Everyone’s favorite football manager is back. No, Sven hasn’t been appointed to guide England to a First Knockout Round defeat at this summer’s World Cup in Brazil. Mike Bassett is back in the England set up to assist German coach Jorgen Mannstein in the new film, Mike Bassett: Interim Manager.

Ricky TomlinsonRicky Tomlinson is back for more England action

The return of this comedy giant sees Ricky Tomlinson play Mike Bassett again, whose infamous rants and working class background tied in with that scouser wit endeared him to the nation when football fever was at its highest. 

“Bassett was the last England manager to take the national team to Brazil. We reached the semis then, who knows what we could achieve this time? I’m very excited to be back with the team including football legend Andy Ansah who cut his teeth on the first film,” explained returning director Steve Barron.

“As the years have gone by Bassett seems to have dug deeper into football folklore. There is hardly a manager in the game that hasn’t been compared to him. Usually at a low point. Sometimes a very low point.”

Unusually, though, the film won’t coincide with this year’s World Cup, which sees England pit their wits against Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica in a tough group. Instead, filming will take place during the competition. 

Either way, though, the return of Bassett will be more than welcomed by a British that spent £3.4 million at the UK box office in 2001 and was glued to the six-episode TV series shown on ITV back in 2005. 

The film co-starred Amanda Redman and Bradley Walsh, and featured cameos from Pelé and Barry Venison. Will we be seeing the likes of David Beckham, Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona in the sequel?

Why not watch the entire film below?