Interview: Middlecott on the problem with the majority of LoL content, being appointed Video Content Lead for the NLC, and his plans for Spring 2025

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Jack ‘Middlecott’ Davies is a UK League of Legends caster and content creator that always brings a barrage of wit, charm and energy to the broadcasts he works on. That, combined with his care for – and knowledge of – UK and grassroots esports, and (in his own words) being ‘a balding man in his late 20s with questionable dress sense’, makes for a unique personality.

Dom Sacco fired through some questions to Jack on DM just ahead of the Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC) Spring 2025 season, to ask about his new creative role with the UK and Nordics EMEA Regional League. Here are his answers.

Congrats on being appointed Video Content Lead for the NLC! How does it feel taking on this full-time role in esports?

Honestly it just feels kinda surreal. I think there’s something about esports that drives people towards the idea of “making it”, and I certainly remember for the first couple of years I was in the scene, the idea of going somewhere and doing something with esports would weigh heavy on my mind.

There’s always a bigger stage or event that you can aim towards and I think that makes people lose sight of how wonderful what they have is. I’d gotten to the point in my career where I was happy and stable with how things were, casting NLC, the occasional Brod n Friends stream and making videos on the side when I had the time, whilst getting on with the rest of my life.

I wouldn’t say I’d given up on making esports as a full-time thing, but I’d accepted there were other ways of doing this stuff without it being everything. So when the offer came through, it completely took me by surprise, and forced me to reconsider my direction in life a little.

Ultimately, whilst I’m going to be able to do more creatively than I did before, I view it as a responsibility to the scene and the people that have believed in me first and foremost.

THAT'S RIGHT!

Welcome our new video content lead. Much more Middlecott 👏 https://t.co/lmoAKDzicM

— Arozzi NLC (@NLClol) April 1, 2025

You were training to be a teacher, is that correct? So have you put that on hold? Would you drop that to stay full-time in esports (if the opportunity arises in the long-term)?

Teaching is still the long term goal; I’d be very surprised if I’m still doing esports the week before I collect my state pension. Fortunately, my university has been very flexible in terms of my studies, so I hope to return to gain my PGCE within a year. Beyond that, who knows?

I love esports with all my heart, there’s a community here that has given me so much for precious little in return, but you obviously have to be taking a long-term view of things.

I don’t want to find myself clinging to an industry that has passed me by, so when the time is right I’ll probably return to the normal world. But for now I quite like having a job title that people don’t really understand.

You’ve built a good name for yourself in UK/Nordics LoL over the years. What kind of content can we expect from you as head of creative? More news broadcasts I hope?

Ahahaha yes, definitely more news stuff. My main focus is going to be originality. There is obviously going to be an element of the content that we put out which would be more standardised, but ultimately people like “different”.

The reason people have been drawn to the news stuff, and some of the videos I’ve put on my Twitter, is because it’s something they haven’t seen before.

📺Arozzi NLC News Update w. @MiddlecottIsMe

Last news segment before the finals weekend in Nottingham. Buckle up!

Ft. @Velja_LOL and the banned Hextech Chests, NLC visiting the cultural hotspot Nottingham, and more! pic.twitter.com/N5WnT1uDgY

— Arozzi NLC (@NLClol) February 28, 2025

So I want to push the boat out and just do stuff that people wouldn’t expect a league to put out. I don’t think that means you have to push lines in terms of what’s considered appropriate or acceptable, you’ve just got to show that actually different ways of doing things can still work.

I really don’t like a good 90% of League content I see, because it ultimately derives too much of its essence from other League content. That approach hamstrings League, setting some limiting expectations about what this space can look like.

If you need to play League to enjoy a piece of content in its entirety, then it’s bad content.

Can we expect you to make any guest casting appearances or will you be sticking to content around the main broadcasts?

I’ll be making a few appearances on show over the coming weeks, but most of the time you’ll be seeing me make a complete arse of myself on socials.

You brought ‘I-Spy’ to a UK League final for the first time at the NLC Winter 2025 LAN in Nottingham last month. What was that like, bringing that to the community and also managing the tech issues at Confetti X?

It’s weird. League live events in the UK have fallen into two categories over the past few years: so big that it’s hard to link it intrinsically to the UK (MSI), or as the sideshow to other games or events (Insomnia).

The efforts of organisations like Ruddy have done a lot to amend that in the very near past, and this very much felt like an iteration on that.

It feels like they’ve been failed by the scene, but we’re starting to make amends and deserve an audience again.

There were people at the NLC finals that had never been to a League event before, and some of whom then came to attend the (Winter 2025) UKEL finals. That to me is the clearest possible sign that we are doing something right.

Pauses are pauses at the end of the day – no-one likes them but they happen. Being there whilst that was going on was not a pleasurable experience, but all of that has already been post-mortemed by the team involved.

Mistakes are an inevitable part of pushing yourself, and if you aren’t making mistakes then you aren’t trying hard enough.

Great to speak with @Dom_Sacco, accidentally leaked some of the @NLClol content for next split oops https://t.co/iXsGaKudVw

— Middlecott (@MiddlecottIsMe) March 17, 2025

What are your views on the NLC’s beautiful rise this year and the likes of Caedrel rocket-boosting views in our region? More peak views than the Americas league, who would’ve thought?

It’s a deus-ex-machina, but I think it also shows what people value. It’s about personality and being personally invested in the success of a person/team.

I think League lost something along the way with players streaming less than they did in the games’ infancy. As a certified old-head I will always value the players that were around when I was first introduced to League esports, but I think it’s much harder to get to know players now than back then.

Los Ratones have broken down a lot of those barriers, and I hope that the industry as a whole takes notes.

How can we maintain this high we’re in right now in the long-term?

We are blessed with top broadcast talent in the NLC. But are there any up and coming faces, perhaps some in the UKEL casting at that level which have impressed you?

I could be here for hours with this, but for the sake of brevity I’ll pick just a few.

Trajan does not deserve to be called an up-and-coming talent, but he’s on the UKEL so I’m taking this opportunity to gush about him, he’s been doing this longer than I have and ever since I started he has been the yard stick that I measured myself against. When I was feeling particularly insecure about my casting and he’d come on, I’d mute the tab so I didn’t have to listen to someone cast to a level I didn’t think I could possibly match. He has an incredible understanding of casting and is one of the few people that can tolerate me spending 20 minutes analysing a single call on a VoD review. He oozes passion for esports and I love that he’s been getting involved in more grassroots stuff in his native scotland, because if there is one person that I’d trust to elevate the people around him, it’s CJ. I cannot think of a show that would not benefit from his presence.

Jreal has the uncanny ability to make everyone around him at ease in an instant. His passion for esports is unmatched and I feel privileged to call him one of the closest friends I have made through working in this industry. I think that potentially undersells just how hard he works for every show he’s on, and it’s hard to see that sometimes with just how natural he makes everything he does look. There’s so much thought behind his smile, and a deep appreciation for how a show works that he’s modelled to fit his style. He’s born to be in front of camera, and everyday he works to make that even more clear.

BlackBloxer has me in awe of them every time he’s on cast. Talking about bloxer is a bit of a weird one becuase I remember reviewing for him when he first started out, and whilst there was obviously talent there, he has grown so much from that point. He has this unflappableness on cast and is able to deliver something that is so easy to listen to. I watched a VoD of one of his casts with Trajan for EMEA Masters and I was taken aback at how effortless the whole thing sounded. The fact he’s been featuring on the LPL English cast, too, is a further testament to how damn good this guy is. No notes. A generational talent.

Cheers to the incredible Arozzi NLC casting team!🎙️🔥
The Winter Split set the stage for an epic year of competition, and these guys brought every moment to life. From clutch plays to unexpected upsets, they kept us on the edge of our seats.
Ready to dive back into the action?🌊 pic.twitter.com/HaHLycf3ta

— Arozzi (@ArozziChairs) March 13, 2025

How will you work with other teams/orgs in your role as head of creative for the NLC? Can we expect some collaborative content, could you do some collabs with Los Ratones for example?

So I’ve had meetings with nearly all the teams pre-split and hope to have chatted to all of them soon about their brand idenity and content strategy for Spring.

The NLC is in a bit of a weird place because I think we’ve got teams right across the spectrum in terms of how clear their brand idenity is, as well as a range of capacities to produce content of varying forms.

My main goal is to establish each of our teams as individual and distincts entities, with unique hooks and reasons to cheer for them, in the way they are portrayed on broadcast, on NLC socials and content, and in the teams’ own channels too.

I also really want to encourage and enable collaboration between teams in ways that enhances those elements, and am putting stuff in place to make that happen. That’s not even discussing co-streamers and player POVs.

What kind of style / hairline can we expect from Middlecott this year? Will the durag make a comeback?

The bandana is retired, but it does call to me in quite a supernatural and unearthly manner. Expect a balding man in his late 20s with questionable dress sense.

Thanks for your time Middlecott. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I wouldn’t have made it to this point without the support and encouragement of so many people in the scene. Too many to name and thank, but know that if at any point we’ve worked together, then you are a bigger part of me getting here than you know.

P.S. We’re gonna miss you a lot Dom, you’re a fucking legend.

You’re too kind, and I’m sure I’ll still be around in some capacity! Good luck with your new role.

Dom Sacco

Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.

As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.