FoF exclusive: Simon Davies in Hollywood raid

[The Doctor]

Simon Davies will be quitting football to star in a remake of classic war movie The Dam Busters, it has emerged

In the remake, the dog will be called "Digger" instead of "Nigger".

Stephen Fry, who is writing the film's screenplay, said there was "no question in America that you could ever have a dog called the N-word".

The news came at a fortuitous time for Fulham midfielder Davies, who is nicknamed "Digger" for his Welsh mining routes.  The appointment of Martin Jol, who sold Davies while at Tottenham Hotspur, suggests that Davies' opportunities at Craven Cottage are now limited.

"I've been considering my future after playing for a while now" said the Welsh wideman.  "I've always fancied trying my hand at acting, and this project sounds like a great springboard for a screen career.  Stephen called me last week about the role and I bit his hand off.  I'm used to haring around after a ball and my mates call me "Digger" so he reckons I'm ideal for the role"

The black Labrador was the mascot for RAF 617 squadron, which during World War II destroyed dams in Germany with Barnes Wallis' famous bouncing bomb.

Owned by the squadron's wing commander, Guy Gibson, the animal was run over and killed during the planning of the Dambuster raids, and was buried at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire - from where the operation was launched.

Stephen Fry told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's no good saying that it is the Latin word for black or that it didn't have the meaning that it does now - you just can't go back, which is unfortunate.

"You can go to RAF Scampton and see the dog's grave and there he is with his name, and it's an important part of the film.

"The name of the dog was a code word to show that the dam had been successfully breached. In the film, you're constantly hearing 'n-word, n-word, n-word, hurray' and Barnes Wallis is punching the air. But obviously that's not going to happen now.

"So Digger seems okay, I reckon."

The 1955 film, which starred Sir Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd, told the story of Barnes Wallis' struggle to develop the bomb and the subsequent raids on Nazi Germany - codenamed Operation Chastise.

The remake is being produced by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson.

Davies is the latest in a long line of footballers in recent times to dabble with acting.  David Beckham and Alan Shearer have both appeared in movies.  Eric Cantona has been the most successful footballer-turned-actor after appearing in critically acclaimed films such as "Elizabeth" and "Looking for Eric"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-13727908

[NogoodBoyo]

I thought April 1 had come and gone.
Nogood "can't fool a fooler, isit" Boyo

[HatterDon]

not to mention Wimbledon FC's former legbreaker who has made a tidy living playing a thug in the movies.