Outlines - a podcast about sport, stories and the media

TNT Sports lead cycling presenter Orla Chennaoui talks about bringing the drama and spectacle of the Tour de France to television viewers.  Orla lays out the intensive production and editorial planning that goes into every edition of the race, explores her role as the on-air conductor of expert analysts and multiple competing narratives, and dives into the rich and distinctive appeal of road cycli...

Getty Images global head of editorial Ken Mainardis talks about the role of photography in sports storytelling at the FIFA World Cup and beyond.  He explains how the world-leading agency processes thousands of images for publishers, each sent within seconds of the action, in every World Cup game, and lays out its creative approach to finding the angles that will set those shots apart.  And he disc...

Lawrence Booth reflects on his role and responsibilities as editor of one of the most enduring publications in sport: the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, now in its 163rd annual edition.  He explains how the title comes together each year, where he sees its place in the cricket landscape, and how he has tried to update its remit to reflect wider change in the sport while staying true to its tradition...

French football writer Phiippe Auclair discusses his latest book, The Mbappé Project: Making a Football Superstar, about the careful orchestration of the career of France icon Kylian Mbappé. Philippe explains how Mbappé’s family and a tight-knit group of advisers have set a professional and commercial course from Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, and discusses how the complications of...

England Rugby team communications lead Tim Percival talks about his award-nominated debut book, On The Record & On The Ball: How Elite Coaches Master the Media.  He runs through the lessons of his conversations with 30 top-level operators – including Eddie Jones, Roy Hodgson, Emma Hayes, Ange Postecoglou, Zak Brown and Mickey Arthur – and his own career helping to navigate narratives on and of...

Goal Click founder and CEO Matthew Barrett talks through the evolution of the first-person sports storytelling platform, which has helped unearth original perspectives from surprising locations and communities around the world. He explains where the company finds its storytellers, and how it has expanded its horizons – moving into sports beyond football, while incorporating video and live storytel...

SportsPro head of editorial Sam Carp and Unofficial Partner founder Richard Gillis explore the role and challenges of the sports industry media.  They discuss changes in the sector’s relationship with its audience – specialists and casual alike – across platforms like events and podcasts and amid greater mainstream coverage.  And as April’s SportsPro London event aims to address ‘the reality of sp...

Goalhanger co-founder Tony Pastor explains how the UK’s leading independent podcast production company is taking the medium into new spaces. He reflects on how media rights deals with DAZN, LaLiga, Netflix and the Premier League have made The Rest Is Football – fronted by fellow Goalhanger co-founder Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards – an ever more visually compelling experience. And h...

With huge horse racing events like the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National on the horizon, ITV Racing’s Ed Chamberlin explains the unique role of the live TV sports presenter. He talks about acting as a conduit between the racing community and a multi-layered audience at home, the importance of intensive preparation and communication, turning nerves into energy, and letting the pictures do...

Underground Fan Club founder and broadcast producer Charlie Copsey talks about how her company has been rethinking live events as more immersive, personality-led experiences.   She explains what inspired the Underground Fan Club approach, how it works with talent to bring more vibrant concepts to life while keeping brands onside, and what it aims to bring to fans at every event.   And she reflects...

As the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks prepare to face off in Santa Clara, Ad Age news editor EJ Schultz talks through the art and science of the Super Bowl commercial. He explains how their role and relevance have evolved in the digital era - where the massive audience of the NFL championship game has become more and more of a TV outlier - and dips into the creative and cultural trends...

Like The Wind co-founder and publisher Simon Freeman explains how the premium running culture quarterly serves an international readership and community in print. He lays out the inspiration and ethos of a title still gathering pace in its second decade, with new editions launching in Japan and North America, and reveals how it has found readers and likeminded people online and through in-person e...

New York Times reporter Tariq Panja talks through some of the topics, themes and events that are set to shape the sports media year ahead.  He discusses the prospect of the biggest-ever Fifa World Cup landing in Donald Trump’s America, describes the Olympic storytelling environment ahead of Milan-Cortina, and explains why big money could be changing what matters in sport in new and unexpected ways...

Acclaimed and multi award-winning journalist and author Donald McRae discusses his most recent book, The Last Bell: Life, Death and Boxing .  He explores its poignant and personal themes of hope in the face of stark odds and tragic loss, and how it reflects his own complex and sometimes ambivalent feelings towards a sport he has followed for decades.  He also explains why he fears boxing is in a w...

Lily Canter and Emma Wilkinson discuss one of the most remarkable sports books of the year – Ultra Women: The Trailblazers Defying Sexism in Sport.  They lay out the stories of female athletes who shatter social expectations by outperforming men in ultra-endurance challenges, and explain how they blended personal accounts with physiological research to delve into those experiences. And after their...

As Formula 1 nears the end of a dramatic 2025 campaign, seasoned motorsport journalist Rebecca Clancy reflects on the sport’s fast-changing media landscape in the Liberty Media era.  She talks about the reality of life as a reporter on the circuit – for The Times, Autosport, as an independent operator and as co-host of podcast Inside The Piranha Club – and how the storytelling environment has chan...

The Athletic senior writer and broadcaster Adam Leventhal talks through his latest documentary podcast: The Underground World of Illegal Streaming. He explains how the project came together, explores what he learned about the market for pirated football content and fans’ attitudes towards it, and considers whether the financial threat it poses to the sport could inspire a radical solution. And he...

Andy Afford - editor of sports magazine Pitch and managing director of creative agency Stencil – talks through the role of new consumer print publications in today’s media environment.  He explains the inspiration behind Pitch as a premium multi-sport quarterly, how its audience compares to those for physical media niches like vinyl, the role of newsstands and subscriptions, and why each of its is...

The Sunday Times cricket correspondent Simon Wilde discusses his latest book, Chasing Jessop , exploring the remarkable circumstances of England’s fastest-ever Test match hundred and longest-surviving record in the format.  He explains how big hitting and a rampant newspaper market made Gilbert Jessop an early icon of international sport, why scoring methods deepened the mystery around his achieve...

Olympic and sports marketing veteran Michael Payne discusses his new memoir Fast Tracks and Dark Deals – an account not just of his own five-decades but also the characters, creativity and occasional chaos that helped form the modern sports industry.  He reflects on the origins and impact of once-radical media and sponsorship innovations like the IOC’s TOP sponsorship programme, explains how the O...

MKTG senior vice president of content and creative Amar Singh – host of The Sports Marketeer podcast and a longtime former journalist – talks about how brands and sponsors are approaching stories to in an ever-changing sports media ecosystem.  He discusses the receptiveness of fans to commercial messaging, explains how organisations can build better creative processes, and reflects on sending beer...

Former tennis player Conor Niland talks through his William Hill Sports Book of the Year-winning memoir The Racket – a fond yet bracing account of life just outside the game’s global elite. The one-time world number 129 explains why he decided to tell the story of his career, and how it became emblematic of the grinding experiences of his peers on the Futures and Challenger tours. He also explores...

Cartoonist David Squires reflects on over a decade spent chronicling football’s charms, excesses and breakout characters.  He talks about his distinctive, often absurd and sometimes poignant work, which has appeared in The Guardian, 11 Freunde and L’Equipe, and why modern football is such fertile terrain for illustrated satire.  He also discusses his process, his plans for the future, and his arti...

MANON founder Jenny Simmons lays out the journey that took her from a position as a communications director at Nike to a new role as a mindset coach. She explains how MANON moved from a women’s football content project to a career coaching platform for Black and brown women in the industry, and explores the role of stories in understanding professional identities.  She also reflects on her time at...

Joey D’Urso – senior data journalist for The Times and The Sunday Times – explores how football kits became tools of influence and communication in his debut book, More Than A Shirt: How Football Shirts Explain Global Politics, Money and Power.  He talks their journey from emblems of allegiance to symbols of globalising culture and commerce, the complex relationships they create between fans and b...