The latest episode of the Apple TV Plus hit football dramedy Ted Lasso was filled with surprises — not least of all the reveal that Freddie Mercury used to own AFC Richmond. While there’s some related history there (we’ll get back to it in a minute), it was Rebecca’s subsequent comment that caught everyone’s attention.
After Higgins name-drops the Queen singer and says he tried to make “Fat Bottomed Girls” the club anthem when he owned it back in 1980, Rebecca says her dad went to art school with Freddie. She follows that up by saying that “everyone talks about his amazing four-octave vocal range,” but that if asked, Freddie would say his greatest talent was actually “flipping straights.”
Granted, this joke is pretty hilarious all on its own, but when you focus on who is actually making it, it gains a whole other meaning. Any trivia page on the internet will tell you Hannah Waddingham, who plays Rebecca, has a four-octave vocal range as well. This is a pretty impressive skill to have, shared only by great talents like Freddie himself.
As for flipping straights, Waddingham would never admit it, but she shares that talent with the “Bohemian Rhapsody” singer, too, which is why the writers’ idea to have the actress say that line was so genius. Waddingham’s career has absolutely taken off ever since landing the Ted Lasso job, where she looks ravishing in every episode. If that wasn’t enough, her turn hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in May made everyone, of whatever gender or sexuality, fall in love with her.
The Freddie Mercury joke goes even deeper, however, because it’s something the people behind Ted Lasso have been wanting to include in the show since its very first episode. Back then, Rebecca was supposed to show Ted a wall with frames of previous Richmond owners, and they wanted to include the legendary singer as a nod to the time Elton John owned Watford in the ’80s.
In a clip from 60 Minutes which fans of the show have dug up, star Jason Sudeikis revealed they couldn’t make the joke because they didn’t have the rights to include the Freddie Mercury picture. So many layers to a simple throwaway line, but that’s what makes Ted Lasso‘s writing so incredible.
To top it all off, the episode closed with the premiere of Eurovision runner-up Sam Ryder’s new song “Fought & Lost,” which features Queen guitarist Brian May and is largely inspired by the band’s sound. Freddie would be proud.
The last episode of Ted Lasso‘s third and possibly final season comes out Wednesday, May 31.
