Would You Bet Against Us?

It’s 1982. Aston Villa beat Bayern Munich 1–0 to win the European Cup. They remain one of only five English teams to win the biggest prize in club football – yet no one thought they stood a chance.

Around the corner, 16-year-old Paul’s geography teacher tells him he would amount to absolutely nothing.

Aston Villa were complete underdogs. So was Paul… And Paul’s geography teacher was a complete ********.

Would You Bet Against Us? marks the 40th anniversary of an iconic event for Aston Villa, for Birmingham and for Paul. Created by The Rep and renowned storytellers Told by an Idiot and written by Brummie and life-time Aston Villa fan Paul Hunter, this is a hilarious, poignant, and uplifting show about challenging expectations and proving people wrong.

Pub Quiz – Wed 25 May

Join Artistic Director, Paul Hunter, as he tests how claret and blue your shirts really are. Grab a pint and join Told by an Idiot on Wed 25 May for a Villa themed quiz. Will you get your hands on the trophy?

Created by

Told by an Idiot

Written By

Paul Hunter, with additional materials by members of the company

Running Time

80 minutes

Access Performances

BSL Performance: Sat 28 May, 2.45pm

BSL Interpreter: Harjit Jagdev

Audio Described Performance: Tue 31 May 8pm

Captioned Performance: Wed 1 Jun, 8pm

Relaxed Performance: Sat 4 May, 2.45pm

Post Show Q&A

Fri 20 May, with European Cup Winners Dennis Mortimer, Tony Morley and Kenny Swain. Supported by AV40.

Freesheet

The Would You Bet Against Us? freesheet can be downloaded here.

Age

14+

Click on the video below for an exciting snippet of the show!

Reviews

A warm, funny and lovely piece of theatre which can be appreciated even if you are not a football fan . . . even Blues’ fans could enjoy it.”

Behind the Arras, 4.5 stars

A celebration of family and a shared love of football in equal measures”

Not Compulsory, 5 stars

A great night’s entertainment, and you don’t need to be a football fan to enjoy and appreciate it”
WestEndBestFriend, 4 stars

Funny, warm and hugely nostalgic.”

BrumHour, 4.5 stars

An underdog story we can all get behind, football fans or not.”
StageTalk Magazine, 5 stars

This is an innovative, slick, five-star production which is a must see…Not just for Villa fans, but a delight for everyone.”
Midlands Arts Magazine, 5 stars