Sport and the British
Britain’s role as the birthplace of modern sport and the impact of sport on British national life are celebrated in a new BBC audiobook.
The audiobook, Sport and the British: The Landmark Radio 4 Series, comprises the 30 programmes broadcast on Radio 4 between January and March 2012.
Produced by the BBC in partnership with DMU, the series explained how the history of sport in Britain is inextricably linked to the country’s wider national history.
The series – presented by Clare Balding – also considered how modern sport has divided the nation as often as it has united it since its beginnings in the 18th century.
Sports historians from DMU’s International Centre for Sports History and Culture (ICSHC) spent more than three years, working on the scripts with the BBC.
Centre director Professor Tony Collins said: “Sport is an integral part of Britain’s social and cultural life that’s played a key role in shaping the way the world sees us – and we see ourselves.”
Professor Richard Holt – author of the seminal social history of sport in British society, Sport and the British: A Modern History – has also been involved in the project from the start.
“Our goal was to bring the very best historical research to the general public," he said.
"And, thanks to the work of the BBC production team, this series has succeeded in becoming a landmark in sports history broadcasting.”
The programmes can be downloaded as a podcast|, while the audiobook is available to buy from the BBC shop|.
Week Six: Globalisation and other contemporary themes
Details of the five programmes to be broadcast 5 - 9 March
Episode 26. Sport for All, 5 March
Clare Balding examines the British government's involvement in sport, revealing that by the 1950s, post-war politicians had begun to consider physical recreation and games a cure for young people's apathy and discontent. DMU’s Professor Tony Mason explains the importance of the 1957 Wolfenden Committee's report in broadening access to sporting facilities for all sectors of society.
Episode 27. Golden Girls, 6 March
In this programme, Clare Balding looks at the rise of women’s athletics since the 1960s. She meets coach Norma Blaine at Birchfield Harriers in Birmingham to discuss her friend Diane Leather's record-breaking five-minute mile run – which was overshadowed by Roger Bannister breaking the male world record in the same week in 1954. The presenter also explores the legacy of golden-age sportswomen Anita Lonsborough, Dorothy Hyman, Anne Packer, Mary Rand and Lillian Board.
Episode 28. Rugby’s Big Bang, 7 March
It resisted the call of professionalism for 100 years but in 1995, rugby union went pro. Clare Balding and DMU’s Professor Tony Collins look at the decision to remove the restrictions on payments that allowed the authorities to keep control of rugby union and that thwarted Rupert Murdoch’s rumoured plans to finance a professional league in the Southern Hemisphere.
Episode 29. Globalisation, 8 March
Rupert Murdoch’s success in using sport to sell Sky has had a global impact on the way we watch sport. The satellite broadcasters have changed how we watch sport – and when we watch it. In this programme, Clare Balding looks at the impact of global television, not just on our viewing habits but also on the bankrolling of sport.
Episode 30. The State of Play, 9 March
Clare Balding is joined by DMU’s Professor Richard Holt, Professor Tony Collins and Professor Mike Cronin to explore the cultural importance of sport. Last in the series.
Details of previously broadcast episodes
Week One: The Birth of Modern Sport in 18th Century England|
Broadcast 30 January - 3 February 2012
Week Two: Victorian sporting values and the role of Britain’s public schools
|Broadcast 6-10 February 2012
Week Three: The advent of professionalism and modern spectator sport
|Broadcast 13-17 February 2012
Week Four: The National Cultures of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales|
Broadcast 20-24 February 2012
Week Five: Sport and Society in Modern Britain
|Broadcast 27 February – 2 March 2012