I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve watched every episode of Gary Neville’s ‘The Overlap’, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every single one that I’ve watched so far. All of them.
What is Gary Neville’s ‘The Overlap’?
It’s one of many Gary Neville projects leading the way in its field, quite honestly.
For years, Nev has wormed his way into the nerves and hearts of fans in equal measure, and so I imagine some were filled with trepidation to hear that sponsors Sky Bet had green lit his show.
But not me.
I’m apparently in the minority of fans that actually enjoy listening to Gary and find him one of the most informed and articulate pundits in the game. And ‘The Overlap’ special interview episodes offered the opportunity to see if he could put that to use under the pressure of wringing some juice for us.
Such that this article is feature in our ‘Content Creators‘ and ‘Podcasts‘ categories. He might not be feature in a list like this one, but he’s most certainly a creator in his own right.
So, let’s see how we fared under these circumstances…
In Morecambe with Tyson Fury
I’ve never been much of a fan of Tyson Fury.
Personally, I’ve found him to be a bit self-serving in his dialogue.
There’s a lot of focus around his comeback to boxing, his views on mental health and his naturally egotistical view on where he sits in the world of professional sport.
But I liked how Gary supported an environment where we got to see a pretty bare and relaxed Tyson tell us more about his upbringing and raison d’être. Of course, the smugness came out once the words ‘Anthony’ and ‘Joshua’ left Gary’s mouth, but that was always going to be the way.
Though instead of being railroaded like a typical journalist, Gary asked hard-hitting questions and even put the lineal champion on the back foot. A properly intriguing episode of ‘The Overlap’, especially when you consider this isn’t even Neville’s wheelhouse!
Enemy Territory with Jamie Carragher
A proud Manc strolling through Bootle, Liverpool… what could possibly go wrong?!
The duo of Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher has been a feature for Sky Sports for a number of years, and it’s natural that this connection would transfer seamlessly to ‘The Overlap’.
After having spoken to a few other football legends, Gary invited Jamie for a walk through his hometown to understand a bit more about what makes the scouser tick.
As it turns out, it’s Beatles songs and Everton. Who knew!
Becks
Technically, David Beckham has appeared on ‘The Overlap’ twice.
Once in a singular interview and the other on the later ‘Stick to Football’ show, but there’ll be more than enough time to get to that within the Hobby FC documentaries archive.
On Becks’ debut, the charismatic ex-midfielder was on song with a number of brilliant stories from his time at United, Madrid, PSG and leading into his latest venture with Inter Miami.
As you may have guessed, I’m a big fan of Becks and have spoken about him many times on the site, but I really like the clear chemistry between the two which oozes out of their interview.
Instead of Gary having to pry into uncharted territory and hope for the best, it’s almost like at times the former right-back deliberately goaded his teammate into telling tales he wanted to stay private – because he already knew the truth! Brilliant watch.
Tough Topics with Dele Alli
Gary has never shirked away from the important stuff.
Even if it means avoiding potential landmines to do so.
A lot has been said, wondered about, surmised and written about Dele Alli in recent years, and a lot of it has been insanely negative regarding the ex-England ‘wonderkid’.
So, in this surprise episode of ‘The Overlap’ (considering the trend of the previous episodes), I was a little taken aback to hear some of the revelations from Gary’s open-hearted conversation with Dele. Which, instead of going into the typical ‘what happened at [this club]’ conversation, wandered into the tough, sensitive worlds of child abuse and assault.
A really eye opening insight into the mind of a struggling man in the public eye, and one which no doubt has helped far more people than Gary or Dele could ever hope to comprehend.
The Dog Walk with Roy Keane
Keano was always going to be box office.
But it’s even better with the dynamic he has with his ex-teammate Gary.
There’s still an element of that captain/player relationship between the two, with Roy’s naturally stern and serious demeanour contrasting Gary’s penchant for the outspoken and extroverted.
The two dovetail beautifully in an open, fun, sarcastic conversation tackling some crucial topics that comprise both of their careers. And with Roy not pulling any punches and Gary holding up the targets we want him to, it still stands as the most entertaining interview on ‘The Overlap’ YouTube channel.
Summary
‘The Overlap’ is a bloody brilliant channel, and it’s continuing to evolve.
Watch it. Now. I promise you won’t regret it.
What’s your favourite interview from ‘The Overlap’?