The Good, The Bad & The Rugby
James Haskell swaps a rugby ball for a live mic as he takes his world famous podcast on tour this spring
The worldβs biggest rugby podcast will tour the UK and Ireland, bringing the banter and chat the podcast is famous for to the stage, with βThe Badβ James joined by fellow England hero Mike Tindall (The Rugby) and former Sky Sports rugby presenter Alex Payne (The Good). The live tour is the first ever outing for the hit podcast which, since launching in summer 2020, has grown to become the UKβs top sporting podcast, with more than 3million listeners and 20million-plus viewers online.
How did the podcast originally come about β and why you, Mike and Alex?
I knew Mike from our England days, and we both knew Alex through his work with Sky and we came together to work on JOE Mediaβs House of Rugby podcast. Our chemistry just worked really well, so we took it from there for the new podcast.
Most memorable moment on the podcast?
All the live shows have been pretty special. Interacting with the audience while also chatting to our guests is a great thing to do. Weβve got well over 10million downloads, we have an average listener time of an hour and 20 minutes β which is pretty much unheard of, so weβre clearly getting it right.
Whatβs your favourite thing about The Good, The Bad & The Rugby β and how will that translate to the live show?
For us, itβs a rugby podcast that doesnβt talk about rugbyβ¦ Itβs about the people and the stories behind the scenes and the worlds we live in. Giving people a look at worlds they wouldnβt have seen before, and we are at the heart of that as people who enjoy what they are doing and sharing the personalities of it all.
The whole idea is that itβs entertainment, stories, details, previously unheard anecdotes and humour. Although it has rugby at the core, itβs not necessarily a podcast for people who love rugby.
You launched The Good, The Bad & The Rugby right in the middle of the pandemic. How did that impact the podcast?
We created The Good, The Bad & The Rugby because we wanted to share something with people. And we went ahead despite all the challenges of lockdowns and Covid-19 as a way of showing that the world would go on. When we started, the overarching feedback was that we were helping detract from the horrible things and sadness going on, and we were helping peopleβs mental health. We harnessed that and went with it. For us, we do something very different [to most podcasts] as itβs visual. Itβs live, itβs entertainment, itβs so much more than a podcast. When it came to series two, I refused to do any more Zooms, I hated it and wanted to be with people, live. Iβm a natural giant show off and performer and that was important for me. We got back into the studio and back to what we wanted to do with The Good, The Bad & The Rugby. We had missed each other. It was great online but itβs really gone up a notch back in person.
Do you miss the rugby life β or does the podcast help fill that void?
Iβll be honest, itβs been really important for me. I canβt stand still, Iβm a workaholic, and the podcast kept me involved with rugby β without damaging myself anymore. I have other things I do; my fifth book came out at the end of 2021 and I did some live shows with that, and my DJing, itβs all going pretty well. But itβs the podcast thatβs changed peopleβs opinions of me as weβve shone a light on some important issues within sport β such as menβs mental health, the welfare of players in particular with issues surrounding concussion, and exposing imbalances in the game, as well as the unfair treatment of the Pacific Island nations. Weβve been able to get people to come forward and talk about these things, and thatβs been a great impact that weβre really proud of.
What can listeners and fans expect from the live show?
Entertainment, humour, fun, exciting. Stories never heard before. Guests to blow them away.
Youβre used to performing on the pitch in front of thousands of people. But how do you feel about the more intimate setting of a theatre β getting close up and face to face with the crowd?
Iβm probably the most used to it from the three of us β doing my own tour shows, stand-up, speaking events, DJing, Iβve done a lot of βstageβ type work solo since retiring. Whereas, with playing rugby youβre on a team, the crowds are fun and you know youβre not on your own. Actually, a theatre-type audience is where Iβm now most happy and comfortable. If Iβm invited to a dinner, I hate just being a guest β I find the schmoozing and small talk awkward, and I wonβt go if Iβm not actually doing something.
Away from the podcast, what keeps you busy?
Lately itβs been writing and then promoting my book Ruck Me, thatβs been a big project. I have my own podcast too, as well as The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, music producing and DJing, and supporting the charities I work with.
Who will be the most entertaining / shocking / revealing on the tour?
Me! Actually, itβll be fun to see how we do all adapt to the live audiences β so who knows how itβll turn outβ¦
Tickets are on sale now from www.cuffeandtaylor.com
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE RUGBY - LIVE
Sunday 1st May β LIVERPOOL, Empire Theatre
Wednesday 4th May β CARDIFF, St Davidβs Hall
Friday 6th May β MANCHESTER, Bridgewater Hall
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