How It All Played Out

Ball tampering, fans storming the golf course, bringing in the military... this is the story of how the Ryder Cup rivalry changed forever.

Can you believe that it was once a quiet, civilised exhibition between the UK and America? The War by the Shore and Battle of Brookline transformed all that.

So how did the Ryder Cup become the commercial juggernaut of colour, cash and controversy that we're seeing this week?

Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!

We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected] And find us on socials: @playedoutpod

Executive Producer: Adem Waterman & Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

After the tragic passing of Ricky Hatton, this week's bonus episode of How It All Played Out takes you back to the defining fight of his career.

On June 4 2005 a raucous crowd in Manchester watched Ricky Hatton fight Kostya Tszyu for the IBF Light welterweight title.

Hatton - the popular, skilful, combative, Mancunian Everyman - walked into the MEN Arena to sounds of his beloved Manchester City’s “Blue Moon,” his hands thrust deep into sky blue boxing gloves.

That night was the high point of Hatton’s career as he brilliantly dethroned the Australian-based Russian Tszu - who had held the title for over a decade. Hatton had arrived. 

What made him one of the most popular British boxers of all time? And why did he - and so many sportsmen and women - find life so hard once the cheering had stopped?

Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!

We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected] And find us on socials: @playedoutpod

Executive Producer: Adem Waterman & Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

"It was a f**k up from beginning to end. Every mistake you can make in the 800 I made. Too far off the back, too wide, too diffident, no logic that day" - Seb Coe

From the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, Britain ruled the world of middle-distance running. At the heart of this golden era stood two legends: Sebastian Coe, the Yorkshire-born record breaker, and Steve Ovett, the tough competitor from Brighton. Their fierce rivalry built towards the 1980 Moscow Olympics - but what unfolded stunned fans from both sides of the divide and redefined athletics history.

In this episode of How It All Played Out, ITV’s Mark Pougatch and The Observer’s Paul Hayward revisit Margaret Thatcher’s divided Britain to explore the infamous “Tough vs Toff” clash that gripped a nation. Despite only racing head-to-head seven times in 17 years, Coe vs Ovett became one of sport’s greatest rivalries, combining politics, class, and raw athletic brilliance.

Relive the drama of the 800m and 1500m finals in Moscow 1980: the crushing pressure, the mind games, the upsets, and the unforgettable battles between two British icons. This is the story of style versus strength, grit versus grace, and how two athletes pushed each other into the history books.

If you love stories of Olympic glory, athletic rivalries, and the golden age of track and field, this episode is for you.

Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!

We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected]

Executive Producer: Adem Waterman & Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

After Kevin Keegan resigned in the men's loos at Wembley in 2000, the FA decided to hire their first foreign England manager - Sven Goran-Eriksson. He paved the way for Thomas Tuchel, who leads England at the World Cup qualifiers this international break. 

With Sven, the FA got much more than they bargained for. A man with a love for the game, life and women - Eriksson often graced the front and back pages of the newspapers. 

He led the golden generation of Beckham and Rooney, but despite that talent Sven fell short at the quarter-finals. 

So why did the FA decide to open up to foreign managers? Did Eriksson's off-field lifestyle hamper England or was it simply a combination of bad luck, broken metatarsals and the penalty shoot out hoodoo?  

Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!

We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected]

Executive Producer: Adem Waterman & Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

"I wasn't invited to shake hands with Hitler but I wasn't invited to the White House to shake hands with the president either" - Jesse Owens

In the concluding episode of Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward’s Adolf Hitler’s 1936 Olympics trilogy, the pair uncover the lasting legacy of the Berlin Games and how they shaped athletes, politics, and global sport for decades to come.

From Jesse Owens’ post-Olympic struggles and forced European tour, to Luz Long’s unlikely friendship across racial divides, and the rise of the Hitler Youth, this episode explores both the human stories and the Nazi political propaganda that defined the era.

This episode reveals how the 1936 Olympics became the blueprint for modern-day sportswashing - influencing how nations like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia use global sporting events for power and image-building.

Nearly 90 years later, the shadow of Hitler’s Olympics still looms large over the world of sport.

Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!

We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected]

Executive Producer: Adem Waterman

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

"The Americans should be ashamed of themselves, letting Negroes win their medals for them. I shall not shake hands with this Negro” - Adolf Hitler, 1936

In Part Two of the Adolf Hitler's 1936 Olympics trilogy, Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward head to Berlin, 1936, as athletes from 49 nations arrive for the games. Determined to showcase Germany as a modern, powerful, and orderly nation, the Nazi regime orchestrated the most expensive Olympics in history, complete with a groundbreaking opening ceremony and a propaganda machine unlike anything the world had ever seen.

Hitler envisioned the Games as proof of Aryan supremacy - but one man shattered his myth. Jesse Owens, the grandson of a slave from Alabama, stunned the world by winning four gold medals, humiliating Hitler and cementing his place as one of the greatest athletes in Olympic history.

Behind the spectacle, however, foreign politicians and dignitaries were being courted by Nazi leaders, all while the regime escalated its brutal campaign of antisemitism, violence, and sportswashing.

This episode examines:

• How the 1936 Berlin Olympics rewrote the rulebook for opening ceremonies and global sporting events
• The propaganda machine of the Third Reich and its manipulation of international opinion
• Helene Mayer, Hitler’s token Jewish athlete, who controversially gave the Nazi salute on the podium
• How the world looked away as Nazi Germany used sport to mask persecution and murder on mass scale

Step inside the stadium where history, politics, and ideology collided - whilst the world watched and did nothing.

Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!

We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected]

Executive Producer: Adem Waterman

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

"It's a project of Jews & Freemasons, and a play inspired by Judaism which cannot possible be put on in a Reich ruled by national socialists"

In Part One of this gripping trilogy of How It All Played Out, award-winning journalists Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward take listeners back to 1930s Berlin to uncover the dark truth behind the 1936 Olympic Games.

Discover how Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime lobbied to host the Olympics, transforming them into a powerful tool of propaganda, nationalism, and the inception of sportswashing. Behind the spectacle lay a chilling reality: the rise of antisemitism in Germany, the early installation of concentration camps, and the global community’s blind eye to the signs of tyranny.

This episode explores:

• How Nazi Germany won the right to host the Olympics in 1931 and Hitler's continual opposition
• Adolf Hitler’s vision for the Games and the IOC’s complicity
• The devastating impact on the Jewish community and marginalised groups
• The origins of using sport as a weapon of politics, racism, and ideology

Step into history where sport, politics, and propaganda collide - revealing a blueprint for how dictators manipulate global events to secure and maintain power.

Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!

We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected]

Executive Producer: Adem Waterman

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

How It All Played Out is taking a brief pause, but Season 2 is gearing up to be bigger than ever.

In this bonus episode, Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward pull back the curtain on what’s ahead. You’ll get a taste of stories ranging from the Ryder Cup’s infamous War by the Shore, to how Italia ’90 reshaped British football. Hear about athletes and teams who waited decades for their moment of glory, and the night Barry McGuigan united Ireland through a single boxing match.

Season 2 is packed with drama, triumph, and unforgettable moments - there’s something here for every sports fan.

Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!

We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected]

Executive Producer: Adem Waterman

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

Wearing your country’s crest. Stepping onto the field for the pride of a nation. It’s every athlete’s dream - but for some, it only happens once.

In this episode of How It All Played Out, Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward explore the stories of the sports stars who made a single international appearance. From legendary goalkeeper William 'Fatty' Foulkes to football’s Michael Ricketts, Arnie Sidebottom, and Welsh rugby’s David Bishop, these “one-cap wonders” may not have had lengthy international careers, but their moment on the big stage is unforgettable.

Tune in as we celebrate the passion, pride, and pressure of representing your country — even if just for one game.

Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!

We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected]

Executive Producer: Adem Waterman

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

How do you judge greatness?

The 2003–2004 Premier League season stands alone in football history. Arsenal didn’t just win the title - they went the entire campaign unbeaten, becoming The Invincibles.

With footballing legends like Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, and Sol Campbell leading the charge, this Arsenal side achieved something no other Premier League team has matched.

But does that incredible feat make them the greatest team in Arsenal’s history?

In this episode of How It All Played Out, Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward look back at that unforgettable season, comparing the Invincibles to other great teams of the era - including Manchester United and the infamous rivalry with Arsenal, Real Madrid’s Galácticos, and Barcelona under Guardiola.

Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!

We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected]

Executive Producer: Adem Waterman

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells