Share
The Socially Distant Sports Bar
258: The 5th Anniversary (Pt 2)
🎉 The Socially Distant Sports Bar – 5th Anniversary Special! 🎙️ Episode 258
Elis James (Elis & John, Oh What A Time), Mike Bubbins (Mammoth), and Steff Garrero are back for a very special episode – celebrating five incredible years of the podcast!
From our very first episode to now, it’s been five years of sporting chaos, niche nostalgia, and barely relevant tangents. This week, we’re marking the occasion in style:
🎸 Brand New Theme Tunes – The incredible Secret Guitarist has recorded fresh theme tunes just for us!
🎥 Live Stream Recording – Our Patreon members got to watch this episode recorded live!
🎂 Five Years of Nonsense – Half a decade of barely-researched sporting takes.
✨ THIS WEEK’S SHOW – Don’t Miss It!
This week, we’ve got everything:
⚽ Football tea troubles
🎸 College football anthems
📚 A must-read book which clearly isn’t about sports & an eye-opening sports doc
📌 PART 1 (OUT WEDNESDAY):
🫖 Duncan Ferguson Hates the Tea at Flint Town United – Turns out Big Dunc isn’t just tough on defenders… he’s got very strong opinions on a cuppa.
🤝 Roy Keane’s Reluctant Handshake – Peak Keano. A masterclass in absolute refusal.
🎶 Tom Petty’s "Won’t Back Down" at Florida Gators – An American sports anthem at its best. Goosebumps guaranteed.
📌 PART 2 (OUT FRIDAY):
📽️ Documentary – 26.2 to Life – A fascinating deep dive into the San Quentin Prison Marathon.
📖 Book – Postwar by Tony Judt – Elis’ pick this week is a monumental book on European history – sport might feature, but we can’t promise.
📌 PART 3 (PATREON EXCLUSIVE):
🎤 Sometimes Maybe Good… – One of the greatest football press conference moments of all time.
🏈 Jon Gruden on Andrew Luck – The most Gruden clip ever.
⚽ Shithousery at Dennis Bergkamp’s Testimonial – Even a testimonial isn’t safe from peak football nonsense.
🎧 How to Get Even More of the Pod
💡 Join Patreon for Bonus Content!
Want more clips, more chaos, and more laughs? Patreon is the best way to support the pod and get extra content every week:
🎙️ Bonus Episodes – 30 minutes of exclusive nonsense every week.
🎬 Hoffi Pod & Michael Owen’s Movie Club – Two of the best bonus pods, included in your membership.
🎁 Gift Memberships – Treat a mate to quality nonsense.
💰 Support the Pod – Every penny helps keep the show running (and funds Mike’s ever-growing collection of ‘70s leisurewear).
👉 Join the £8 or £10 Patreon tiers today and unlock it all!
🎥 Bonus Podcasts – Only on Patreon!
🍿 Michael Owen’s Movie Club – Reviewing sports films, from classics to absolute disasters. Expect strong opinions, dodgy acting, and a lot of unexpected tangents.
🎧 Hoffi Pod – Elis and Steff dig into their favourite non-sports clips, while Mike provides… let’s just call it enthusiastic commentary.
🚀 Why Wondery+?
Not into Patreon? Wondery+ gives you:
🔹 Early access – Listen every Tuesday before anyone else.
🔹 Ad-free episodes – Just the good stuff, no interruptions.
🎂 FIVE YEARS OF SPORTING NONSENSE – THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! 🎉
Here’s to the next five years… Enjoy the episode! 🎙️
We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!
If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇
More episodes
View all episodes
697. Darllen a Rhedeg (pt 2)
39:54||Ep. 697A weekly mix of sporting brilliance, nostalgia and complete nonsense.🎧 PART 2 (Early & Ad-Free)Mike Documentary:Final Siren: Inside the AFLhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B0GHP5F7Q3/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_rElis Book:Austerity Britain — David Kynastonhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Austerity-Britain-1945-1951-Tales-Jerusalem/dp/0747599238AND Alternative Wales https://www.alternativewales.com/shop696. Darllen a Rhedeg (pt 1)
01:07:50||Ep. 696This week on The Socially Distant Sports Bar, Elis James, Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero bring you another batch of sporting clips, chaos and commentary — from world-class brilliance to complete nonsense.🎧 PART 1Elis: Tadej Pogacar is the greatesthttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DWOPjUeieCR/?igsh=aXh4ZmhqNHNsb3pshttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DWLtnkrAaEF/?igsh=MWp6NzQ4bW8xNDR5aw==Steff: Harry Styleshttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DUsge_gDACm/?igsh=MWppZ2ltdGVqcXdvdA==Mike: Every Sports Dochttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DVnFBqAk2Yx/?igsh=N3RyNjVmNDE2cXIx695. Searching: Pint Size
09:34||Ep. 695Welcome to Pint-Sized Distant Pod. We’ve been back through our archive of episodes and picked out some of our favourite stories, anecdotes, and funny bits.If you’re new to the pod, these are a perfect way to dip your toe in and then dive back into the full episodes from our early days.This is from Episode 228: It’s Kissing Time693. Night One at The New Theatre (Pt 2)
52:24||Ep. 693Night One at The New Theatre (Pt 2)Part 2 of our LIVE Cardiff show — and the crowd (and hosts) are a few drinks deeper…https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-liveFeaturing:Steff: Hull KR crowdhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DU85KI8DsbY/?igsh=MWlqMzJ3eG9xdWFkZA==Steff: Perfect for Runninghttps://www.youtube.com/shorts/DkRc0SIdO0kElis: High Jumphttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DVrDTyAjio4/?igsh=Y3liMWRsMzEyMGYz👉 For Part 3 (Q&A), subscribe on Apple Podcasts.692. Night One at The New Theatre (Pt 1)
45:22||Ep. 692Night One at The New Theatre (Pt 1)Elis James – the king of Welsh podcasting – joins forces with TV’s Tony Mammoth, Mike Bubbins, and ARIA award-winning producer Steff Garrero for a LIVE episode of The Socially Distant Sports Bar, recorded at the New Theatre in Cardiff in front of a sold-out crowd.🚨 LAST REMAINING LIVE DATES 🚨London's Hackney Empire TONIGHT is the ONLY show left — and tickets are almost gone.https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-liveThis is Part 1 — the first half of the show, with:Mike: Golfhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DVedLLGksz8/?igsh=cDk5a25ieDg4Mm91Elis: Sir Alechttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DV7J6eOgsQf/?igsh=MWlsNTJlNnFyZWxyeQ%3D%3DMike: Karmahttps://youtube.com/shorts/bIXPZwGUgW4?si=Jk3u2KnMWNK0mYnE👉 Want the full episode (including Part 3 Q&A)?Subscribe on Apple Podcasts.691. He Has Risen: Pint Size
08:56||Ep. 691Welcome to Pint-Sized Distant Pod. We’ve been back through our archive of episodes and picked out some of our favourite stories, anecdotes, and funny bits.If you’re new to the pod, these are a perfect way to dip your toe in and then dive back into the full episodes from our early days.This is from Episode 211Come and see us LIVE in London on Tuesday and Wednesday https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live689. Mainland (pt 2)
27:16||Ep. 689Episode 305: MainlandStill gloriously obsessed with sport’s weirdest, funniest and most fascinating moments, Distant Pod continues to documentaries and books that make sport so compelling.🎟️ Hackney tickets - see us live next weekhttps://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live🎤 Mike tour:https://mikebubbins.com/❤️ Tops Off Vic fundraiser:https://www.justgiving.com/page/kelly-bubbins-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=EM&utm_campaign=020🎧 PART 2Steff’s documentary this week is The Track, a deep dive into Bosnia and the luge.https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B0G5647BLG/ref=atv_sr_fle_c_sr09b671_1_1_1?sr=1-1&pageTypeIdSource=ASIN&pageTypeId=B0G56Q2S17&qid=1772611735930Mike’s book this week is slightly closer to home — Mike’s Wales Youth Rugby Programme... Bubbs' Sliding Doors moment.🔒 Join Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Podcasts for early access, ad-free listening, and Part 3 every week as a bonus episode.688. Mainland (pt 1)
01:16:27||Ep. 688Episode 305: MainlandThree hundred episodes in and still finding brilliance in the strangest corners of sport, Distant Pod is the weekly podcast where Elis James, Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero bring you the best clips, books and documentaries they’ve found.🎟️ Watch us live in Hackney:https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live🎤 Mike is on tour in 2026:https://mikebubbins.com/❤️ Donate in memory of podcast legend Tops Off Vic:https://www.justgiving.com/page/kelly-bubbins-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=EM&utm_campaign=020🎧 PART 1Mike kicks things off with Tiger vs Boulder, a clip that perfectly captures the unpredictability (and occasional absurdity) of nature meeting sport.https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUTUF39EfBb/?igsh=MXg0NmdidHQzYWprZg=Elis brings a nostalgic gem — “And Ninian Park looks more like the San Siro!”https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ny-Za-ryGukSteff rounds out Part 1 with a pair of clips from Canadahttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DUyT1FQDtoX/?igsh=dzdrZGx3enQycmx6https://www.youtube.com/shorts/naGpZhyJP0s🔒 Subscribe to Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Podcasts for early, ad-free Parts 1 & 2 — plus Part 3 as exclusive bonus content every week.687. Veg: Pint Size
15:37||Ep. 687Welcome to Pint-Sized Distant Pod. We’ve been back through our archive of episodes and picked out some of our favourite stories, anecdotes, and funny bits.If you’re new to the pod, these are a perfect way to dip your toe in and then dive back into the full episodes from our early days.Come and see us LIVE in London in April https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-live