visually impaired actress to play my nan, you know that felt like exactly the right thing to do.听 And when we found Julie we were just like 鈥� oh she鈥檚 brilliant, right from the very first take that we saw.听 The way, Julie, that you controlled 鈥� you seemed to be so similar to my nan in certain ways, in the ways that you moved around and that sort of thing that we were just like, yeah, Julie鈥檚 perfect and she鈥檚 the one.

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White

It鈥檚 radio but I鈥檓 sure you鈥檙e blushing.

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Bennett

I am.

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White

Chris, Amazon have used a blind actor in a recent ad, so have Dove I think, is the advertising world opening up for visually impaired people in ways that it perhaps hasn鈥檛 before, do you think?

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Clarke

I think it is and that鈥檚 such a good thing.听 I think if this is the story then 100% that person should be telling it.听 But also, other parts and roles as well 鈥� why not, if they鈥檙e the right person to do the job they should be doing it.

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White

Julie, has this given you perhaps an appetite 鈥� I use the word advisedly under the circumstances 鈥� for more acting?

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Bennett

Oh yes it has, I mean I鈥檝e been pinching myself really since the middle of August when I knew I鈥檇 got the part, thinking this isn鈥檛 really happening, this is a Covid-19 dream or something.听 And quite a few people have said you ought to sort out a proper agent, which my daughter took exception to because she thought she鈥檇 done the job very well鈥�

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White

Well she got you this one, didn鈥檛 she?

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Bennett

Yes, she did.听 But yes, it has and it is great that obviously there are at least three adverts with blind people in but you know, film, television, yeah I鈥檇 quite be open to any of offers that came my way.

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White

That鈥檚 Julie Bennett and Chris Clarke.听 And our thanks to In Touch listener Doremy Vernon for drawing our attention to that TV ad.听 Well Doremy says, in her email to us, that she was so excited to see it and she calls it 鈥渁 breakthrough moment鈥�.听 Doremy is an actress herself, she鈥檚 a former tiller girl and she played the canteen manageress in Are you being served, if you鈥檙e scratching your head and thinking I know that name.听 Well I鈥檒l resist the urge to shout 鈥� I鈥檓 free 鈥� oh no, I didn鈥檛 actually.听

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But we have reached the end of the programme.听 If you want to get in touch听 you can email us intouch@bbc.co.uk or you can go to our website bbc.co.uk/intouch where you can also find tonight鈥檚 and previous editions of the programme.

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From me, Peter White, producer Mike Young and studio managers Sue Stonestreet and John Cole, goodbye.

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