"Is he in?"

For this episode of How It All Played Out, Mark and Paul travel to the home of Head Groom Jim Fitzgerald on a stormy night in County Kildare in the Republic of Ireland and investigate one of the most shocking stories from the 1980s - The kidnapping of racehorse Shergar. 

This story involves the IRA, a ransom of 2 million pounds and a mystery that is still to be solved.

From masked gunmen with submachine guns, fraud, rumours, Irish country policemen and three leading journalists being flown to Belfast to negotiate Shergar's safe return, travel back in time to explore a bizarre sporting story like no other.

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Executive Producer: Adem Waterman

Head of Podcasts, Factual: Al Riddell

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

What is deep backward point or a third man? And does the term 'Silly point' make sense?

Join Mark and Paul in this bonus episode of How It All Played Out and find out why cricket fielding positions are called what they are.

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Before the very first episode of How It All Played Out is released, join Mark Pougatch & Paul Hayward as they explain what their exciting new podcast is all about.

They will also take a brief tour in time to explore the fascinating history of The Oval stadium where they find out that it's not just a cricket ground, but the home of so many British sports.

New episodes are released every Tuesday & Thursday.

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

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

Join broadcaster Mark Pougatch and journalist Paul Hayward as they look back at sports greatest stories in this fascinating weekly podcast - attempting to dissect the biggest moments from the courts, fields and stadiums from around the world.

They'll look at sporting icons of football, rugby, cricket, boxing and more. From era defining matches, ferocious rivalries and jaw dropping moments, they'll peel back the layers of the greatest and, often, most bizarre stories in sports history.

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This Is How It All Played Out.

Ali Dia - it's a name synonymous with footballing failure. How did a below average footballer find his way onto the sport's most elite stage, the Premier League?

Josh Widdicombe and Dara Ó Briain preview their new 6-part podcast series, in which they unearth the weird and wonderful truth behind the biggest mystery in football history.

The series kicks off on Tuesday 19th March.  

Welcome to The Sports Agents, a twice-weekly podcast hosted by two of the UK's top sports broadcasters, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman.

With new episodes available every Tuesday and Thursday, starting 5th March.

In the summer of 2019 England hosted the Cricket World Cup and the Ashes. 48 one-day internationals and six Tests in 14 crazy weeks, it was the stuff of dreams for all cricket lovers. And every dream needs a hero. Step forward Benjamin Andrew Stokes.

After his heroics in that chaotic World Cup final, things looked to be taking a turn for the worse when Australia were about to go 2-0 up in the Ashes at Headingley. But Stokes bowled his heart out to stop the Aussies obliterating England and then played one of the greatest ever Test match innings with the bat to see his side home by one wicket.

Stuart Broad reveals what was going on in the England dressing room as that incredible innings unfolded and why Ben Stokes’ leadership and personality were so vital.

Australia’s coach Justin Langer and star player Steve Smith as they recall the feeling of the game slipping away from them. And Ian Botham gives us his verdict on the man that may well turn out to be “the next Botham”.

Many Ashes series have been won by pairs of great bowlers. In this episode, the most potent combinations – from Lillee and Thompson, Botham and Willis, Warne and McGrath to the most recent deadly duo, Anderson and Broad.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad explain how they work together to methodically analyse conditions and opponents and recognise when they need to do the heavy lifting and cover for their mate.

Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne discus the importance of building pressure as a pair and how they would come together to strangle the opposition. 

Ian Chappell also gives a telling insight into managing a pair of bowling aces, in his case Lillee and Thompson. He reveals how he first had to get them to stop competing with each other in order to get the best from them.

England planned their 2010/11 campaign in Australia, where they had not won a series for 25 years, with military precision.

The strategy of captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower was based on patience, stamina, consistency and making mountains of runs.

The Ashes were sealed at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when England bowled Australia out for 98 on Boxing Day in front of 90,000 Australians.

Key participants Andrew Strauss and Graeme Swann explain how it was done and why it had nothing to do with a military-style bootcamp in a German forest shortly before the series started.

We also learn how the team’s signature celebration, the 'sprinkler dance' was born on the dance floor of an Australian nightclub. 

Australia reinvented the game in the late 1990’s with three aggressive opening batsmen: Matthew Hayden, Michael Slater and Justin Langer. 

To compound England’s woes, they were followed by greats Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh and adding the coup de grace – Adam Gilchrist, wielding his bat like a Samurai sword.

They intimidated England’s attack, sending them into submission, then Warne and McGrath cleaned up the batsmen. England barely won a match in six series.

Langer and Gilchrist take us inside the Australian dressing room and explain how the ethos they created led to such domination.

England’s Michael Vaughan reveals how intimidating it was to line-up against this 'invincible' side and how he eventually managed to fight back.