It's the Ashes this weekend! Gabby and Mark relive their favourite Ashes memories and welcome three-time Ashes winner, Steven Finn.

England’s men last won the Ashes in Australia 15 years ago, in fact it’s been a decade since England even held The Ashes - and Finn was key to both of those victories.

Does Finn think England can turn the tide this time? And how did he go from being declared "unselectable" to taking 8 wickets at Edgbaston?

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

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"If we don't beat you, we'll knock your bloody blocks off"

In one of the most bitter and controversial Ashes series ever played, England set their sights on taking down Australian cricketing legend Don Bradman. Their method? A brutal, calculated strategy known as Bodyline - a tactic so aggressive it sparked outrage, strained diplomatic ties, and forever changed the spirit of the game.

In this episode of How It All Played Out, Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward take you back to 1932 - was Bodyline a genius strategy or just plain unsporting? And why did it cause such a deep rift between two cricketing giants?

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides & Adem Waterman

Producer: Sophie Penney

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

Do you stream sport illegally? Most people know someone who does: almost 5 million people streamed live sport illegally in the UK in the last 6 months alone.

It's cheaper than Premier League tickets or official streaming services, and you can watch the 3pm blackout games - but the risk of data theft, cyber crime, and funding criminal activity are all too real.

To find out more, Gabby's joined by Andy Hughes, co-host of The Crime Agents, and The Athletic's Adam Leventhal. So, when the police force are already stretched to the limit, what's the solution? A "Premflix" style streaming service? Scrap the 3pm blackout? Or dare we say, Saudi money?

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

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Never write off a born racer: Sir Mark Cavendish had won 30 stages of the world's biggest cycling race, The Tour de France (even winning one makes a riders career) but he'd been out of the game for 5 years - so no one would give him a job. What happened next was one of the biggest comebacks of all time to put him among the sporting greats.

Sir Mark Cavendish joins us on today's show - how did it feel to be written off? Was it fair to call him a “dickhead” as a racer? And after childhood success in ballroom dancing - is Strictly next?

Plus the best bits from The Sports Agents this week - is ChatGPT running your team? And why risk staging Eubank v Benn 2?

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

This weekend it's the latest chapter in the family feud as Conor Benn takes on Chris Eubank Jr, for a rematch after the sensational first fight in April.

But unlike their dads, Conor and Chris Jr don't naturally fight at the same weight and there's a controversial clause that could leave Eubank Jr dangerously dehydrated.

So is it safe to stage this fight again? Is it British boxing rivalry getting back to it's best? Or is boxing trying to fill a void if the next best thing is Anthony Joshua v Jake Paul? Gabby and Mark catch up with broadcaster Ade Oladipo and Robert Smith, General Secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control.

Plus, why are both Thomas Tuchel and Steve Borthwick steering away from the stars? And does Gabby think the L.A. Olympics 100m final should be hosted on the opening day?

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

In the last episode of Season 2, as we gear up for the Ashes, Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward bring you the story of Australian media magnate Kerry Packer, who all the current players should be thanking.

Packer turned the gentile game of Test cricket upside down as he signed the captains of England, Australia and the West Indies to what some called his 'rebel circus'.

For two years at the end of the 1970s, the traditional world of white flannels, red balls and polite applause collided with coloured clothing, floodlights, music and marketing - cricket was never quite the same again.

So how did Packer lure the best cricketers in the world? And how much of what we see today can directly be traced back to the drive, ambition and vanity of one Sydney businessman?

We hope you've enjoyed Season 2 of How It All Played Out. While we take a short break you can check out all our past episodes on Global Player or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

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

Get in touch on socials: @playedoutpod

Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

We've all been guilty of using ChatGPT once in a while, Head Coach Laura Harvey even admitted she used it for tactics in the American women's league.

The Premier League, NFL, England Rugby... you name it, they're using AI. Scouting players by predicting how they'll fit in at a new team, optimising tactics on the field and making individual injury prevention plans.

So Gabby and Mark are joined by AI specialists, Stephen Smith (CEO of Kitman Labs) and Ryan Beal (CEO of Sentient Sports). How far can AI take us? Will it take all our jobs? And can we really trust it?

Plus, Gabby waxes lyrical about Jeremy Doku's mesmerising performance and Pep Guardiola's reinvention as Man City blew away Liverpool to put the pressure on Arsenal, and Mark shares his disappointment at the Ashes whitewash for the England Men's Rugby League team.

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📥 Email: [email protected]

Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

We've been Traitors mad so Clare Balding joined Gabby and Mark for a slightly different episode of The Sports Agents. Don't worry there's no spoilers from the final!

Is she bitter no one listened to her about Alan? Why did everyone underestimate Joe Marler? What did Claire tell the producers they should change about the game? And how did Claire know Celia was going to fart?

Plus we look back at two huge interviews on the podcast this week with former England manager Gareth Southgate and Euros winner Mary Earps.

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📥 Email: [email protected]

Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward bring you the story of Althea Gibson - don't worry if you've never heard of her, few have!

Arthur Ashe is a name immediately recognisable to every tennis fan - and most sports fans.

He was the first Black man to win the US Open, the Australian Open and Wimbledon - and the largest tennis stadium in the world, the US Open main court, is named after him.

But he wasn’t the first Black player to win a Grand Slam. That honour went to New Yorker Althea Gibson, who won the French open in 1956 - a whole decade before Ashe. She also won both the US Open and Wimbledon in 1957 and in 1958. 

So why isn’t Althea Gibson as well known as Arthur Ashe? Why doesn’t she have her name up in lights like his? What is her story?

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

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

Get in touch on socials: @playedoutpod

Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al Riddell

Director of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

Mary Earps joins Gabby and Mark on The Sports Agents. The Euros winner and two-time FIFA Best goalkeeper tells Gabby and Mark why she left England before this summer's Euros, what relations were like with Hannah Hampton & Sarina Wiegman, and what it was like to watch England win that trophy from the sidelines.

Mary also opens up about whether Manchester United value their women's team, freezing her eggs and much more.

📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7

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🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod

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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents