The Back Page
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
Manu Petit smokes Marlboro Reds: The importance of details, with Ryan Baldi
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Author Ryan Baldi reveals his sportswriting and interviewing tips. This interview - and all our content - is free.We ask ONE thing.... Please Subscrib...
When Stam says "No" and Wrighty says "Yes"
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
SUBSCRIBE TO 'THE BACKPAGE' NOWRyan Baldi wrote books about two all-time great Premier League teams: Arsene Who? The Story of the Wenger Revolution (t...
A Big Announcement!
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
'Between the Lines' is now known as 'The BackPage' and is part of our wider offering. Sign up to receive all our audio and written updates*** SUBSCRIB...
A Big Announcement!
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
'Between the Lines' is now known as 'The BackPage' and is part of our wider offering. Sign up to receive all our audio and written updates*** SUBSCRIB...
Sports Writing Masterclass: John Greechan on getting close to the story
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
John Greechan's top tip - get as close to the story as possible (featuring Maradona and a trip to Buenos Aires)BackPage Mailing List Hosted on Acast. ...
John Greechan: Revolution - Ange Postecoglou: The Man, The Methods and The Mastery
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the second episode in the new season of Between the Lines. This is Martin's chat with John Greechan on his excellent new Ange Postecoglou b...
Andriy Shevchenko and the Making of My Life, My Football
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To celebrate the publication of Andriy Shevchenko's autobiography, My Life, My Football, we break down the story behind the book: why it took three ye...
Arrigo Sacchi And The Making Of The Immortals
22 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Neil and Martin talk to Mark Palmer, the translator of The Immortals, Arrigo Sacchi’s memoir of Milan’s 1988-89 season, which end...
Daniel Gray: Snapshot
03 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author Daniel Gray and photographer Alan McCredie toured Scotland collecting pictures and that form a charming and true portrait of football in that c...
Ben Reiter: The Edge
26 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Returning to Between the Lines is Ben Reiter, author of Astroball, to talk about how the story he reported took a shocking turn - and how he went afte...
Henry Winter: Wild Swimming with Nigel Pearson
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Henry Winter returns to Between The Lines to talk about an interview he did with Nigel Pearson, in which the two men went hiking across Dartmoor and s...
Sebastian Moffett: Japanese Rules
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Martin talks to Sebastian Moffett about Japanese Rules, his examination of the intersection of Japanese culture and its emergent football scene at the...
Mutiny at Hearts - The Story Behind Our Spotify Original
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is the story behind our first Spotify Original podcast, which is out today! It is called 'Mutiny a...
Oliver Kay: Forever Young - The Story of Adrian Doherty, Football's Lost Genius
29 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin’s chat with Oliver Kay about Forever Young: The Story of Adrian Doherty, Football’s...
My Favourite Sports Book: Matt McGinn and Dark Trade
22 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Matt McGinn, author of Against the Elements: The Eruption of Icelandic Football, picks Don McRae's boxing classic Dark Trade as his all-time favourite...
Matt McGinn: Against the Elements - The Eruption of Icelandic Football
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's conversation with Matt McGinn about his excellent book Against the Elements: The Erupt...
James Pearce: At the End of the Storm
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is Martin's chat with James Pearce, the brilliantly connected Liverpool writer for The Athletic. A lot of James' writing makes up our latest book...
At the End of the Storm: Our new book with The Athletic
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're back, listeners!Apologies for the extended hiatus. We were publishing a book... and this is a peek behind the scenes of how it all came together...
Back after the Break...
30 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Just a quick one to say that we are taking a break till August, when we will be back with more weekly episodes.Meantime, if there's a book or piece yo...
Matt Spiro: Sacre Bleu - From Zidane to Mbappe
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Spiro is an English football writer, broadcaster and commentator who has lived in France for the past 18 years.Matt has used that experience, acc...
John Carlin: Invictus, the movie
10 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered how a book makes its journey to being a movie? Well, if you have, then this episode of Between the Lines is for you. This is Ma...
John Carlin: Playing the Enemy - Nelson Mandela and the Game that made a Nation
09 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's conversation with John Carlin who wrote Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game...
Ian Ridley: Addicted, Tony Adams
02 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's conversation with award-winning sportswriter Ian Ridley. If you listened to last week’...
Ian Ridley: Floodlit Dreams - How to Save a Football Club
26 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's conversation with award-winning sportswriter Ian Ridley about his book Floodlit Dreams...
My Favourite Sports Book: Pete Burns and FitzSimons on Rugby
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Publisher and writer Pete Burns tells us why FitzSimons on Rugby, by Pete FitzSimons, is his all-time favourite sports books. Hosted on Acast. See aca...
Pete Burns: How has COVID-19 impacted sports publishing?
19 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. Our guest this week is Pete Burns, MD of Polaris Publishing, who have a growing list of authors includi...
My Favourite Sports Book: James Morgan and Open / Brilliant Orange
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist and author James Morgan tells us why Andre Agassi's autobiography, Open, and David Winner's Brilliant Orange are his all-time favourite spo...
James Morgan: The Carfin Emeralds - How Celtic players in disguise won the Kennedy Cup
12 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. Our guest this week is James Morgan, who wrote the first book we ever published as a company, back in 2...
Coming Soon...
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to … a shorter episode of Between the Lines.We had a technical issue with the episode scheduled for this week, so we will be back next week ...
My Favourite Sports Book: Matt & Tom Oldfield - The Nowhere Men / Playing for Keeps
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Children's authors Matt and Tom Oldfield tell us why Mike Calvin's The Nowhere Men and Playing for Keeps, by David Halberstam, are their all-time favo...
Matt & Tom Oldfield: Ultimate Football Heroes
28 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's conversation with Matt and Tom Oldfield, two brothers who between them have written th...
My Favourite Sports Book: Neil Forsyth and Floodlit Dreams
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Screenwriter Neil Forsyth tells us why Ian Ridley's Floodlit Dreams is his all-time favourite sports book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for ...
Neil Forsyth: Jousting with Jim McLean
21 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's conversation with the acclaimed screenwriter Neil Forsyth about an amazing feature he ...
YOUR favourite sports docs and movies
14 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. We asked you, the listeners, to submit your favourite sports docs and movies. The response was phenomen...
John Greechan: No Sport? Try a Movie Instead
07 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to another episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's chat with John Greechan, chief sports writer of the Scottish Daily Mail, about a pie...
Iain Macintosh and Kenny Millar - Football Manager Stole My Life
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Eight years ago, BackPage produced Football Manager Stole My Life, an epic journey through 20 years of fandom around a computer game (Football Manager...
James Montague: 1312 - Among The Ultras
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Like James Montague's previous books – When Friday Comes; Thirty One Nil; and The Billionaires Club - 1312: Among The Ultras is the result of this w...
Martin BackPage: Read All About It
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is Martin BackPage speaking on another book podcast - yes, they do exist! - called Read All About It, where the host Paul Cuddihy asks guests to ...
My Favourite Sports Book: Tom English and The Franchise
12 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer Tom English tells us why Michael McCambridge's The Franchise: A History of Sports Illustrated Magazine is his all-t...
Tom English: The Grudge
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tom English’s book The Grudge, first published in 2010, tells the story of the Calcutta Cup match between Scotland and England in March 1990. Memora...
My Favourite Sports Book: Raphael Honigstein and King of the World
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
German football expert Raphael Honigstein tells us why David Remnick's King of the World is his all-time favourite sports book Hosted on Acast. See ac...
Raphael Honigstein: How Dortmund Won the Race for Haaland
04 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the transfer of Erling Braut Haaland from Red Bull Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund was announced at the end of 2019, Raphael Honigstein set about unc...
My Favourite Sports Book: Tim Lee and The Damned United
27 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In these bonus episodes, we ask our guests to talk about their favourite sports book. Tim Lee, a producer on the official film of the 2019 Champions L...
Tim Lee: The official film of the 2019 Champions League final
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Lee was one of the producers of UEFA's official film of the 2019 Champions League final. Sometimes - often - these things can be a little sterile,...
Andrea Pirlo, I Think Therefore I Play: with translator Mark Palmer & BackPage
19 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. It is nearly six years since we published Andrea Pirlo's autobiography, I Think Therefore I Play. It ha...
Tim Parks: A Season with Verona
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines.This is Martin's conversation with Tim Parks about his 2002 book A Season with Verona.It is a classic of...
My Favourite Sports Book: Ad Hoc films - Fever Pitch and Mike Tyson
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In these bonus episodes we ask our guests about their favourite sports book. In our last episode, we spoke to the director Mat Hodgson and producer Pa...
Mat Hodgson and Patrick Nathanson: I Am Duran
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Director Mat Hodgson and producer Patrick Nathanson discuss the making of their film, I Am Duran, a brilliant documentary about Roberto Duran, who won...
My Favourite Sports Book: Si Lloyd and Angels with Dirty Faces
30 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a bonus episode of Between the Lines. Here. guest Si Lloyd, picks his favourite sports, Jonathan Wilson's Angels With Dirty Faces. And if y...
Si Lloyd: United with Dad
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is Neil's conversation with Si Lloyd about a piece he wrote for Joe in December 2019 under the headline 'United with Dad'. It was written a few w...
My Favourite Sports Book: Marcus Christenson and The Miracle of Castel di Sangro
23 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this bonus episode, we asked Guardian football editor Marcus Christenson for his favourite sports book of all time. Here he is talking about The Mi...
Marcus Christenson: The Guardian's 100 Best Footballers in the World
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. In this one, the Guardian's football editor, Marcus Christenson, breaks down the herculean task of comp...
David Law: Andy Murray - Resurfacing
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you've not watched the Andy Murray documentary, Resurfacing, on Amazon Prime, you need to check it out. It's exceptional. Brutally honest and with ...
And that's a Christmas wrap...
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is a short end-of-seaon wrap where we reflect back on season two and recommend a book and a pod from 2019. Oh, and ask you all to leave a review ...
The Making of ... The Miracle of Castel di Sangro
12 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This final episode of this season of Between the Lines is a documentary about one of the most beloved of all sports books, Joe McGinniss's 1999 hall-o...
Pol Ballus: Pep's City, The Making of a Superteam
05 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the ninth episode in this new season of Between the Lines, 26-year-old Catalan journalist Pol Ballus tells us how he went from full-time waiter and...
Pep's City: Behind The Scenes with BackPage
04 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the eighth episode in this new season of Between the Lines, Martin and Neil from BackPage take you behind the scenes of their latest bestseller, Pe...
David Goldblatt: The Age of Football
27 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 2006, David Goldblatt published 'The Ball is Round: A Global History of Football'. It was an extensive study of the beautiful game stretching back ...
Hugh MacDonald: On Hugh McIlvanney's Johnny Owen piece
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to sixth episode in this new season of Between the Lines. This is my conversation with Hugh MacDonald about the sportswriting legend Hugh McIl...
Daniel Gray: On Hugh McIlvanney's Jock Stein piece
13 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to fifth episode in this new season of Between the Lines. This is my conversation with Daniel Gray about the sportswriting legend Hugh Mcllvan...
Andy Mitten: In Search of Maradona
06 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When Andy Mitten was commissioned to go to Mexico in search of Diego Maradona, he could have been forgiven for thinking twice. Not only was the Argent...
Lawrence Donegan: Four Iron in the Soul
30 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the third episode in the new season of Between the Lines!This is Martin's conversation with Lawrence Donegan about his classic 1998 book, F...
Oliver Kay: Matt Jansen returns to Rome
23 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
For his first piece since leaving The Times to join the new staff at the UK office of The Athletic, Oli Kay chose to take Matt Jansen back to the mome...
Ben Reiter: Astroball
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the first episode in the new season of Between the Lines!It's playoff time in Major League Baseball and Ben Reiter is back on Between the L...
LIVE EPISODE: Fergie to Messi - A Football Writer's Guide to the Giants of the Game
16 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our first live episode of Between the Lines. This is a conversation between Jonathan Northcroft, chief football writer of The Sunday Times,...
*REPOST* Andy Murray: The History Man
11 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
**This is an episode which was released in July 2018. We are reposting it because it is a fitting reflection on the career of Andy Murray, who announc...
Jonathan Northcroft: Deadlines and Darts with Dele
26 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan Northcroft approached the World Cup in Russia this summer with a sense of trepidation. Little did he know that he would fall in love with the...
Mike Calvin: Family
03 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Chances are you came to Michael Calvin’s writing through his later books The Nowhere Men, Living on the Volcano or Hunger in Paradise. Well, before ...
Michael Calvin: State of Play
30 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Calvin’s new book is called State of Play: Under the Skin of the Modern Game. And In it, he shines a light on the human stories of football....
Hugh MacDonald: Andy Murray, the history man
10 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Hugh MacDonald has been a journalist for 47 years but the most fulfilling day of his professional life came in the summer of 2013 when he watched Andy...
Patrick Jennings: Lev Yashin, Bullet-maker to Ballon d'Or
24 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
If you only read one article during this year’s World Cup, make it Patrick Jennings’ extensive piece on Russian football legend Lev Yashin. The im...
Garrincha: The triumph and tragedy of Brazil's forgotten footballing hero
21 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re a fan of football biographies, chances are you’ll have read Ruy Castro’s 2004 biography of Garrincha. It is an astonishing, idiosyncra...
Doctor Socrates: Andrew Downie
17 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Socrates was one of the most iconic footballers of the 20th century. tall and thin, with a thick black beard and talent to burn, he lit up Brazil at t...
Henry Winter: Reporting on a World Cup
11 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Henry Winter, chief football writer of The Times, talks about the experience of covering major tournaments as a journalist: from the press' relationsh...
Henry Winter: 50 Years of Hurt
10 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In '50 Years of Hurt', Henry Winter went in search of the answer to the biggest question in English international football: Why have England not won a...
Graham Hunter: Spain - The Inside Story of La Roja's Historic Treble
03 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In 2013, Graham book Spain: The Inside Story of La Roja's Historic Treble was released. Graham had behind-the-scenes access at all three tournaments a...
Grant Wahl: Football 2.0
16 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In Football 2.0., Grant Wahl (Sports Illustrated) breaks down the technical and tactical revolution that has transformed football through interviews w...
Archie Macpherson: Jock Stein The Definitive Biography
20 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Archie Macpherson’s book 'Jock Stein: The Definitive Biography' was published in 2004 and updated four years ago. Built on a mountain of research an...
James Montague: Inside the Secret World of Football in North Korea
13 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In December 2017, Bleacher Report published James Montague's ground-breaking report from inside North Korea - the result of a journey over a decade in...
Nick Harris: The Global Sports Salaries Survey
06 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In 2010, journalist Nick Harris first produced an annual report called the Global Sports Salaries Survey, which compared athletes’ wages on a like-f...
Richard Moore: In Search of Robert Millar
30 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Cycling journalist Richard Moore reflects on his critically-acclaimed book In Search of Robert Millar, a fascinating portrait of the famous Tour de Fr...
Grant Wahl: The World's Team
23 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl talks us through his 2012 profile piece about FC Barcelona. It was headlined ‘The World’s Team’ and for it, he w...
David Winner: Stillness & Speed (Dennis Bergkamp authorised biography)
17 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Dennis Bergkamp was a unique footballer, a player who inspired Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal to greatness in the nineties and noughties with an exquisite ...
David Winner: Brilliant Orange
16 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
David Winner talks through his legendary exploration of Dutch football, Brilliant Orange. Published in 2000, it has become a classic of sports literat...
Ben Reiter: How Baseball went beyond Moneyball
09 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Sports Illustrated writer Ben Reiter talks through his 2014 cover story on the Houston Astros. His piece predicted that the Astros - then the worst te...
Coming attractions
22 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We're taking a short break for Christmas - full details here, as well as a preview of what's next from Between The Lines.And if you want to get us a p...
Simon Kuper: Football Against The Enemy
19 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Simon Kuper reports on sport and real life for the Financial Times, and is the author of several landmark football books. The first, Football Against ...
Rory Smith: İlkay Gündoğan's knee
07 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Rory Smith spent 10 months building a story about the Manchester City midfielder İlkay Gündoğan's recovery from a serious knee injury. His feature ...
Between the Lines: trailer
08 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Coming soon from BackPage: BETWEEN THE LINES, the stories behind great sportswriting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Thi...