The Big Jim Show

Adam Linforth is Chief Smuggler and owner of swimwear company Budgy Smuggler. We discuss living in Australia, the UK and now France, building a brand gradually, overcoming financial adversity, mental health struggles, the badge of honour that is being voted the most hated swimwear item, how even the royal family now wear smugglers and much more... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...

Michael Jamieson is an Olympic and Commonwealth Games silver medal winning swimmer. We discuss the fine margins in swimming at elite level, the loneliness of such a solo sport, pushing yourself to the limits and beyond, mental health concerns in sport, life in the Olympic Village, how he never gets in an indoor pool any more and much more... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...

Mack Hansen is a Six Nations Grand Slam winning Ireland winger. We discuss his journey from Canberra to Galway, Connacht not getting the respect they deserve, his rapid rise to international rugby, being on the end of the Andy Farrell hairdryer treatment, where he's going to get a tattoo of his head coach's face, how the breakdown is refereed, the controversy with Johnny Sexton and Jaco Peyper at...

James Smith is a personal trainer, author, comedian and social media sensation. We discuss his journey from playing rugby in National 2, the drug-related incident that inspired him to move to Australia, people's relationship with food in the modern world, the need to have a desperation to succeed, the pandemic, his rise to notoriety, the evolution into live shows and comedy, social media algorithm...

Martin Anayi is the CEO of the United Rugby Championship. We discuss the many iterations of the URC, the impact of the South African sides and their involvement in the Champions Cup, how to appeal to a broader and younger audience, whether a global calendar is achievable, if it's possible for a single broadcaster or platform to be the home of all rugby and much more... Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

Frank Murphy is a former Leicester, Munster & Connacht scrum half and now international rugby referee. We discuss his journey into refereeing, literally learning to blow the whistle, being fast-tracked, what a week looks like for a referee, the assessment process, what laws need to change, his disappointment at missing out on refereeing at the 2023 World Cup and much more... Hosted on Acast. See a...

Craig Doyle is a broadcaster extraordinaire, host of BT Sport's rugby coverage and window salesman! We discuss his route from Ireland to the BBC, the emotional highs and lows of presenting Grandstand and working on an Olympics, the difficult position rugby currently finds itself in, what it was like to be in Ireland camp discussing the Shoulder To Shoulder documentary, how significant it would be...

Jasper Wiese is a Leicester and South Africa number eight and one of the hardest to be playing the game at the moment. We discuss his father's hatred of rugby, steroids in the sport, the number of South Africans playing in the Premiership, travel for the SA franchises in European rugby, fulfilling a dream of playing for the Boks, Rassie Erasmus' special gift, how a night out cost him dear with Fra...

Bernard Jackman is one of the best thinkers and prominent voices in rugby. The former Ireland international discusses the perils of coaching, life in France, his own journey from buying cattle to playing rugby for a living, the financial situation in the sport, the phenomenal schools system in Ireland, why Johnny Sexton is the greatest and why this time it'll be different and Ireland will win the...

Ellie Kildunne is still only 23 and is a World Cup finalist. The England full back discusses the final defeat, the effect the game had on women's rugby, how best to grow the sport, the sort of money being earned by players, whether now is the right time for a Lions women's tour and much more... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit pod...

Gordon Smart is a former deputy editor of the Sun and now broadcast journalist. From Noel Gallagher to Vinnie Jones and Bono to Amy Winehouse, he has stories for days from the heady world of showbiz but also candid reflections on the fine line that's trodden between those in the public eye and the media and a fascinating personal back story to boot... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...

Paul Gustard is a former England assistant coach who has also coached at Saracens, Harlequins, Benetton and now Stade Francais. He discusses life under Eddie Jones, the potential for central contracts to solve some of English rugby's problems, cultural differences coaching abroad, the genuine hatred between Saracens and Harlequins and how that affected his time at the latter and much more... Hoste...

Wayne Pivac is a Six Nations and PRO12 winning coach but most recently he was replaced as Wales boss after home defeats to Italy and Georgia. He discusses when he knew his time was up, the move made to bring Warren Gatland in, the ongoing contract situation in Welsh rugby, his view on what should happen with the regions, how Scott Robertson's actions are ruffling feathers in New Zealand and what t...

George Groves is a British boxing world champion. His bouts against Carl Froch, in particular, were huge deals and he sheds light on how they were made and fought, including how he promoted himself at times. Plus, he discusses how he went from being willing to die for the cause to putting someone in a coma and then knowing that his time was up but not before becoming a world champion... Hosted on...

Lewis Ludlam is Northampton captain and has played a key role in the England back row in Steve Borthwick's opening couple of games in charge. It hasn't always been plain sailing, though, and we discuss how close he came to giving up the game not so long ago, as well as how much of a voice players should have in the modern game, the involvement of Netflix in England camp at the moment, what Borthwi...

Dean Richards is a Leicester and England legend, the man who gave me my first contract and arguably saved my life. From working in the police to having them visit the Tigers training ground regularly and being approached about the England job to bouncing back from the bloodgate cover up, his career has had plenty of ups and downs and there might be a chapter or two left to be written... Hosted on...

Seb Negri is an Italian international with a fascinating back story. We discuss fleeing his home in Zimbabwe, coming through the Hartpury production line, earning back respect for Italian rugby, the leadership of Michele Lamaro, the stardust of Ange Capuozzo, Kieran Crowley's regime and much more... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

Lawrence Dallaglio is a World Cup winner and leader of men. From tragedy in early life to triumph in 2003 and beyond, his is a story of passion, dedication and never losing perspective. We discuss the highs and lows, how to make the transition after the end of your playing career, why he didn't go into coaching, the media and much more. Plus, he tells us what went wrong for Eddie Jones, what Engla...

Greig Laidlaw is one of Scotland's greatest ever captains and knows a thing or two about Calcutta Cup clashes. We look ahead to the encounter between England and Scotland at Twickenham this weekend, as well as discussing project players, captaincy, the relationship between Finn Russell and Gregor Townsend, who the next Scotland coach might be, life in Japan, how much he has left in the tank and wh...

Andy Powell is known as one of the biggest characters rugby has ever seen but there's more to him than meets the eye. He has stories for days and shares some special ones from Lions tours, playing in France and his time with Wales under Warren Gatland, driving a golf buggy down the M4 is just the starting point, but there's also reflection on alcohol, gambling issues and much more... Hosted on Aca...

Billy Vunipola has been one of the most high profile rugby players in the world for the past decade and isn't short of an opinion or two. We discuss England disappointments, Eddie Jones, Steve Borthwick, the Saracens salary cap scandal, injury woes and personal struggles, criticism from former players, the state of the game and whether a lucrative move could be on the cards for him, while reminisc...