In the newest instalment of Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso, Hannah Waddingham’s Rebecca Welton grabs a microphone at a Richmond AFC women’s match and, slurring her words, echoes a chant that has lived in British football folklore for over two decades. Fans instantly recognised the homage to TV chef Delia Smith’s infamous 2005 halftime rally, sparking a wave of nostalgia and amusement across social media.
The Scene that Sparked the Nod
During Wednesday’s episode, Welton notices dwindling attendance at the game and decides to address the absent supporters directly. She leans into the camera, her voice thick with drink, and declares: “Now, a message for the greatest football supporters in the world who are not here today. Where are you? Am I right? Where are you?” Before long she leads the crowd in a repeated chant of “let’s be ‘avin’ you!” The moment mirrors the unscripted fervour that once turned a Carrow Road halftime into a viral sensation.
Viewers were quick to point out the similarity. One fan posted alongside a clip of Smith’s original outburst: “Just when I thought I couldn’t love the scene with Rebecca drunkenly shouting ‘WHEEERE ARRE YOUUU!!’ repeatedly anymore than I already do, I find out it’s based on this real life moment! #TedLasso”. Another observer on X noted: “For international #TedLasso fans, Rebecca’s drunken call to arms is a homage to a real incident where England’s best known staid, prim, middle‑class TV cook, Delia Smith, railed on the fans of her team. An iconic Brit culture moment!”
Delia Smith’s Original 2005 Moment
The source of the chant dates back to a Premier League clash between Manchester City and Norwich City in February 2005. At the time Smith, a majority shareholder in Norwich City, seized the microphone from the club announcer and urged the crowd to become the “12th man”. Her words were: “A message for the best football supporters in the world: we need a 12th man here. Where are you? Where are you? Let’s be ‘avin’ you! Come on!”
Norwich ultimately lost the match 3‑2, and Smith later defended her outburst as a spontaneous appeal from the heart. She told reporters: “My message to the fans was a totally spontaneous appeal from the heart aimed at trying to do everything we could to get behind Nigel Worthington and the team,” adding that “maybe in the heat of the moment I didn’t choose the best words”. In a 2024 Desert Island Discs interview she reflected that she had forgotten the cameras were rolling, describing the initial reaction as “not wonderful” but now cherishing the chant’s enduring legacy: “The first week there were people in the press saying I should be brought before a disciplinary committee at the FA. I go to away matches and they all call out ‘let’s be having you, Delia’. It’s lovely, I love it.”
Cultural Echoes and the Show’s Continuing Legacy
The Ted Lasso reference arrives as the series follows Jason Sudeikis’ titular character returning to Richmond after several years to coach the club’s women’s team. The show’s blend of heartfelt comedy and keen cultural observation has repeatedly turned to British touchstones, from tea‑time banter to football chants. This latest nod not only rewards long‑time viewers with a layers‑deep joke but also introduces younger audiences to a slice of football history that still reverberates in terraces today.
Smith’s involvement with Norwich City concluded in 2024 after a 28‑year stint, during which she and her husband Michael Wynn‑Jones held a 53 % shareholding and served as club directors and honorary life presidents. Though her formal ties have ended, the chant remains a fixture at Carrow Road, a testament to how a single, impromptu moment can embed itself in the collective memory of a fanbase.
Why it Matters
The Ted Lasso homage underscores how television can resurrect and reframe cultural milestones, turning a once‑controversial halftime outburst into a shared point of affection across generations. By weaving Delia Smith’s chant into its narrative, the show not only celebrates a quintessentially British football tradition but also highlights the enduring power of spontaneous, heartfelt fan engagement—a reminder that the soul of the sport lives as much in the terraces as on the pitch.
