Life With Brian: The Brian McClair Podcast

Absolute Radio host Andy Bush joins Brian to talk about Mexico 86 trauma, being scarred for life by Everton, board games, the secrets to radio longevity, smelly underpants, swallowing maggots, vanishing flatmates and much more. Music by Liam McClair⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scottish music journalist and broadcaster Billy Sloan joins Brian to talk about football in the tenements, meeting Pele at a buffet, The Who, radiograms, launching careers, Chuck Berry being a shithouse, and being axed by the BBC. We also quiz Choccy and Billy on Scotland World Cup songs. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Liam McClair⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast...

Singer/songwriter and Sheffield Wednesday fan Paul Carrack joins us to talk about Hillsborough woes, Choccy's benevolence, David Hirst, dodging toothbrushes, Mike & the Mechanics, remaining anonymous, and Huey Lewis' phone number. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Liam McClair⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian is joined by golf, rugby and Olympics commentator - and fellow Scot - Andrew Cotter. We talk about Motherwell memories, Syd Puddefoot, Finnish SAS training, 'diddy' sports, impartiality on the mic, Scotland's World Cup endeavours, ghostwriters, golf courses, and Steve Nicol's feet ⁠⁠⁠Music by Liam McClair⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices....

We celebrate our fifth birthday in the company of veteran broadcaster Dermot Murnaghan. He joins us to talk about Arsenal, growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, impartiality and controlling narratives in the media, the gift of Donald Trump, cheeky snifters in the ITN newsroom, crooked greyhound racing, and much more. ⁠⁠Music by Liam McClair⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Crowander Learn more ab...

We're joined by another Brian for this one - Brian Nash a.k.a Nasher, guitarist with legendary 80s band Frankie Goes To Hollywood. He talks about the band's origin story, how classic songs like Relax and The Power of Love came to be, supporting Liverpool and having a soft spot for Millwall, the perils of the music business, signing on and being skint when fame vanished, and working as a celebrant...

Sky Sports News doyenne Hayley McQueen joins us to talk about growing up the daughter of a famous footballer, how the news channel has changed, living next door to Fabrizio Ravanelli, working for Richard and Judy, avoiding romance with Ronaldo, and Gary Pallister's bulge! Music by Liam McClair⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emmerdale legend Mark Charnock is our guest this time. He tells about his uncles co-opting him into supporting Manchester United, impressing the England manager, pitch battles, Zombies, acting anxiety, being an Adonis, and his cooking skills. ⁠⁠⁠Music by Liam McClair⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sam Delaney of Top Flight Time Machine is our guest on this episode, in which we talk about men's mental health, Upton park memories, the 'West Ham' way, holding grudges, Roy Keane, shitting yourself, and much more! ⁠⁠Music by Liam McClair⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian, author and broadcaster Paul Tonkinson is Brian's guest on this episode. He joins us to talk about swashbuckling Manchester United teams, working with Michael McIntyre, running through the Sahara desert, performing in Iraq, and the highs and lows of red wine. ⁠Music by Liam McClair⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The great Scottish author Irvine Welsh joins Brian to talk about the return of Renton, Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie in his new book Men in Love. We also find out why he has a soft spot for West Ham, stood David Bowie up twice, got arrested aged 8, and has to think like a Hearts fan. Plus loads more! Music by Liam McClair⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adc...

Brian's guest is pro-golfer and Ryder Cup winner Stephen Gallacher, who joins the lads to talk about Celtic, the magic of the Masters, 'dogging' up the golf course, the consequences of missing a cut, and Alex Ferguson's motivational skills. Music by Liam McClair⁠ and ⁠Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian welcomes his old pal and teammate Gordon Strachan to this month's pod to talk about the time he abandoned Choccy at Manchester United, his prickly relationship with Fergie, the zen influence of Tim Booth, Rod Stewart's bed, getting a mixed reception at Celtic, the humour of Tommy Burns, getting letters from Neil Diamond, and the art of punditry. There's also the quiz where they display their...

Scottish actor Simon Weir joins Brian and the lads on this episode. We talk charity game bust-ups, bugging John Aldridge, resurrecting a defunct football club, shopping doon the Barras, stunt dildos, cancelled soap operas, and there's controversy in the quiz! Music by Liam McClair and Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian and actor Lloyd Griffith joins Brian, Matthew and Mark on this episode, where he tells us about freezing his tits off in Grimsby, hair transplants, choir singing, Clayton Blackmore's shooting, Fantasy Football fancies, and Helena Bonham Carter's plastic feet. Music by Liam McClair and Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our first guest of 2025 is podcaster and writer Andy Dawson who joins us to talk about the terraces at Sunderland, putting football in the sea, working with Bob Mortimer and the success of Athletico Mince, Steve Bruce's malapropisms, and there's the usual quiz! Music by Liam McClair and Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Causing a commotion on this episode is singer/songwriter Lloyd Cole who joins Brian to discuss his music, swerving the Manchester clubs in favour of Chelsea, the meaning of lyrics, having a cuppa with Morrissey, Glasgow Uni, dealing with fame, and looking like Jimmy Carr. There's also another ridiculous quiz to enjoy/endure! Music by Liam McClair and Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Never Mind The Bollocks, here comes Choccy with special guest, punk rocker and music journalist John Robb to talk about Blackpool's ups and downs, manager vultures, prison triallists, his punk ethos, 70s fashions, Kurt Cobain, Liam Gallagher, Fergie's handling of young players, and gig riots. He also takes on our quiz and the 'Focus On' feature. Music by Liam McClair and Crowander Learn more about...

We're back again for another season and our first special guest is comedian Susie McCabe, who joins us to talk Celtic, surviving a heart attack, scary dares, menopause advice, voicing opinions, and she takes Brian on in our Shakespeare quiz Music by Liam McClair and Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to our 50th episode, and we celebrate our half century with former Sky Sports touchline reporter Geoff Shreeves. Talk turns to Geoff's experiences working with the biggest, and moodiest managers in the Premier League: from the likes of Klopp and Guardiola, to - of course - Sir Alex Ferguson. Choccy tells us how he liked to swerve the media, and we discuss Geoff and Brian's shared musical p...

Irish actor Emmett J. Scanlan is our special guest for this episode and chats with Choccy about the outstanding crime drama Kin, restaurant rebuffs, catching the eye of Fergie and Big Sam, hard men, Manchester United, shadow boxing to Rocky, chocolate binges, and much more! Music by Liam McClair and Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shed Seven frontman Rick Witter joins us on this episode to talk about the band's recent number 1 album, the Britpop years, rivalry with Oasis, Manchester United's current travails, Brian's weekly budget, the best things in our shed, almost tipping Aerosmith off the wagon, and we've got a very fishy quiz! Music by Liam McClair and Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.co...

We're thrilled to be joined by comedian Jo Caulfield for this episode, in which we discuss difficult roommates, Edinburgh, bad comics, stadium criteria for Premier League membership, hitchhiking, Denis Irwin, Mick Lynch, Choccy's political aspirations, and much more! Music by Liam McClair and Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scottish actor, and star of the hugely successful play 'Singin' I'm No A Billy, He's A Tim', Scott Kyle is our guest for this one as Brian and the boys wade into the thorny topic of the Old Firm and dissecting the relationship between Celtic and Rangers fans on stage. We also discuss acting naked for Ken Loach, wearing ladies' kilts, playing without away fans and in the jail, street scraps, and we...

The first episode of 2024 sees Choccy welcome cricket commentating legend David 'Bumble' Lloyd to the show. We talk Accrington Stanley, homemade cider, favourite pubs, scrapping on the terraces, the changing face of cricket, (not) catching salmon with Ian Botham, the drunken antics of Mark E. Smith and much more! Music by Liam McClair and Crowander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastc...