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Artwork for Sporting Witness

Sporting Witness

BBC World Service
Football
Manchester United
Boxing
Ayrton Senna
Nelli Cooman
Winter Olympics
Women's Rugby World Cup
Colonel Gaddafi
Athletics
Women's World Cup
West Germany
Muhammad Ali
NBA
European Indoor Athletics Championships
Alpine Skiing
1990 World Cup
Hockey
Prozone
World Cup
Formula 1

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear f... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes660Founded14 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
SportsHistory

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Artwork for Sporting Witness

Latest Episodes

The 1981 film Escape To Victory is a World War Two tale of a football match in a prisoner of war camp in Nazi Germany starring Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine and Max von Sydow. The climax of the movie is the match between the POWs and the Germans.... more

In the 1990s, rollerblading had separate competitions for men and women. That changed in 2000, when the two were combined into one mixed competition.

Brazilian Fabiola Da Silva was so good against the men that the change became known as the "Fabiol... more

In April 2001, the small island nation of American Samoa took on Australia in the World Cup qualifiers. You could only play for the team if you held an American passport, which automatically ruled out the majority of the American Samoans, leaving the... more

In November 1993, James Miller interrupted the highly anticipated world heavyweight championship rematch between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe.

He crashed onto the boxing ring ropes after parachuting into the outdoor arena in Las Vegas.

The m... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
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Recent Guests

Russell Osman
Former Ipswich Town player who appears as himself recounting experiences on the Escape To Victory set
Ipswich Town
Episode: Making Escape to Victory
Fabiola Da Silva
Brazilian rollerblader, pioneer of women in vert skating
Individual athlete
Episode: The Fabiola Rule
Nicky Salapu
American Samoan goalkeeper who played in the 31-0 match
American Samoa national football team
Episode: International football's biggest ever beating: 31-0
James Miller
Fan Man, parachutist stunt influencer
Episode: 'Fan man' crashes heavyweight championship
Frankie Banks
Hull City player on 5 August 1970
Hull City
Episode: First official penalty shootout
Patrik Berger
Czech footballer who starred for the Czech Republic in Euro 96, later at Liverpool
Liverpool FC (later)
Episode: The Czech Republic at Euro 96
Nathalie Amiel
French rugby player, long-time contributor to the national team
France Rugby
Episode: The first Women’s Six Nations Rugby Championship
Naomi Thomas
Welsh player featured in the episode
Welsh Rugby
Episode: The first Women’s Six Nations Rugby Championship
Michael Jay
English participant in Soma wild horse chase
Independent participant, UK
Episode: The English samurai

Hosts

Tim O'Callaghan
Host of Sporting Witness; BBC World Service
Simon Watts
Host of Sporting Witness; BBC
Guy Kilty
Host of Sporting Witness
Marta Medvešek
Presenter of the Sporting Witness podcast

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 162 ratings
  • Fantastic

    I love this podcast, so many inspirational stories and interesting facts, I often find myself delving deeper into the subject matter after listening. If they ever run out of ideas, doing slightly longer podcasts to revisit some of the most popular ones would be great!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    PoppyKey
    United Kingdoma month ago
  • These are fabulous glimpses of history

    I love these these 10 minute glimpses into history speaking to people there at the time. A fantastic taster to sometimes research certain subjects further and evidence of what the BBC are really good at educating us in an informed way !

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Jazz Puppy
    United Kingdom3 months ago
  • Amazon Swimmer

    Loved the interview with the man who swam the Amazon. Great story will listen to more of these.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    ItunesDon
    United Kingdom2 years ago
  • Good but too short

    Plenty of scope for this series, but really, 9 minutes is far too short to cover any topic except in the most rudimentary detail. Half an hour would have been better.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Charlie1745
    United Kingdom2 years ago
  • PM

    Love this podcast.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    PMcFlegal
    United Kingdom3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Short episodes are perfect for commutes and quick research.
High-quality archival storytelling with credible voices.
Consistently strong for fans of sports history and human-interest angles.
Some listeners wish for longer episodes or deeper dives into topics.
Useful, well-researched history in accessible soundbites.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#153
Ukraine/Sports
Apple Podcasts
#212
Philippines/Sports

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Fabiola Rule
Q: But what exactly is vert skating?
Vert skating is performed on a large U-shaped ramp, typically four meters high, where skaters perform aerial tricks and combinations judged by complexity, height, and execution.
The English samurai
Q: How did you feel after the three days of racing and training?
Michael describes being totally exhausted yet filled with a sense of accomplishment and relief, recognizing the extreme physical and mental demands of participating in such a perilous, ceremonial event.
Mira Rai: Child soldier to sky runner
Q: Were you scared?
No, I wasn't scared really. I learned a lot with my friends and our leaders.
When Greg Louganis hit his head on a diving board
Q: What sort of scenarios were going through your mind? Were you thinking of the potential that other divers could be infected? What people would say?
I was concerned about that, but you're not going to get HIV through in a chlorinated pool.
When Greg Louganis hit his head on a diving board
Q: How quickly did you then think HIV?
It was pretty quick, when I realized that I was bleeding, I was terrified.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Sporting Witness

What is Sporting Witness about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show curates eyewitness accounts and archival material to bring historic sports moments to life in short, narrative-led episodes. Listeners get vivid backstage moments from events ranging from Olympic debuts and groundbreaking women's competitions to pivotal coaching breakthroughs and cultural milestones in sport. The format tends to spotlight personal journeys, rivalries, and the broader impact of sports on society, often through first-person recollections and archive-driven storytelling. Notable strengths include concise, vivid storytelling, access to rare perspectives, and a track record of high-profile historic moments spanning multiple disciplines. Potential listeners who enjoy immersive history, archival interviews, and concise, ... more

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How many listeners does Sporting Witness get?

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What are the audience demographics for Sporting Witness?

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How many subscribers and views does Sporting Witness have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Sporting Witness has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Sporting Witness?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Sporting Witness:

1. Witness History
2. 5 Live Sport: All About...
3. 5 Live Boxing with Steve Bunce
4. Football Daily
5. It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast

How many episodes of Sporting Witness are there?

Sporting Witness launched 14 years ago and published 660 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Sporting Witness?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Sporting Witness?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Sporting Witness from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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What guests have appeared on Sporting Witness?

Recent guests on Sporting Witness include:

1. Russell Osman
2. Fabiola Da Silva
3. Nicky Salapu
4. James Miller
5. Frankie Banks
6. Patrik Berger
7. Nathalie Amiel
8. Naomi Thomas

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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