Mark Dennison, the mid-morning show host of BBC Nottingham, challenged singer-songwriters Rob Green and Nina Smith to write a Euro 2016 anthem. We asked Mark a few questions to find out more...
What instigated this song?
We were talking about Euro 2016 in the BBC office and thought… hang on a minute, there doesn’t seem to be an official anthem this year. We thought back to Three Lions, World in Motion and … erm On the ball and they were all classics. So since there was nothing this year, we thought we’d better put that right.
Tell us a bit about Rob and Nina...
Rob’s a huge talent… and he’s got good legs, too. I only know this because he wore shorts when he came into the studio the other day. Very important for radio, that. Nina’s great-we’ve featured her and her music a lot of times. She’s another sign of the amazing musical talent in this city. What a duo they make!
What are your thoughts on England's chances in the Euros?
I’d love to say I’m confident. But I’m afraid I’m a bit of a weary England fan after one too many disappointments. However, I do love the whole atmosphere, lots of football on telly. We get the neighbours round and have a few drinks and a barbecue. One thing I’d say is that we do have some young exciting players this time round. Let’s see what happens.
If you were a betting man, who would you be betting on in the Euros?
I’m not a betting man… and I’ve never understood odds, evens and each way. Not a clue. Best ask someone else.
Any thoughts on City of Football?
I think it’s great! There is no better place for this in the whole of the UK. Notts County is the oldest club in the world and Forest is steeped in history and European success. We do like to re-live our glory years and why shouldn’t we? It should be used as a great platform to celebrate our successes and look forward to the future. There are exciting things happening.
Anything else you want to say?
Just a big thank you to Nina and Rob for getting on board with our song. They’re great sports for spending so much time writing it, then performing live on air with very little prep time. We love it guys and I hope you all do, too!
Mark Dennison on BBC Radio Nottingham
Rob Green's website
Nina Smith's website
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