The Losers(1978)

The Losers is a British sitcom that aired on ITV in 1978, written by Alan Coren and directed by Joe McGrath. Leonard Rossiter stars as Sydney Foskett, a wrestling promoter with an unconventional strategy: he discovers a promising young wrestler called "The Butcher" (Alfred Molina) and deliberately ensures he loses every match. Foskett's counterintuitive scheme is designed to win over the public through sympathy for the perpetual underdog. The comedy mines the absurdity of the wrestling world and the lengths promoters will go to manufacture fan loyalty. Produced by ATV, The Losers captures the quirky British humour of the late 1970s, anchored by Rossiter's sharp comic timing and the chemistry between his scheming promoter and Molina's hapless wrestler.