Freddie Flintoff is determined to prove that anyone can play competitive cricket in his new series - but his biggest clash has been with the BBC.
The former England cricketer returns to his hometown of Preston, where it all started for him, to create a brand new cricket team from an unlikely group of teens in new series Field Of Dreams.
Freddie played cricket for the Lancashire Schools under-11s and under-15s teams before spending two-and-half-years in the England under-19 side.
The 44-year-old, real name Andrew, wants to show that anyone can take part in the sport that made him famous, whatever their background, and it's not just for posh people'.
But it's a tough challenge as most of the boys in his new side have never even picked up a cricket bat before and some have never heard of him.
While he was ready for a battle on the cricket pitch, Freddie was probably not expecting to clash with the BBC.
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Freddie labelled the Beeb 'disrespectful' for the way they described the kids in a press release about the show, which starts tonight on BBC One.
"I thought it was disrespectful as well," he told the Sunday Times : "'Underprivileged' is like a buzzword. It's almost like clickbait.
"When the press release was put out and the kids were up in arms over it, I could not defend it."
The BBC did realise the error of their ways and changed the wording to say 'reluctant' in all promotional material for the series going forward.
"They just need a chance, some of these lads," added Freddie. "They need somebody to back them."
Freddie, whose dad Colin was a plumber and factory maintenance worker, grew up in Preston and went to a comprehensive school.
He was offered scholarships to fee-paying schools as a teen but decided to turn them down, and would not change his education even though his own kids went to private schools.
"I didn't want to be the poor kid at a posh school," he explained. "It was the best decision I ever made. It was such a good grounding, I wouldn't swap it."
But it wasn't smooth sailing for the cricketer, who was bullied at school for playing cricket rather than football.
Freddie said the jibes he faced from schoolmates at Ribbleton Hall High in Preston for playing cricket helped him deal with tricky international opponents on the pitch years later.
Comparing himself with fictional working class lad Billy who has to battle to follow his dream, Freddie said: "At both the schools I went to, cricket was just not on the radar.
"I got so much stick for playing cricket, bullied even, it was almost like Billy Elliot – except he had it easier being a ballet dancer."
Freddie took up a TV boxing challenge in 2012, taking on one professional fight which he won, to tackle his frustration at having been bullied but not responding.
He said previously: "I had a very rough time at school. I wanted to play cricket and I frequently got knocked around because of it.
"I wanted to retaliate but I couldn't make myself. So now I want to put that side of my life to bed a little bit.2
As part of his new series, Freddie starts a training regime with a group of lively teenagers, some of who have never picked up a cricket bat before.
He meets 15-year-old Sean, who has attended several different schools, and 17-year-old Ammar, who moved to the UK six years ago and had never even heard of Freddie.
The Top Gear host also realises that many of the kids know him for driving cars rather than his exploits on the cricket pitch.
When one youngsters Googled Freddie and read out that he is an international cricketer, another said: "Never heard of him."
The boys have a lot to learn in a very short space of time as they will ultimately be competing against teams that have been playing together for years.
Although they have just a few weeks of chaotic training and only a vague notion of the rules, Freddie is keen to test the boys' progress and get them to play their first ever cricket match.
However, not everyone in his urban posse is impressed with the rural setting or the traditions of cricket that Freddie is trying to draw them to.
Freddie admits the sport is elitist, with more than half of England's cricket team having been educated privately.
He acknowledges kids who play are privileged or fortunate, saying: "I won the lottery of life with my family. We didn’t have much, but for love and support, we couldn't have had more."
It's not just the youngsters who are discovering new things, as the whole experience is a massive learning curve for Freddie.
"I've seen cricket from one angle, the desire to be the best, to win at all costs," he explained. "But with this I might adjust what a win is. Having the confidence to play, that's the win."
*Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams airs tonight on BBC1 at 8pm
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