Cast your mind back to earlier this year, before the Olympic Games - when we all lived in anticipation of Mo Farah's potential, rather than basking in the glory of his double gold medal-winning success.

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Mo's appearance as a guest on A League of Their Own sparked a debate over what his celebration could be as he crossed the line. (I think we all know where this one's heading...) Yes, believe it or not it was Olympic and Paralympic presenter Clare Balding who first thought up his now-iconic move - subsequently named "the Mobot" by host James Corden.

Fast-forward a few months and images of Mo's celebration were beamed to audiences worldwide, with Olympic poster boy Usain Bolt ditching his trademark salute in favour of Mo's famous "M". But let's not forget its humble beginnings...

In keeping with the Olympic theme, back in November 2011 Tom Daley was just beginning to resemble the beefy 18-year-old we saw in London 2012. As part of a diving challenge for A League of Their Own, a plucky Jamie Redknapp and John Bishop took to the pool with Tom's coach Andy Banks in an attempt to learn to dive from the lofty 10m platform. Cue a lot of nerves at the top... and an almighty splash at the bottom!

Roger Federer has hit a serve or two in his time, but would you feel comfortable if he used his skills to knock off a bottle balanced precariously on top of your head? No, neither would we. So spare a thought for poor James Corden whose fate lay in the hands of British number one Andy Murray when he appeared on the show to recreate the stunt. Armed with a racket and tennis ball, it's fair to say Murray's accuracy does not reach the dizzying heights of Federer's so the experience was, in Corden's words, "one of the most terrifying things ever". But any fans of his smiling face need not fear: prior to the challenge he donned some protective head gear that left him closely resembling Darth Vader - that alone makes this video worth a watch.

Ahead of her Olympic golden moment, Jessica Ennis appeared as a guest on Freddie Flintoff's team - and had her embarrassing childhood eating habits revealed to the audience. Where does a future Olympic heptathlon champion get her protein? The answer: a liquidised tripe smoothie. If even the thought of that makes your stomach turn, wait 'til James Corden does his best Blue Peter impression and produces a couple of pints of the fishy stuff he'd prepared earlier, offering a point to each panellist who dares to try them. But one plucky volunteer decides to go a step further...

Series five kicked off with the cruelest of initiations, as posh boy and new regular panellist Jack Whitehall was subjected to guest Stephen Gerrard's Liverpool Football Club competition. The imaginatively titled "Bare Arse" was re-named Stevie G-Force for the show (don't worry, no bare behinds in this video) but the basic principle remained the same. Jack manned the in-studio goal, while his co-stars aimed footballs at his backside. In the video below, Jack looks especially sheepish when former Liverpool captain Jamie Redknapp - the butt of many Whitehall jokes - steps up to the penalty spot. How many G's does he generate? You'll have to watch to find out...

Speaking of his panellists at the start of this challenge, James Corden revealed, "ever since this show began, all we've ever wanted to do is throw them out of a plane at 14,000ft... and, finally, we've got our wish." Dressed up in some rather fetching blue jumpsuits, a grinning Freddie Flintoff, John Bishop and Jamie Redknapp boarded the plane that would take them to dizzying heights - and believe it or not, they were all still beaming as they prepared to plummet to the ground...

And finally, a taster of what's to come tonight. James Corden - a man not known for his lithe athleticism - prepares to take on the urban sport of parkour. The A League of Their Own host channels Jackie Chan as he attempts to hold his weight between two pillars whilst positioned precariously above a plunge pool. There really is only one possible outcome...

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The new sixth series of A League of Their Own is tonight at 10:00pm on Sky1

Authors

Susanna LazarusAssociate Editor, RadioTimes.com
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