How It All Played Out

• Coe vs Ovett: Moscow 1980 & The rivalry that divided a nation

  "It was a f**k up from beginning to end. Every mistake you can make in the 800 I made. Too far off the back, too wide, too diffident, no logic that day" - Seb CoeFrom the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, Britain ruled the world of middle-distance running. At the heart of this golden era stood two legends: Sebastian Coe, the Yorkshire-born record breaker, and Steve Ovett, the tough competitor from Brighton. Their fierce rivalry built towards the 1980 Moscow Olympics - but what unfolded stunned fans from both sides of the divide and redefined athletics history.In this episode of How It All Played Out, ITV’s Mark Pougatch and The Observer’s Paul Hayward revisit Margaret Thatcher’s divided Britain to explore the infamous “Tough vs Toff” clash that gripped a nation. Despite only racing head-to-head seven times in 17 years, Coe vs Ovett became one of sport’s greatest rivalries, combining politics, class, and raw athletic brilliance.Relive the drama of the 800m and 1500m finals in Moscow 1980: the crushing pressure, the mind games, the upsets, and the unforgettable battles between two British icons. This is the story of style versus strength, grit versus grace, and how two athletes pushed each other into the history books.If you love stories of Olympic glory, athletic rivalries, and the golden age of track and field, this episode is for you.Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected] Producer: Adem Waterman & Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyHead of Podcasts: Factual: Al RiddellDirector of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

  --------  

  35:14

  --------

  35:14
• Sven-Goran Eriksson: The story of England's first foreign manager

  After Kevin Keegan resigned in the men's loos at Wembley in 2000, the FA decided to hire their first foreign England manager - Sven Goran-Eriksson. He paved the way for Thomas Tuchel, who leads England at the World Cup qualifiers this international break. With Sven, the FA got much more than they bargained for. A man with a love for the game, life and women - Eriksson often graced the front and back pages of the newspapers. He led the golden generation of Beckham and Rooney, but despite that talent Sven fell short at the quarter-finals. So why did the FA decide to open up to foreign managers? Did Eriksson's off-field lifestyle hamper England or was it simply a combination of bad luck, broken metatarsals and the penalty shoot out hoodoo? Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected] Producer: Adem Waterman & Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyHead of Podcasts: Factual: Al RiddellDirector of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

  --------  

  28:38

  --------

  28:38
• Adolf Hitler's 1936 Olympics, Part 3: The Heroes & Villains Of The Olympic Games

  "I wasn't invited to shake hands with Hitler but I wasn't invited to the White House to shake hands with the president either" - Jesse OwensIn the concluding episode of Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward’s Adolf Hitler’s 1936 Olympics trilogy, the pair uncover the lasting legacy of the Berlin Games and how they shaped athletes, politics, and global sport for decades to come.From Jesse Owens’ post-Olympic struggles and forced European tour, to Luz Long’s unlikely friendship across racial divides, and the rise of the Hitler Youth, this episode explores both the human stories and the Nazi political propaganda that defined the era.This episode reveals how the 1936 Olympics became the blueprint for modern-day sportswashing - influencing how nations like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia use global sporting events for power and image-building.Nearly 90 years later, the shadow of Hitler’s Olympics still looms large over the world of sport.Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected] Producer: Adem WatermanHead of Podcasts: Factual: Al RiddellDirector of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

  --------  

  30:21

  --------

  30:21
• Adolf Hitler's 1936 Olympics, Part 2: How Jesse Owens Embarrassed The Nazis

  "The Americans should be ashamed of themselves, letting Negroes win their medals for them. I shall not shake hands with this Negro” - Adolf Hitler, 1936In Part Two of the Adolf Hitler's 1936 Olympics trilogy, Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward head to Berlin, 1936, as athletes from 49 nations arrive for the games. Determined to showcase Germany as a modern, powerful, and orderly nation, the Nazi regime orchestrated the most expensive Olympics in history, complete with a groundbreaking opening ceremony and a propaganda machine unlike anything the world had ever seen.Hitler envisioned the Games as proof of Aryan supremacy - but one man shattered his myth. Jesse Owens, the grandson of a slave from Alabama, stunned the world by winning four gold medals, humiliating Hitler and cementing his place as one of the greatest athletes in Olympic history.Behind the spectacle, however, foreign politicians and dignitaries were being courted by Nazi leaders, all while the regime escalated its brutal campaign of antisemitism, violence, and sportswashing.This episode examines:How the 1936 Berlin Olympics rewrote the rulebook for opening ceremonies and global sporting eventsThe propaganda machine of the Third Reich and its manipulation of international opinionHelene Mayer, Hitler’s token Jewish athlete, who controversially gave the Nazi salute on the podiumHow the world looked away as Nazi Germany used sport to mask persecution and murder on mass scaleStep inside the stadium where history, politics, and ideology collided - whilst the world watched and did nothing.Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected] Producer: Adem WatermanHead of Podcasts: Factual: Al RiddellDirector of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

  --------  

  32:27

  --------

  32:27
• Adolf Hitler's 1936 Olympics, Part 1: The Inception Of Sportswashing

  "It's a project of Jews & Freemasons, and a play inspired by Judaism which cannot possible be put on in a Reich ruled by national socialists"In Part One of this gripping trilogy of How It All Played Out, award-winning journalists Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward take listeners back to 1930s Berlin to uncover the dark truth behind the 1936 Olympic Games.Discover how Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime lobbied to host the Olympics, transforming them into a powerful tool of propaganda, nationalism, and the inception of sportswashing. Behind the spectacle lay a chilling reality: the rise of antisemitism in Germany, the early installation of concentration camps, and the global community’s blind eye to the signs of tyranny.This episode explores:How Nazi Germany won the right to host the Olympics in 1931 and Hitler's continual opposition Adolf Hitler’s vision for the Games and the IOC’s complicityThe devastating impact on the Jewish community and marginalised groupsThe origins of using sport as a weapon of politics, racism, and ideologyStep into history where sport, politics, and propaganda collide - revealing a blueprint for how dictators manipulate global events to secure and maintain power.Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!We'd love to hear from you! Email us: [email protected] Producer: Adem WatermanHead of Podcasts: Factual: Al RiddellDirector of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

  --------  

  30:02

  --------

  30:02

More History podcasts

Trending History podcasts

About How It All Played Out

How It All Played Out: Podcasts in Family