Tony Bellew Is Angry

Michael Bisping, Britain’s most decorated MMA fighter of all time, sits down for a chat about anger (and other things) with Tony.

Let’s be honest, Christmas can wind up the best of us.

In this festive special Tony gets together with comedy legend Romesh Ranganathan to find out what tips him over the edge during the ‘season of joy’.

An argument with his wife about decorations ends with Rom stomping off early to bed, the depravity of a secondary school staff Christmas party is revealed and Romesh’s dad’s attempt to do a halal Christmas dinner goes horribly wrong.

Plus ridiculous present requests, Richard Pryor and an angriest moment involving a mortgage provider and his mum.

Think of it as therapy. With laughs.

Producer: Mike Holt and Chessie Bent

Tony turns the tables on YouTuber and podcasting megastar True Geordie as they sit down to chat about life, anger and everything in between.

True Geordie (real name Brian Davis) quickly admits he was an angry young man growing up in Newcastle where everyone’s dads were either in jail or had been to jail. We hear how working as an off-shore deep-sea diver turned him into a man (and what the sea floor covered in crabs looks like!), why depression and the death of a friend led him to upload his first YouTube video and why becoming a Youtuber is like becoming a boxer. Of course they talk about True Geordie’s beloved Newcastle United and we hear how Alan Shearer taught him to keep a part of his life for himself.

A rare chance to hear True Geordie being grilled by someone else for once!

Producer: Mike Holt

An Orion Publishing Group production for BBC 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

Best mates since the age of 11, Tony and footballer Neil Danns shoot the breeze about being competitive with each other, the downfall of Bury FC and headlocks.

Growing up near each other in the south of Liverpool and from similar backgrounds, Tony and Neil went to school together before Tony got expelled and Neil went off to football school. An inspiration to each other they were also wildly competitive.

Neil tells the story of the time they wrestled for an hour in Tony’s bedroom over a Fifa game until Tony’s mum came in to find out what was going on. It came down to who had the best headlock. Tony remembers the time Neil beat him on a punching machine in Ayia Napa. And they both remember when they went to a gym in Liverpool for a ‘light training session’ and ended up doing 3 hours until they made themselves ill. Neither wanted to be the first to stop.

They also talk racism, locker room punch-ups and why sports people are the most insecure people on the planet. Plus, Neil reveals why the anger he has never been able to get rid of was from his time at Bury FC. Full of highs and lows and the genuine warmth of two old pals catching up.

Producer: Mike Holt

An Orion Publishing Group production for BBC 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

Worlds apart but quickly finding common ground Tony Bellew and Jamie Laing might just be the best double-act you’ve never heard.

Blowing Tony away from the start by revealing he’s yet ANOTHER huge Bellew fan, Jamie frequently turns the tables and becomes the interviewer. He delves deep into the boxer's psyche, as well as stumping Tony with a question he's never been asked before.

What seems an unlikely duo becomes one of the most hilarious, heart-warming and revealing episodes yet.

Tony challenges Jamie to test out his Scouse accent (no surprise, it’s awful), delves deep into his upbringing and they share stories of childhood betrayal.

Producer: Mike Holt

An Orion Publishing Group production for BBC 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

One of the greatest female fighters of all time, the US's Claressa Shields, laces up the gloves and gets Tony on the ropes.

The only boxer in history, male or female, to hold all four major titles in boxing simultaneously, in two weight classes, as well as two Olympic gold medals, Claressa is a force to be reckoned with. In 2020 she switched from boxing to Mixed Martial Arts and promptly won her debut with a TKO. Growing up with her grandmother in Flint, Michigan, she admits to always being super competitive at everything she did. From bowling to playing pool, to guys challenging her to boxing matches. If someone told her she couldn't do something it only made her try harder. And, as Tony discovers, you have to be careful which company you put her in when talking about her fellow boxers!

Producer: Mike Holt

An Orion Publishing Group production for BBC 5 Live and BBC Sounds

Everton fan Tony swallows his pride to let Liverpool legend, pundit and good mate Jamie Carragher on the show.

As they sit down to chat all things anger, Carra reveals some of his earliest frustrations as a kid came from being way better at football than the rest of the kids at school. He wanted to win so badly he would get sent off for speaking too harshly to the ref or his team mates. That drive and determination to win took him right through his long career at Liverpool FC. However, he admits that playing for the team where he grew up added untold pressures, his competitiveness was too much for his fellow players and it eventually led him to consult a sports psychologist.

As well as offering incredible insight into his career, Jamie reveals some of the locker room punch-ups he witnessed over the years, tells Tony which manager wound him up the most and how he feels footballers have gone soft. He even tells all about what winds him up as a pundit.

P.S. Don't mention Gary Neville!

Producer: Mike Holt

An Orion Publishing Group production for BBC 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

Former X Factor winner and multi-million selling singer-songwriter James Arthur reveals all about violent outbursts, Twitter storms and regrets in this frank chat with Tony Bellew.

As well as being fans of each other, it’s clear Tony and James have loads in common. From a mutual love of boxing and music to tough upbringings as James talks about being sent to foster care as a teenager.

They’re also both quick to react with anger, with James telling Tony about the time he smashed his arm through a window trying to ‘protect’ his sister. He opens up about angry social media fails as he tried to prove he wasn’t one of those ‘shiny popstars’. And he reveals his regret over using homophobic language in a rap battle, why it still affects his career today and why he’s thought about leaving the music industry for good.

Full of revelations and deep chat. Not to be missed.

Producer: Alice Lloyd

An Orion Publishing Group production for BBC 5 Live and BBC Sounds

Breakthrough music star and singer-songwriter Joy Crookes opens up about all things anger in this revealing chat. Going toe-to-toe with former world champion boxer Tony Bellew, it becomes clear Joy can give Tony a run for his money in the anger stakes.

From racism at the Euros Final 2021 to the way her outfit at the Brits was described as a ‘costume’, Joy is happy to tell all about the things that make her angry.

She talks about the time she dealt with a confrontation in the street without losing her head and what happened when she was the angriest she’s ever been which made her ‘look at knives differently’.

Tony quickly discovers Joy is a worthy sparring partner with lots in common including a love of James Brown and Muhammad Ali. Inspiring chat, great episode, get involved.