Phil Tufnell was starstruck when Russell Crowe called him ‘Tuffers!’

The ex-cricketer, 55, on a Test Match Special tour, writing a book during lockdown and launching his own wine label.

Lots of fun. We’re going up and down the country with Aggers [Jonathan Agnew] and the team and lots of anecdotes. We’ll take people inside the commentary box and show them some never-before-seen footage.

We’ve got some well-known people and cricketers popping in to tell their experiences. And I’m sure we’re going to be talking about the Ashes disaster.

TMS has been going a long time and has been a huge part of my life. I remember listening to it with my dad, stuck in a traffic jam going down to Brighton on a summer’s day.

It’s probably my first experience of cricket, actually, listening to the iconic voices of Johnners [Brian Johnston] and John Arlott wafting over the airwaves. So I feel very privileged to be a part of such an iconic radio show.

That’s the first time anyone has asked me if I have a commentary style! I just turn up and get very excited about the game. It’s obviously a passion of mine, having played for 20 years professionally at the highest level.

You just go with the buzz and if it’s raining, you have a little chat about something else. I think your own style comes out.

I usually do the colour — I’m not the ball-by-ball commentator, I’m the analyst. But when Aggers was interviewing Russell Crowe, that was quite exciting. Usually, I leave it to Aggers and have a bit of lunch but on this occasion I skipped lunch. Russell was standing there and said, ‘Hello, Tuffers!’ I thought, ‘He’s Gladiator and he’s just gone, “Hello, Tuffers!”’

They do. You’ve got to have a little bit of good fortune to be at the right place at the right time. It also comes down to the passion for the game.

A little bit. I