Elis James: Football Nation

Stand-up comedian, presenter and lifelong football fan Elis James takes us on a lively journey through the highs and lows of Welsh footballing history. He's joined by well-known players, managers and supporters, and along the way looks at the highs and lows of the story of Welsh football. We look back to the very beginnings of the game where football got off to a quicker start than rugby in Wales, but somehow got trumped to the role of national sport. We chart the rise of the first sporting megastar from north east Wales and a later boom and bust in the towns and valleys of the south that culminated in a cup win that was celebrated in all parts of the country. It's a rollercoaster ride that was the foundation of the current success we're currently enjoying today.

Elis James' journey through Welsh footballing history takes in the two major tournament successes that the national team enjoyed during the twentieth century. Whilst most fans know that Wales reached the quarter-finals of the 1958 World Cup with a team that included international superstar John Charles, few are aware of the catalogue of errors that accompanied the team's preparations. Less know of the 1976 squad's success in reaching the quarterfinals of the European Championship, as the format of the competition at the time didn't consider it true qualification. Though the team was known for an iconic kit and a core of patriotic players, the era is best remembered for controversial and sometimes violent matches, as well as heated arguments over the singing of the national anthem. What lessons and inspiration can today's players draw from the two high points of our past exploits, and what calamities should we avoid repeating?

Why were Wales playing a key home football match at Anfield in Liverpool? Why did history seem to repeat itself in notorious games against Scotland in two different decades? How could a team that featured the likes of Ian Rush, Dean Saunders, Mark Hughes and Ryan Giggs not reach the finals of any major international tournaments? Elis James looks at the highs and lows of the late seventies to the early nineties, and at some iconic matches where Wales beat the likes of Spain, Germany and Brazil, but seemed to fall at the final hurdle in key qualification campaigns time after time.

Elis James' final stage of his journey through Welsh football history looks at how a period of turbulence transformed into one of international triumph. Since the early nineties a long line of managers, with mixed results, has guided the Welsh international football team. From the controversies of the Bobby Gould era to the unrealised ambitions under Mark Hughes; the investment in youth initiated by John Toshack and the dramatic turnaround achieved by Gary Speed that was cut short by his tragic death. The path to a golden age of Welsh football hasn't been straightforward. Now with the success of the 2016 European Championships still alive in supporter's minds, and the landmark of back-to-back qualifications under a youthful team's belts, a more recent period of turbulence hasn't managed to dampen expectations.