Alex Horne shines a light on Chesham United with new documentary

By Matt Badcock

He created Bafta-winning TV series Taskmaster and proudly fronts comedy band The Horne Section, but the other passion in comedian Alex Horne’s life is Chesham United – and there’s a behind-the-scenes documentary to show why.

New episodes of All In: Chesham United drop on You-Tube every Sunday as cameras followed the Generals throughout 2025-26.

As well as episodes focusing on their National League South odyssey and first team players, the doc also features the club’s women’s team and stories of volunteers and fans who make Non-League so special.

The first 13 episodes are approaching half-a-million views and Horne, a club director since 2022, hopes it gives warm insight into the proud Buckinghamshire outfit.

Promote

“My main responsibility is to try and promote the club,” Horne tells The NLP. “Nowadays you’ve got to give these things a go. We either do it or we talk about doing it!

“It feels like the right time. Other clubs are doing it and I thought we could have the chance to do something quite special.

“The plan is we keep doing it and one day someone will sponsor it and it won’t be running at a personal loss for me! But it’s a pleasure as well.

“Our unofficial motto at the club is One Club.

“So it’s trying to show it’s for everyone – the youth teams, the women’s, the men, people behind the bar. It’s quite a twee sentiment but I think it’s quite important.”

IN THE PICTURE: Alex Horne at Chesham United and, below, clips from the documentary series on the club
PICTURE: Neale Blackburn

Important

And that’s because of how everyone – including men’s team joint-bosses James Duncan and Michael Murray – have embraced the idea.

“I’ve really enjoyed how the players react to cameras – it’s amazing how they take it in their stride,” Horne says.

“They were quite suspicious of having one in the dressing room but, actually, I think it improves the dynamic and makes it feel like a proper club.

“JD is a headmaster at a special needs school and in the first episode he had a bit of a hissy fit at the players.

“We talked about whether or not it can go out. He decided we might as well show it because that’s what it is.

“Similarly, the women’s team had a tough season last season. The manager had a real go at one of the players.

“It’s pretty tough watching but the player agreed for it to go out – and the manager, Mani (Asare) – because it kind of felt if we sanitised it there’s not a lot of point doing it.”

Privilege

Horne jokes the benefit of being a club director means he has an excuse to go to every home game, which he still watches from his usual spot on the terraces rather than the boardroom.

A boyhood Liverpool fan, he has been watching the Generals for years and really became hooked when they beat Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup back in 2015.

And he says being able to get an inside glimpse of what goes into running a football club has been a privilege – as well as seeing the players up close.

“I think I now understand the financial side of it and what it means to them – that’s really interesting,” Horne says.

“When you see the reality of it, it’s a real struggle. Most have two jobs, if you’re injured you’re in trouble, it’s tight.

“I’ve also got to know the managers really well and I love that. I wouldn’t even chat about tactics but I do love to see behind the curtain a little bit.

“I put on a charity match every year with comedians and we get three of the men’s team and three of the women’s team to play. When you play with them close up, you realise just how good they are at football.

“I don’t understand how there is such a big difference between Premier League and Non-League because they’re so good!

“The women’s team are so good too. Even though the reputation is improving, I still think people don’t take it seriously enough but they are so good.”

Proud

The series also aims to shine a light on the town – and people in it – itself.

“We’re having really nice feedback in the town,” Horne says. “I think a football club can really have an effect on a town.

“If they can see their town represented on a screen it means they’re more likely to come in as well – even if it gets an extra 30 people every week it’s doing something.

“We are quite a proud town. It’s quite a typical suburban place where the high street is not in a good state at the moment, we haven’t got fancy restaurants or fancy shops.

“But we have got a really good community. We’ve got good people – good pubs, still – and a good football club.

“Sometimes people have a tendency to slag off where they live. We’re quite keen to do the opposite.”

Chesham continue to make strides forward since promotion to Step 2 two years ago with a top half finish last term, while a state-of-the-art grass pitch has been laid this summer.

Horne says he’s enjoying the ride – but admits he’d love another FA Cup run this season.

“We’ve been to the third round – I’d love to get to the fourth or fifth, get a big team,” Horne says. “We were on telly two years ago playing against Lincoln and we didn’t quite do ourselves justice.

“So every year you have an ambition of a cup run – it just takes so long to even get to the first round!”

• Watch All In: Chesham United on YouTube. New episodes premiere Sundays at 7pm.