Main content
This programme is not currently available on Ö÷²¥´óÐã iPlayer

Off the Ball: Petty and Ill-Informed

From its football fanzine comedy roots, to a cornerstone of Scottish cultural life, this is the hilarious inside story of Radio Scotland's Off the Ball.

From its football fanzine comedy roots, to a cornerstone of Scottish cultural life, this is the hilarious inside story of Radio Scotland’s Off the Ball. Featuring rare archive and interviews with Lorraine Kelly, Kirsty Wark, Sanjeev Kohli and Christopher Brookmyre.

Since 1995, Stuart Cosgrove and Tam Cowan have entertained Radio Scotland’s listeners with a broadcasting partnership that has become a national institution.

Saturdays simply wouldn’t be the same without Off the Ball’s rebellious take on Scottish football. But its effortless appeal didn’t happen overnight. In fact, it almost didn’t get past the first week.

Inspired by the football fanzine movement of the 1980s and 1990s, Off the Ball was created to be the antidote to traditional mainstream football coverage, upsetting the authorities and poking fun at the establishment – sometimes getting into trouble with the Ö÷²¥´óÐã bosses.

Over the years, the programme has changed and responded to technology, expanding the reach of its guests from the world of football into politics and entertainment, and cementing the roles of its two presenters as the ‘Odd Couple’ of Scottish football.

57 minutes

Last on

Mon 23 Aug 2021 22:00

Broadcasts