Welsh actor Jonny Owen says he would love to buy his home-town football club Merthyr Town one day and aim for the Premier League.
The producer, actor and writer, 52, made the somewhat tongue-in-cheek revelation during a radio interview alongside his fiancée, Line of Duty star Vicky McClure.
The acting couple already sponsor the fan-owned club's away kit, while Nottingham native McClure says she has had the time of her life while visiting the club, who play at Penydarren Park in the Southern League Premier South.
Appearing on Radio Wales ahead of receiving an honorary degree from Swansea University, Owen said he would love to buy the club and take them all the way to the Premier League. Or, as some may say, doing a Rob and Ryan, with fellow actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds having bought Wrexham. They have made it into the English Football League for the first time in 15 years, with the Premier League the ultimate ambition.
Discussing the couple's production company launched two years ago, Owen said: "We've been really lucky. Me and Vicky formed our own company Build Your Own Films. We've got a few things straight away, a few documentaries, and we've got some dramas. We've got a big commission with Paramount Plus coming up.
"We've started really well, the production company we've started is going great. We hope that can continue so we can keep sponsoring Merthyr's shirts. I'm hoping in time if it can get big enough I'd like to buy Merthyr and take them up to the Premier League! That's what I'd like to do."
McClure said: "I've been to Merthyr Town and had the time of my life. We had a party there not that long ago and it was great fun. We also sponsor the away kit.
"I'm a huge fan of football, because of the community that it forms. I love seeing kids choosing their teams, whether it be because they're being told to pick a team or they decide which team and they can follow their journey."
Owen was made a Doctor of Letters in front of hundreds of students graduating from the university’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences on Thursday, July 27. He graduated with a BA in history from Swansea University in 1999 and embarked on his acting career while still a student.
Build Your Own Films is the company behind ITV’s Without Sin and the recent one-off documentary, Vicky McClure: My Grandad's War.
- The Martyrs' final pre-season game is away to Penybont on Saturday, July 29. Merthyr Town will then kick off their season at home to Dorchester Town on Saturday, August 5 (3pm kick-off).
