James Corden revives Smithy for Sport Relief 2016
- Gavin & Stacey's Smithy has returned in a special Sport Relief sketch
- The character, played by James Corden, announces his candidacy to become President of FIFA
- Support comes from Pele, José Mourinho, Sir Geoff Hurst and others
The BBC has published a brand new sketch for its Sport Relief 2016 fundraising telethon.
Now available on iPlayer, the 6-minute special stars James Corden, reprising the character of Smithy from hit sitcom Gavin & Stacey.
The sketch sees Smithy declare his intention to compete for the position of President of FIFA, the scandal- and corruption-hit "world governing body" of football.
The BBC explains: "In an exclusive sketch for BBC iPlayer, some of football's greatest names will come out in support of Smithy's vision for the future of the beautiful game, including England World Cup winning hero Sir Geoff Hurst, Brazilian football legend Pele, England icon Steven Gerrard and the 'Special One' himself, José Mourinho.
"In the spoof sketch, Smithy shares his dream for the future of the game and how he believes it can restore itself to its former glories on the world stage."
The sketch will be broadcast as part of BBC One's Sport Relief Night, on Friday 18th March. It was announced earlier this week that hit 1970s sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em has also filmed a special sketch to be broadcast as part of the evening's entertainment, with Michael Crawford returning to the role of disaster-prone Frank Spencer.
BBC bosses add in a disclaimer: "Although Smithy has taken the Cherry Tree Sunday league football team all the way to joint 9th position in the Billericay Echo Premier, he will in fact not be in the running for the top job at FIFA, as this is purely for entertainment and to raise money for Sport Relief 2016."