Grand Slammers is a documentary series on ITV1 and ITVX that will add to the intensity and excitement of the 2023 Rugby World Cup already playing out this month. Rugby fans are going to love seeing members of England’s winning 2003 squad reunite for a very special challenge.
Across the two episodes of Grand Slammers, England rugby legends such as Martin Johnson, Ben Cohen, Mike Tindall, Jonny Wilkinson and Matt Dawson are tasked with training prisoners at HMP The Mount, Hertfordshire, before playing alongside them in a rugby match against a team of rival ex-pat Australians, bossed by ex-Wallabies scrum-half George Gregan.
"To meet up with my teammates from 2003 is always very special," says Matt Dawson who went on to be a captain on BBC One's A Question Of Sport.
"What’s not to like about popping the ball to Martin Johnson or hearing Jonny screaming for a flat pass? It was the first time I really missed rugby since I retired. But it was also heartwarming to see the prisoners go from skeptics to proud team members."
So here’s everything you need to know about Grand Slammers coming to ITV1 and ITVX…
Grand Slammers release date
Grand Slammers starts on ITV1 on Wednesday September 27 at 9pm, with episode 2 airing the next evening on Thursday September 28 at the same time. Both episodes will also also stream on ITVX.
What happens in Grand Slammers?
Grand Slammers sees England’s Rugby World Cup-winning legends come together after 20 years to take on a unique challenge behind the walls of a jail – using the power of sport to turn around prisoners’ lives and inspire them to rugby glory.
They have just two months to build and train a team of inmates at HMP The Mount, Hertfordshire, before playing alongside them to recreate the historic Rugby World Cup final from 20 years ago, this time against a team of ex-pat Australian rugby players.
Not only that but the Australian team is coached by rugby star George Gregan, part of the team that lost to England in 2003!
Look out for an appearance by Princess Anne turns up and chats with her son-in-law Mike TIndall. He cheekily asks if she'd like to help them coach a bit of rugby! So there's quite a bit of royal fun in the show too!
Which England rugby legends are taking part in Grand Slammers?
The Rugby World Cup-winning stars taking on the challenge in Grand Slammers include captain Martin Johnson, kicking hero Jonny Wilkinson and ex-scrum-half Matt Dawson. Former Strictly competitor Ben Cohen, Lawrence Dallaglio, royal husband Mike Tindall, Phil Vickery, Jason Robinson and Will Greenwood are also taking part.
Interviews: Jonny Wilkinson, Matt Dawson, Mike Tindall and Ben Cohen on taking part in Grand Slammers
Grand Slammers is both intense and heartwarming as these former England World Cup winning stars explain...
"Meeting the prisoners, connecting with them and watching them open up towards each other and fully engage was amazing," says Jonny Wilkinson, who drop-kicked England to World Cup glory in 2003. "It was also really good fun discovering a new bond with my own 2003 teammates. It was pretty fantastic to suit up and become a team again!’
Former England winger and Strictly star Ben Cohen, adds: "I wasn’t aware how much time the prisoners spend in their cells, so that was an eye-opener for me. I was interested to see how rugby could be used to help the prisoners find a different path and generate a sense of belonging. Watching them grow and work together as a team was very satisfying."
Matt Dawson was amazed too at what he and his former England teammates achieved with the prisoners: "Their improvement went far beyond my expectations. From teaching them the basics to them playing a high-intensity match in just a few weeks was incredible.
"What’s evident is the need for prisoners to have opportunities to learn and also a support network to guide them. We all make mistakes, some have more consequences than others. Let’s at least give those who make errors the chance to make amends."
Mike Tindall, who took part in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 2022 and is married to Princess Anne's daughter Zara: says: "I took part in the programme because rugby has given me so much in my life, and been a fundamental part in carving out who I am as a person.
"Sport has the power to change lives and with rugby I believe it's a game that accepts everyone and makes everyone feel part of something – it has the ability to help anyone’s journey. So when they came to me with this concept, combined with doing it with the 2003 guys, it felt like a really interesting thing to do.
"I enjoyed getting to see, and spend time, with the lads was fantastic but to learn about all the prisoners’ stories and the background behind their lives was the biggest thing. It puts things in context and really makes you think."
Grand Slammes episode guide
Here's what will be happening in each episode of Grand Slammers...
Episode 1: Wednesday September 27
England World Cup rugby legends Martin Johnson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Mike Tindall reunite behind the locked gates of HMP The Mount, to get together a group of prisoners who have very little idea of what the sport involves.
Some of the prisoners are struggling to grasp the new game, with prisoner Pete saying: "I don't fully understand the game of rugby, like my position and where I need to be on the field, and I don't want to let the team down."
Other England legends, including Phil Vickery, Jason Robinson, Ben Cohen, Matt Dawson, Will Greenwood and kicking hero Jonny Wilkinson are brought in to help.
But in the lead-up to the match the prisoners have still got much work to do, says Martin, who worries they won't have enough time: "Three weeks away, some of them have got no idea what they're doing, they've not even played a game yet, anything resembling a game."
Once he gets a group of players together, Martin speaks to Graham Sale, a PE instructor, asking if his fellow staff would be up for a game, and he agrees. Graham says of the last one 20 years ago: "The last prisoner-prison officer game I played in, we had to take three of the prisoners to A&E, and two of the staff to A&E. People were most probably thinking there was a riot going on, but it was just a game of rugby."
Episode 2: Thursday September 28
This second episode culminates in an amazing rugby match where the England legends play alongside the prisoners they’ve trained to recreate the Rugby World Cup final from 20 years ago — this time against a team of ex-pat Australian rugby players bossed by legend George Gregan.
Is there a trailer for Grand Slammers?
ITV hasn’t released a trailer for Grand Slammers just yet, but it’s bound to be packed with camaraderie, humour and plenty of rugby action so we’ll be sure to post it here as soon as it lands.
Behind the scenes and more on Grand Slammers
Grand Slammers was commissioned for ITV by Kate Teckman, Head of Development, Factual Entertainment. It was developed by Matt Winter and Executive Producers for Remarkable Factual are Helen Simpson, Tim Allsop, Jo Smith and Kitty Walshe.
This entire project would not be possible without the support from HMP The Mount’s governor, John Gormley as well as the Ministry of Justice.
Kate Teckman says: “In this new series we’ll see some of the greatest sporting heroes England has ever produced reunite on the pitch for the first time in 20 years to go into a prison and build a rugby team with men who live their lives behind bars. For some of these England legends, rugby presented a positive pathway and an opportunity to fulfill their potential. So, with re-offending rates from ex-prisoners at an alarming level, these World Cup winners are engaging with young men who've made big mistakes to show them how the game they love can offer the possibility of taking positive steps to move forward. At a moment when rugby will be in the spotlight, during this autumn’s Rugby World Cup, Grand Slammers will provide a revealing insight into both England's legends and the power of the sport that has defined so much of their lives."
Kitty Walshe, CEO Remarkable Factual and RDF, says: “Grand Slammers would not be possible without the collective efforts of John Gormley and his staff, as well as our incredible sporting heroes who won the hearts of the nation 20 years ago. Everyone involved passionately believes that rugby is a sport that has the power to change people’s lives and what we see unfolding across the series is often raw with a range of emotions surfacing as our England legends bring their full commitment to their work with the inmates."
