Delia Smith remembers her 'let's be havin' you' plea

Matthew SparkesDelia Smith last night remembered her legendary 'let's be havin' you' half-time rallying call at Carrow Road.Matthew Sparkes

Delia Smith last night remembered her legendary 'let's be havin' you' half-time rallying call at Carrow Road.

In the last of the five-part BBC2 series Delia Through the Decades last night, the TV cook looked back to the 2005 match between the Norwich City and Manchester City.

At the time the Canaries were facing relegation from the Premier League and the club's majority shareholder appeared on pitch at half-time to make an impassioned plea for support from fans.

'They just handed me the microphone and said 'go on, go and do it',' she said.

'I had heels on; the pitch was muddy. It was quite hard to walk.'

In front of thousands of supporters, and many television cameras, she told fans: "A message for the best football supporters in the world: we need a 12th man here.'

'Where are you? Where are you? Let's be havin' you! Come on!"

Her desperate plea led to headlines across the country, but failed to inspire a much-needed victory as Norwich lost 3-2.

Delia denied she had been drinking before the incident, but said: 'Everyone thought I was drunk'.

The impromptu speech may not have achieved its goal, but it did become an overnight sensation among fans.