Barry from EastEnders posed as Manchester City legend Shaun Goater on TV after a Soccer AM booking bungle.
The Shaun they wanted on the football show was the striker nicknamed `The Goat’ who scored 84 goals in 184 appearances for City between 1998 and 2003.
But instead they ended up with actor Shaun Williamson who played Barry Evans in the BBC soap for 10 years and has never kicked a ball in anger.
Telly chiefs only found out the night before when their booker texted the agent to ask what Shaun had been `up to’ so they could chat about it on camera.
(Image: WireImage)
The agent replied: “He’s just doing a bit of writing – he’s not going to do panto this year.”
Telly bosses decided to press ahead with actor Shaun as a guest.
He thought the gaffe was hilarious and agreed to pretend he was Goater – answering questions intended for the footballer.
Soccer AM host Max Rushden, 43, told the Football Weekly podcast: “We booked Shaun Goater for the show and then the guy Chris who was booking the footballers texted his agent saying `what’s he up to?’
(Image: Getty Images)
“This is on the Friday night. We’ve cut all the Shaun Goater footage and everything.
“And the reply from Shaun Goater’s agent was: `He’s just doing a bit of writing. he’s not going to do panto this year.’
“That’s when Chris realised he’d not booked Shaun Goater but Shaun Williamson – Barry from EastEnders.
(Image: Manchester City FC via Getty Images)
“As you can imagine Shaun Williamson was brilliant and he just answered all the Shaun Goater questions and did it all professionally.
“It was a great moment.
“It was Friday night. We couldn’t be bothered to change the questions.
“We just asked, `could you just do the Shaun Goater interview?’
“And he did it brilliantly.
“He did all his research.
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“He talked about great goals he scored for Man City, talked about playing for Bermuda, all of that.
“He was an absolute consummate professional.”
Goater, 52, who also scored 20 international goals in 22 games for Bermuda, is now a youth coach at City.
Williamson, 56, who also appeared in Inspector Morse, Ricky Gervais comedy Extras and Plebs, won Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes impersonating late rocker Meat Loaf and also triumphed in telly quiz Beat The Chasers.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
