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

When Ted Lasso deed our screens astatine the extremity of 2020 it was seen arsenic a overmuch needed spot of airy alleviation successful the mediate of a planetary pandemic.

A likeable and goofy American shot - oregon shot to him - manager comes to the UK to negociate a struggling Premier League team.

You didn't adjacent request to similar shot to bask the show, due to the fact that Jason Sudeikis' main quality Ted decidedly doesn't.

Fast guardant astir 3 years and the feel-good Apple TV+ deed has go a cult favourite and won 11 Primetime Emmy awards successful the US.

There's truthful overmuch involvement successful the past occurrence of play three, which whitethorn oregon whitethorn not beryllium the last ever episode, that #TedLassoFinale was trending connected Twitter arsenic aboriginal arsenic 09:00 BST.

** There are nary spoilers for the last occurrence of Ted Lasso play 3 successful this nonfiction **

Newsbeat asked Phil Dunster, who plays the fictional squad AFC Richmond's prima striker Jamie Tartt, wherefore helium thinks the amusement is truthful popular.

"It truly does consciousness similar the effect Ted Lasso has connected the squad is benignant of the effect Ted Lasso the amusement has connected the viewers," helium says.

"The themes of the amusement are kindness and squad and togetherness.

"But I deliberation the clever happening is that it highlights each of those things successful existent people, who are fallible and rubbish and don't ever instrumentality that opportunity."

The show's been wide praised for dealing with topics not ever seen successful comedies - similar intelligence health, racism and homophobia.

Some critics have suggested it's taken that excessively far - with episodes creeping up from 30 minutes to implicit an hr and being excessively dedicated to solving these issues.

But Phil thinks it's been important to tackle the issues successful a mode "that doesn't consciousness preachy".

"Also it tin conscionable beryllium boring if you've got idiosyncratic going they are bittersweet astir this thing, they speech astir that to different character, the quality gives them proposal and past they get better," helium says.

"I deliberation it would beryllium unrelatable if you conscionable saw these guys larn the lessons straightaway," helium adds.

Phil besides tells Newsbeat it's truly important the amusement hasn't been acrophobic to woody with issues similar racism and homophobia.

"And besides that clubs person had to merchandise statements decrying the usage of homophobic chants successful football, it feels truthful profoundly backwards and sad.

"I deliberation the mode to flooded the ignorance is by displaying versions of this thing, beryllium it openly cheery men successful sports, beryllium it dealing with racism successful sport.

"Showing ways of overcoming this successful respectful ways, I deliberation it conscionable takes distant the taboo a bit."

One of the main redemption storylines of the 3 seasons involves Phil's quality Jamie - who was based connected a fewer existent footballers including Jack Grealish.

Jamie Tartt (du du du du du du - as the Richmond fans often sing) comes crossed arsenic your emblematic egotistical superstar astatine the commencement of play one.

But fans person since seen him woody with a physically abusive begetter and mature arsenic a idiosyncratic - each with the guidance of Ted of course.

"Jamie's a precise antithetic idiosyncratic to me, he's chill and truthful that was rather a leap for me," Phil says.

"It's absorbing determination are diagnostic traits successful Jamie that I've learned from, he's a precise nonstop and honorable person."

Ted Lasso was besides successful the headlines successful March, erstwhile the formed visited the White House to sermon US intelligence healthcare.

He says it was "ridiculous" getting to conscionable President Joe Biden - but, for Phil, that wasn't the biggest accidental from the show.

"We were besides enactment successful FIFA," helium says.

"Scoring a extremity with a unreal mentation of yourself connected FIFA - arsenic if this full happening wasn't an ego travel enough, that benignant of truly puts the nail successful the coffin."

Another happening that was acold much "exciting" for Phil was getting to movie with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola - who had a cameo successful a caller episode.

"He walked into the stadium and everyone gets similar immediately, spontaneously burst into a circular of applause, his vigor is conscionable huge," helium says.

"It's specified a fantastic happening to person him connected the amusement arsenic well. It abruptly conscionable elevates the show."

There's been a batch of speech astir whether determination volition beryllium immoderate much seasons of Ted Lasso oregon whether characters similar Jamie Tartt mightiness get their ain spin-offs.

Phil isn't giving distant if fans volition get the extra-time they look to beryllium craving, but helium admits it feels similar the extremity of an era.

"I deliberation erstwhile they archetypal started penning it, it was ever going to beryllium this 3 play arc that they were readying for," helium says.

"But it's been connected specified a journey, the amusement itself and each the radical progressive successful it.

"We don't cognize if it's afloat the extremity but surely it felt similar the extremity of the chapter."

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