Saipan (15)

Unless you are a football fan, or Irish, or both, you may have to take it on trust that Saipan recounts a story of Earth-shattering significance — albeit with distinct ironising cheek.

This is a fictionalised account of the stormy rift between team captain Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy in the run-up to the Republic of Ireland’s matches in the 2002 World Cup.

There’s Keane (Éanna Hardwick), at this point playing for Man United, is in the prime of his career and is one of the best players in the Premier League. Then there’s McCarthy (Steve Coogan) – English born but with Irish roots and a proud sense of Irish heritage – knew that his trickiest player would be the legendarily difficult Keane, and so it proved.

To prepare for the tournament, and acclimatise to the heat and the time difference of Japan, the decision is made to travel to Saipan, the capital of the remote Mariana Islands for a week of training. The dispute between McCarthy and his most high-profile player and captain rumbles on for the entire week. An amusing vignette whether you’re a footie fan or not