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The Socially Distant Sports Bar
264: Max Rushden (Pt 1)
Elis James (Elis & John, Oh What A Time), Mike Bubbins (Mammoth), and Steff Garrero return with another round of top-tier sporting nonsense, barely researched takes, and an absolutely brilliant special guest.
“Like a sports podcast, if the sport was optional.”
✨ This Week’s Special Guest – Max Rushden!
If you’ve enjoyed our guest episodes with Chesney Hawkes, Josh Widdicombe, or Sam Warburton, you’re in for a treat.
This week we welcome Max Rushden — broadcaster, podcaster, football obsessive, and all-round good guy.
Max is the long-running host of Guardian Football Weekly, where he teams up with our friend Barry Glendenning for football chat, laughs, and chaos.
He’s also recently launched a new podcast with comedian David O’Doherty called What Did You Do Yesterday?, where they interview fascinating guests about a completely ordinary day.
Max’s broadcasting career has spanned BBC Radio 5 Live, talkSPORT, Channel 4’s Jump Off, and iconic years hosting Sky’s Soccer AM.
Known for his wit, love of the underdog, and eye for the ridiculous, Max fits right in at the Distant Pod.
🎟️ We’re Going on Tour in 2026!
We’re hitting the road with a brand-new live show in 2026!
Tickets on general sale now – head to distantpod.com/live for all the details.
📍 Tour Dates:
- Fri 20 March 2026 – Cardiff, New Theatre
- Sat 21 March 2026 – Cardiff, New Theatre
- Tue 7 April 2026 – London, Hackney Empire
- Wed 8 April 2026 – London, Hackney Empire
- Fri 24 April 2026 – Carmarthen, Lyric Theatre
🎉 This Week’s Show – Don’t Miss It!
Max has brought some absolute gems to the show:
🥫 Baked Beans, Penalties – Max and Charlie Baker
🐎 Man Versus Beast
Yes, humans really raced animals on TV in 2003. No, we can’t quite believe it either.
⛸️ Steven Bradbury – Australian Speed Skating Gold, 2002
The greatest underdog gold medal of all time.
(Yes, Joe Marler wishes he picked it, but no, it wasn’t actually his choice. And yes, technically Steff picked it for a live stream, but… we’ve lost the tapes.)
📖 A Little Extra Gift from Max
Max also shared this brilliant nostalgic piece that perfectly fits the vibe of the pod:
🔗 Vonk, Zoeller, Tomba… The Joy of Sporting Names (The Guardian)
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🎉 Another week of sport, nostalgia, and nonsense — only on The Socially Distant Sports Bar!
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Live shows are coming!
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675. Gareth Bale: Pint Size
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01:04:34||Ep. 672Episode 301: Mr SassoonOver 300 episodes in and still finding sporting gold in the strangest corners of the internet, Distant Pod is the weekly podcast where Elis James, Mike Bubbins, and Steff Garrero dive into the best (and worst) clips, documentaries, books, and sporting moments they’ve discovered that week. From iconic brilliance to complete nonsense, it’s a fast-moving, funny tour through sport and culture — with zero expertise required and strong opinions guaranteed.🏃♂️ CHARITY RUNSteff finished the Tokyo Marathon for Orchid Cancer on Sunday, raising vital funds for men’s cancer research and support.👉 Donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-podcast-5🎧 PART 1 – Episode 301 (Free)Mike: Jimmy on Bill Belichickhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DUElmtCD6C6/Mike: LT on Bill Belichickhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DUCN1c9DwfA/Elis: The only Wales try of the 1995 Five Nationshttps://www.facebook.com/share/v/181HjGn2SP/Steff: Nutterhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkVZm5UuXIs🔒 Want more? Join Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Subscriptions for early, ad-free Parts 1 & 2 — plus Part 3 exclusively as bonus content.671. KenCafé: Pint Size
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58:57||Ep. 668Distant Pod is a weekly podcast where Elis James, Mike Bubbins, and Steff Garrero dive into the best (and worst) clips, documentaries, books, and sporting moments they’ve discovered that week. From iconic brilliance to complete nonsense, each episode is a fast-moving, funny tour through sport, culture, and the strange corners of the internet — with zero expertise required and strong opinions guaranteed.🏃♂️ CHARITY RUNSteff is running the Tokyo Marathon for Orchid Cancer, raising vital funds for men’s cancer research and support.👉 Donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-podcast-5🎧 PART 1 – Episode 300 (Free)Elis: Sign languagehttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DTmdmaxCsBP/Steff: No tracksuitshttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DSphmvCCsWD/Mike: Kirk Cousinshttps://www.instagram.com/reels/DSYbctrjBG4/🔒 Want more? Join Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Subscriptions for early, ad-free Parts 1 & 2 — plus Part 3 exclusively as bonus content.667. Paul McCartney: Pint Size
07:35||Ep. 667Welcome 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 one is from Episode 171: Gordon Smart, Live in Islington (a)Check out our brand-new merch store here: 🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.comGrab a mug, hoodie, t-shirt (or all three!) and help keep the pod going in style.665. Mario (pt 2)
26:11||Ep. 665Distant Pod is a weekly podcast where Elis James, Mike Bubbins, and Steff Garrero dive into the best (and worst) clips, documentaries, books, and sporting moments they’ve discovered that week.🏃♂️ CHARITY RUNSteff is running the Tokyo Marathon for Orchid Cancer.👉 Donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-podcast-5🎧 PART 2 – Episode 299 Mike’s documentary pick: Terry Yorathhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b08ps93gElis’s book pick: Test Cricket: A History — Tim Wigmorehttps://amzn.to/4rzgpvu🔒 Upgrade to Apple Subscriptions (Distant Pod Bonus Club) for early, ad-free Parts 1 & 2 — and get Part 3 as exclusive bonus content.664. Mario (pt 1)
01:02:46||Ep. 664Distant Pod is a weekly podcast where Elis James, Mike Bubbins, and Steff Garrero dive into the best (and worst) clips, documentaries, books, and sporting moments they’ve discovered that week. From iconic brilliance to complete nonsense, each episode is a fast-moving, funny tour through sport, culture, and the strange corners of the internet — with zero expertise required and strong opinions guaranteed.🏃♂️ CHARITY RUNSteff is running the Tokyo Marathon for Orchid Cancer, raising vital funds for men’s cancer research and support.👉 Donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/the-socially-distant-sports-bar-podcast-5🎧 PART 1 – Episode 299 Mike’s clip: Osi and Jasonhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DTtOnBODPNI/Elis’s clip: Cantrell Farm, mid-90shttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DTfD_ECiY_H/Steff’s clips: Making Golf Balls (1966 & 2010s)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-0U_R8zwkkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUjV0ipBvJY🔒 Want more? Join Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Subscriptions to get Parts 1 & 2 early and ad-free — plus Part 3 exclusively as bonus content.