There are more than a few recognisable characters--the foreign manager, the glamour-model wife, the smouldering Italian mid-fielder--whose presence only adds to the (intended) impression that this just might be fact thinly disguised as fiction (though it's unlikely that any real footballer's wife would almost kill the chairman of the club in a fit of rage, as Tanya does in the first episode). Unsurprisingly Footballers' Wives was created by the same team that produced the trash-fest that was Bad Girls and despite never being a contender for best drama it offers a perfect opportunity to become a voyeur in a world with more glitz and leg action than most.

On the DVD: Footballers' Wives is presented with an ordinary TV transfer. The special features are nothing to get excited about, just standard interviews and photo galleries. --Nikki Disney