Ted Lasso’s Phil Dunster on tackling mental health in hit show

Jamie Tartt (du du du du du du) gets one of his many subtle pep talks from Jason Sudeikis in season two of Ted Lasso

When Ted Lasso hit our screens at the end of 2020 it was seen as a much needed bit of light relief in the middle of a global pandemic.

A likeable and goofy American football – or soccer to him – coach comes to the UK to manage a struggling Premier League team.

You didn’t even need to like football to enjoy the show, because Jason Sudeikis’ main character Ted definitely doesn’t.

Fast forward almost three years and the feel-good Apple TV+ hit has become a cult favourite and won 11 Primetime Emmy awards in the US.

There’s so much interest in the last episode of season three, which may or may not be the final ever episode, that #TedLassoFinale was trending on Twitter as early as 09:00 BST.

** There are no spoilers for the final episode of Ted Lasso season three in this article **

Newsbeat asked Phil Dunster, who plays the fictional team AFC Richmond’s star striker Jamie Tartt, why he thinks the show is so popular.

“It really does feel like the effect Ted Lasso has on the team is sort of the effect Ted Lasso the show has on the viewers,” he says.

“The themes of the show are kindness and team and togetherness.

“But I think the clever thing is that it highlights all of those things in real people, who are fallible and rubbish and don’t always take that opportunity.”

Phil (far left) says he modelled Jamie Tartt’s Mancuncian accent on the Gallagher brothers

The show’s been widely praised for dealing with topics not always seen in comedies – like mental health, racism and homophobia.

Some critics have suggested it’s taken that too far – with episodes creeping up from 30 minutes to over an hour and being too dedicated to solving these issues.

But Phil thinks it’s been important to tackle the issues in a way “that doesn’t feel preachy”.

“Also it can just be boring if you’ve got somebody going they are sad about this thing, they talk about that to another character, the character gives them advice and then they get better,” he says.

“I think it would be unrelatable if you just saw these guys learn the lessons straightaway,” he adds.

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‘Spontaneous round of applause’

Phil also tells Newsbeat it’s really important the show hasn’t been afraid to deal with issues like racism and homophobia.

“It’s so desperately sad to see what’s happened last week with Vinicius Jr in Spain, and happens every single week all over the world.

“And also that clubs have had to release statements decrying the use of homophobic chants in football, it feels so deeply backwards and sad.

“I think the way to overcome the ignorance is by displaying versions of this thing, be it openly gay men in sports, be it dealing with racism in sport.

“Showing ways of overcoming this in respectful ways, I think it just takes away the taboo a bit.”

Fans have loved the love-hate relationship between Jamie Tartt and Brett Goldstein’s character Roy Kent

One of the main redemption storylines of the three seasons involves Phil’s character Jamie – who was based on a few real footballers including Jack Grealish.

Jamie Tartt (du du du du du du – as the Richmond fans often sing) comes across as your typical egotistical superstar at the start of season one.

But fans have since seen him deal with a physically abusive father and mature as a person – all with the guidance of Ted of course.

“Jamie’s a very different person to me, he’s cool and so that was quite a leap for me,” Phil says.

“It’s interesting there are characteristic traits in Jamie that I’ve learned from, he’s a very direct and honest person.”

Ted Lasso was also in the headlines in March, when the cast visited the White House to discuss US mental healthcare.

He says it was “ridiculous” getting to meet President Joe Biden – but, for Phil, that wasn’t the biggest opportunity from the show.

“We were also put in FIFA,” he says.

“Scoring a goal with a pretend version of yourself on FIFA – as if this whole thing wasn’t an ego trip enough, that sort of really puts the nail in the coffin.”

Another thing that was far more “exciting” for Phil was getting to film with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola – who had a cameo in a recent episode.

“He walked into the stadium and everyone gets like immediately, spontaneously burst into a round of applause, his energy is just huge,” he says.

“It’s such a wonderful thing to have him on the show as well. It suddenly just elevates the show.”

Has the full-time whistle blown?

There’s been a lot of talk about whether there will be any more seasons of Ted Lasso or whether characters like Jamie Tartt might get their own spin-offs.

Phil isn’t giving away if fans will get the extra time they seem to be craving, but he admits it feels like the end of an era.

“I think when they first started writing it, it was always going to be this three season arc that they were planning for,” he says.

“But it’s been on such a journey, the show itself and all the people involved in it.

“We don’t know if it’s fully the end but certainly it felt like the end of the chapter.”

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