BBC Studios and Folding Pocket announce joint venture

Legendary broadcaster’s debut football podcast will launch January 2024. Weekly episodes to feature guests including Chris Kamara, Paul Merson, James Milner, Michael Ballack, Charlie Nicholas, Glenn Hoddle and Sir Geoff Hurst.

“I’m very excited to kick off 2024 with the launch of my brand-new podcast Football’s Greatest. I’ve lined up some absolute legends of the game, who really have seen and done it all in football. My first guest will be, who else, Chris Kamara. Legend. Can’t wait.”

— Jeff Stelling

Legendary football broadcaster Jeff Stelling is launching his debut football podcast “Football’s Greatest”, a Folding Pocket production with BBC Studios, kicking off with his first guest Chris Kamara on Tuesday 9 January 2024.

Across forty weekly episodes, football fans will hear Jeff sitting down 121 with some of the most successful footballers the game has ever seen, including European Cup Winners Cup’ winner Paul Merson, Champions League winner James Milner, double winner and former Germany captain Michael Ballack, Scotland and Celtic legend Charlie Nicholas, former England manager Glenn Hoddle, and World Cup Winner Sir Geoff Hurst.

With two episodes per guest, part one hears players share their personal “Football’s Greatest” with a different topic per guest, including James Milner on his Football’s Greatest Managers. In part two, guests reveal their “Football’s Greatest Top 5,” including Sir Geoff Hurst on his Top 5 England Legends.

Jeff Stelling says: “I’m very excited to kick off 2024 with the launch of my brand-new podcast Football’s Greatest. I’ve lined up some absolute legends of the game, who really have seen and done it all in football. We’ve had some great laughs so far and unearthed some superb stories that will thrill fans of all clubs, there’s certainly something for everyone! My first guest will be, who else, Chris Kamara. Legend. Can’t wait.”

In Football’s Greatest, listeners will hear never before heard stories from the pitch, training ground, dug out, team bus and dressing rooms of some of the most iconic football teams across all eras – stories that surprise them, stories that make them laugh out loud and stories that they will be telling people about for years to come.Football fans can subscribe now to “Football’s Greatest” wherever you get your podcasts – episode 1 will be released on Tuesday 9 January 2024, with 39 more episodes to follow on a weekly basis.

Launched in 2021 and part of Platform Media, podcast production label Folding Pocket boasts a cohesive slate of award-winning originals and co-productions across sport, entertainment, comedy, fiction and narrative journalism.

Folding Pocket podcasts include Up Front with Simon Jordan, Moment of Truth for BBC Sounds (Arias Gold winner & many more), Defiance with Michael Johnson for Audible (SJA Award winner, Sports Podcast Award winner, Sport Industry Winner), The Good, The Bad & The Rugby with Mike Tindall (biggest rugby podcast in the world), Proper Football for BBC Sounds (Silver for Best Sports Podcast at the British Podcast Awards), Three Little Words with John Bishop, Curl Up & D.I. with Vic Reeves (scripted fiction), and smash history podcast The Rabbit Hole Detectives (with Charles Spencer & Richard Coles), as well as major campaigns for leading brands including the EFL, Vodafone, Umbro, William Hill, Paramount and Hayu.

BBC Studios is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group with sales of £2.1 billion (2021/22: £1,630 million). Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the global Content Studio, which produces, invests and distributes content globally and Channels & Streaming, with BBC branded channels, services and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. Around 2,500 hours of award-winning British programmes are made by the business every year, with over 80% of total BBC Studios revenues coming from non-BBC customers including Discovery, Apple and Netflix. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, with brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, Top Gear, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who. BBC.com is BBC Studios’ global digital news platform, offering up-to-the-minute international news, in-depth analysis and features.