Manchester audiences are in for an ‘unbelievable’ evening on the 14th of June, as broadcasting favourites Ben Shephard and Chris Kamara bring their brand-new live show to the city.
With laughter, nostalgia, and unforgettable behind the scenes moments, Manchester audiences can expect a night that’s as heartfelt as it is hilarious – celebrating not just two extraordinary careers, but the place where it all began.
On performing in Manchester:
How does it feel to be heading to Manchester on your next tour date?
CK: It’s great to be bringing the tour to Manchester as it is a hotbed of football. Manchester United dominated for years under Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola has dominated the recent years. I played at both grounds in my career but only Managed at City Ground and a loss at Maine Road (City’s old ground) in the FA cup in January 98 was my last game as Bradford Manager. Both sets of fans love their football.
BS: I’ve had many experiences at the football grounds in the city – having played at Soccer Aid against Maradona at Old Trafford and also receiving a red card there! I feel like I’ve experienced so much the city has to offer – even with the red card. It’s going to be great fun to relive some of those amazing memories. I can’t wait to be there. Looking forward to a great night!
Tell us about your joint connection to Manchester?
BS: It’s going to be really special to be finishing our tour in Manchester, which has been such an important part in both mine and Kammy’s careers together – filming Ninja Warrior, those were some of the most extraordinary fun times we’ve had.
CK: I have such fond memories of filming Ninja Warrior in Manchester for seven years. Myself, Ben and Rochelle Humes talk often about how that was a special time in our lives.
That iconic “It’s Unbelievable Jeff” moment happened in Manchester; can you tell us more about that?
CK: I had some special times at both grounds when reporting for Sky Sports over the years as the fans will remember – including that “It’s Unbelievable Jeff” moment, which the tour is named after.
You two have such a natural chemistry from years of working together, what made now the right time to bring your friendship to the live stage?
CK: I saw my life flash before my eyes, and I got a second opportunity, so it’s the best thing in the world to go around with one of my best mates and do it all.
BS: I’ve got to rinse every last bit of Kammy juice out of him before it’s too late and make the most of it. I think now is the right time because both of us are at a stage in our lives where we’re being a bit more circumspect and reflective on what we’ve achieved. Kammy is no longer at Sky Sports, I’m no longer at Sky Sports, which is where we first met across a crowded football stadium – our eyes locked.
CK: He knew he was getting the job alongside me, but didn’t say anything. I’ve never forgiven him for that.
BS: We did a show in Edinburgh, and it was just the two of us just chatting about life and our life and working together, and it was really exciting, wasn’t it? It was a really lovely moment as part of the Edinburgh Fringe, and that’s when the the idea sort of incubated a little bit to go, could we do this on a on a broader scale, and sort of go out there and share some of the stuff that’s happened over the years, and also celebrate it as well? I don’t think we get enough of a chance to celebrate how great Kammy is. And, his wife needed a bit of time off.
You’ve both had huge careers in television, but how does it feel swapping the TV studios for a live theatre?
CK: I’m just riding on Ben’s back.
BS: This is a man who was challenged to do stand up, went in front of an audience and all the actual stand up comedians like Russell Howard, Joel Dommett, the actual comedians who now do big stadium tours, watched Kammy do it and absolutely floor the audience. They couldn’t believe he’d never done it before. He naturally warms to people and has always excelled in front of a live audience, and maybe it’s because he was a footballer, so the arena that he existed in was in front of a crowd, and he loved that.
We’ve done a couple of things together, and he is a master at it, but I think the lovely thing is being able to do it with your friend as it means you’ve got someone to lean on.
How does this show reflect where you both are in your lives right now?
CK: It’s brilliant for me, because I never thought it would happen again. But, you know, life surprises you all the time, which is great. I’m really looking forward to it, I really am. Like I said before, I have a new lease of life, so long make it continue.
BS: I learnt so much from Kammy when we were working together, and we’ve shared so many amazing experiences, so any opportunity to be around each other, have a laugh and just create more memories is amazing. The job that we’ve done, and that we continue to do, is so reliant on having an audience that wants to listen to what we’ve got to say, and so to be able to share some of the stories behind iconic moments we’ve had on TV – which we very rarely get to do – is really exciting.
You’ve called it ‘Unbelievable’, is that a play on Kammy’s iconic catchphrase, or is it exactly what people can expect from the show?
CK: There isn’t a day that goes by where somebody doesn’t shout ‘It’s unbelievable’ at me. Just coming here, the workers out on Great Portland Street were shouting at me ‘Come on – it’s unbelievable!’ and asked me for a picture.
BS: It’s exactly that, it’s the thing that he’s really well known for, but also some of the stories behind it will feel and sound unbelievable, some of the moments we’ve experienced, some of the mishaps, some of the highs, a lot of the lows as well will feel quite unbelievable.
How involved have you both been in shaping the show? Have you approached it like a TV project, or will it be a bit more spontaneous on the night?
BS: It’s going to be a real mixture. We’re going to be absolutely at the front and centre of working it out, because we know the bits that we can share. There’s so many clips, so many stories that undoubtedly I want to do. I want to make sure that everyone gets to hear Kammy sing, that’s for sure. We want to bring a bit of telly to it as well, so there could well be some quizzing type element, because hopefully there will be lots of people who would love to hear about my experience of hosting quiz shows and entertainment shows, of which Kammy has starred on a number of occasions. It will be interactive, it will be engaging, it will be funny, and really intimate as well hopefully. We want people to feel like they’ve got to know us a little bit more than they maybe already do.
What do you hope the audience takes away from this show?
CK: Hopefully they come away from it and think it’s funny and good, which is the most important thing. Our friendship can withstand everything, apart from if this is a flop.
BS: I think both of us just want people to enjoy themselves. It’s quite a difficult time at the moment and we don’t underestimate the sort of commitment from people, because they will pay money to come and see this show. So we want to make sure that they leave thinking, ‘Wow, wasn’t that a fantastic couple of hours!’, that leaves them with a spring in their step and a smile, that’s all I want. I want to feel like we’re sort of bringing a bit of joy, a bit of humour, and unquestionably, Kammy also being able to share what he’s been through with his condition, which is a massively important part of it as well. So we’re going to be talking very openly about those things.
Kammy has been incredibly open, honest and vulnerable about what he’s been through, and I think sharing that with people, and being able to say thank you for the support you’ve given him is absolutely priceless. We were filming in Lake Como, and this couple stopped us as they had seen a documentary that we made for ITV, and the woman said, ‘My son has apraxia, and you being on television and talking about your apraxia, you will never understand the impact that’s had on my son!’. It’s not just grown up adults that get it, there are young kids that have it as well, and so to see somebody on television talking about it, being open about his struggles with it, and also his triumphs with it and getting past it – that was a real moment. And I think that’s something that we need to sort of celebrate, because there will be, undoubtedly, people in that audience that come and see us, that have experienced this, or may hear something that helps them, and that’s important.
If you had to sum the show up in just three words each, what would they be?
BS: Energetic, emotional and chaotic.
CK: IT’S UNBELIVABLE SHEP!
