LGBT Sport Podcast at 300: Lauren Price, Karriss Artingstall, Bruce Mouat and other memorable episodes
- Published
Among the Olympic medallists to have appeared on the LGBT Sport Podcast are boxer Karriss Artingstall and curler Bruce Mouat
It was 25 September 2018. I'd just hit the button to publish the first episode of the BBC's LGBT Sport Podcast.
I watched nervously as the file processed, until my phone pinged with a 'new download' notification.
And just like that, it was done.
There was a hunch I'd been unable to shake for months - that the LGBTQ+ community in sport needed a regular space where they could talk about being their authentic selves; and that I, as an out gay commentator, might be the person to provide it.
Now, it was no longer just a gut feeling, but a living, breathing programme that anyone around the world could listen to.
The question was - would they bother?
A step into the unknown - before Cavallo, Daniels and Nassib
Josh Cavallo was the world's only active top-flight male professional footballer to publicly announce he was gay when he came out in October 2021
The world was a different place in 2018.
Josh Cavallo wasn't out yet.
Nor was Jake Daniels or Jakub Jankto or Carl Nassib, or a whole host of other LGBTQ+ sportspeople whose visibility and openness we now take for granted.
Neither, bar a few notable exceptions, was the media narrative about being LGBTQ+ in sport particularly sophisticated.
Stories tended to focus on homophobia and discrimination, or tabloid speculation about 'anguished football stars on the verge of coming out', complete with the ubiquitous silhouettes.
So the idea that there'd be an appetite for a weekly show where a different LGBTQ+ sportsperson would come on and just… chat?
It might not sound revolutionary - but at the time, it kind of was.
The podcast's family grows
Wheelchair basketball players Laurie Williams and Robyn Love talked about their engagement on the LGBT Sport podcast in February 2020, returning in October 2022 for a chat about pregnancy
Within the first few weeks, we knew we were on to something.
We booked our first international sportsperson; then our first World Cup winner; and then our first Olympic gold medallist.
Fifty episodes became 100 and then 200 - by which point, it wasn't just us approaching LGBTQ+ sportspeople, but them reaching out to us, sliding into our DMs and offering to come on for a chat and, in some cases, to share their stories for the very first time.
Guests became part of an extended podcast family - and shared their family news with us. Wheelchair basketball players Laurie Williams and Robyn Love came on to talk about their engagement, then returned to tell us all about their pregnancy - which they found out about while in a Birmingham supermarket during last year's Commonwealth Games.
"Laurie and I met to get a coffee and were just looking for somewhere to do the pregnancy test where we wouldn't be interrupted, to be honest," Robyn said.
"So we found a toilet in Morrisons supermarket, and that's where we found out… and it was a bit surreal, bizarre!"
We took the podcast on the road too, to Edgbaston and Manchester Pride.
Year by year, we created a global community of listeners - joining us each week from as far afield as Peru and Norway - and grew into a show where you never knew who'd be stopping by for a chat.
Pick one episode, and you might hear Sebastian Vettel talking about the importance of allyship. Chose another, and it's Stephen Fry, rhapsodising about his love of cricket.
So if you're discovering us for the first time and need some help with where to start, here are four of our most memorable conversations since 2018.
The One with Osian Jones
‘I’ve had a lot of open, honest conversations'
When we started the podcast, we were talking with sportspeople who were already out publicly with their sexuality.
But as the show grew, we began to hear from those who hadn't yet taken that step, and wanted to do it with us.
To be trusted to share someone's story for the first time is an incredible honour - and we've been lucky enough to do it for swimmer Dan Jervis, shot putter Sophie McKinna, referee James Adcock and countless others in sport.
Hammer thrower Osian Jones is also on that list. The Welsh record-holder opened up about how the podcast helped him deal with internalised homophobia, and his desire to be visible to support others who were feeling the same way.
The powerful conversation resonated with many - including Sir Elton John, who phoned Jones the day after his appearance on the podcast to congratulate him on his decision.
"His agent phoned me first; I thought it was one of the boys back home joking," Jones told S4C afterwards.
"He'd seen the article; I was shocked.
"I phoned my mum after the agent phoned me and she thought it was someone pulling my leg."
The One with Lauren Price and Karriss Artingstall
Olympians Lauren Price and Karriss Artingstall speak to Steve Bunce on decision to turn pro
Our back catalogue is filled with amazing sportswomen - UFC star Molly McCann; Wales international footballer Hayley Ladd; Olympic judoka Natalie Powell;Katherine and Nat Sciver-Brunt… the list goes on.
And sometimes, you're lucky enough to get two in one episode, as Olympic gold medallist Lauren Price and Olympic bronze medallist Karriss Artingstall joined us to talk about their victories inside the ring, and falling in love with each other away from it.
You may get a tear in your eye as Lauren talks about the support she received from her grandparents to follow her Olympic dreams.
"My nan sends me motivational text messages the day before I box, even though she can't watch when I fight," she said. "They always said to me: Reach for the moon - if you fall short, you land on the stars."
And as for the mishap that Karriss experienced at her first-ever boxing session? Let's just say it's something you really do need to hear to believe.
The One with Bruce Mouat
Bruce Mouat joked that the hat he wore at the Winter Olympics in Beijing had "super powers" - and it ended up with its own Twitter account
Don't let the title of the podcast fool you.
Yes, the show features the LGBTQ+ community and its allies - but for the past five years, we've been telling amazing stories for anyone who wants to know what makes elite sportspeople tick.
For Impact Wrestling star Gisele Shaw, it's the feeling of having an audience in the palm of her hand.
For Nicholas Daines, it's the challenge of transitioning from an international gymnast to a Hollywood stunt-double who stood in for Harry Styles on the singer's latest blockbuster.
Olympic swimmer Mark Foster found that thrill in striving to be the fastest man in the world; and NRL rugby league referee Matt Cecchin discovered it after being applauded off by both sets of players in his final game.
And for curler Bruce Mouat, it was skippering his team to a silver medal at the Winter Olympics in China.
Speaking to us just days after he landed back in the UK, he discussed the whirlwind experience that was his first Games - including how it felt to see his trademark cap go viral - in a conversation that any sports fan, LGBTQ+ or not, couldn't help but relate to.
"I just felt we were so close to winning the gold, and that's obviously been the dream of mine for such a long time," he said. "We had such a good week. It was really annoying that we didn't get over the line, but getting that silver medal is so special as well."
The One with Keighley Cougars
Since rescuing Keighley Cougars, Ryan O'Neill (left) and husband Kaue Garcia (right) have returned the team to success while championing the LGBTQ+ community
We've been lucky enough to speak to our share of elite sportspeople over 300 episodes.
But just as important have been the stories of those in the boardroom or at grassroots level who are making sport more inclusive.
Those stories often come in in the most unexpected forms, like the Cornish language film telling the story of a closeted rugby player; or the surf club where LGBTQ+ folks don't have to hide who they are.
Sometimes, it's through inclusive teams with the most brilliant names - like Caledonian Thebans or Graces Cricket Club or Stargazy FC - or movements such as the Pride House initiative that had such success at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
And sometimes, it's through the vision of men such as Ryan O'Neill and Kaue Garcia, who took over the Keighley Cougars rugby league team when it was on the brink of collapse and restored it to its former glory by putting LGBTQ+ inclusivity at the centre of what the club does.
Pride flags fly year-round at Keighley Cougars since Ryan O'Neill and Kaue Garcia bought the club
The couple took a risk - as Yorkshireman Ryan and Brazilian Kaue, who live in London, were uncertain that Keighley would embrace the idea of rainbow flags at its rugby league ground.
Kaue said: "The instructions I'd had from Ryan when we first started going to Keighley was: 'We can't hold hands up north, it's not as open as in London.' He warned me of that. So it was worrying.
"We imagined the consequences of the crowd not supporting us or people not coming, but actually it was the biggest attendance that we had because people bought into it."
And with a number of successful Pride games under their belts and thousands of pounds raised for local LGBTQ+ charities, there's no doubt that the decision paid off.
The BBC's LGBT Sport Podcast marks its historic 300th episode today. You can hear it in full on BBC Sounds, with new episodes released every Wednesday.