Share

The Socially Distant Sports Bar
276: See You Next Wednesday (Pt 2)
🎙️ Episode 276: See You Next Wednesday
🏆 WE NEED YOUR VOTE!
The British Podcast Awards – Listeners’ Choice is open, and we’d love your support.
👉 Vote here (takes 30 seconds): britishpodcastawards.com/voting
Every vote helps more people discover our nonsense. Thank you!
📍 PART 1
🪆 Steff – Blue Peter & the Kevin Keegan doll
▶️ Watch it
🗞️ Elis – Sky Sports breaking news like you’ve never seen before
▶️ Watch here
🏉 Mike – The legend of Billy Boston, a true great of rugby league
▶️ Watch here
📍 PART 2
📺 Mike’s Documentary: The Fall of Favre
The spectacular and controversial downfall of NFL icon Brett Favre.
▶️ Watch on Netflix
📖 Elis’ Book: Veni, Vidi, Vici: When Italian Football Ruled Europe by Dominic Hougham
▶️ Buy the book
📍 PART 3
🏏 Mike – Home run with a cricket bat – physics defied, rules optional
▶️ Watch here
📼 Elis – Maradona warming up for the 1994 World Cup like only he could
▶️ Watch
🥏 Steff – The explosive, chaotic joy of Tejo, Colombia’s national sport
▶️ Watch here
🎟️ THE 2026 LIVE TOUR – TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
We’re taking this mess on the road in 2026 – join us live!
📍 Tour Dates:
- Fri 20 March – Cardiff, New Theatre
- Sat 21 March – Cardiff, New Theatre
- Tue 7 April – London, Hackney Empire
- Wed 8 April – London, Hackney Empire
- Fri 24 April – Carmarthen, Lyric Theatre
🎫 Tickets: distantpod.com/live
🚀 GET MORE ON PATREON
đź’Ą Bonus content in every episode
🎬 Michael Owen’s Movie Club
🎤 Hoffi Pod
🎟️ Early live show access
🧡 Gift subscriptions
👉 Join here: patreon.com/distantpod
The Socially Distant Sports Bar – like a sports podcast, if the sport was optional.
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

712. LIVE at the Hackney Empire (Pt 1)
50:50||Ep. 712Elis James (Elis James & John Robins), Mike Bubbins (Mammoth) and Steff Garrero bring you a LIVE episode of The Socially Distant Sports Bar, recorded at the iconic Hackney Empire in London in front of a "packed" audience.This is Distant Pod on stage — bigger, louder and slightly more chaotic.PART 1The first half of the live show, as the lads ease into proceedings before things inevitably escalate.Elis: Robot Warshttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DWW_DmXiI_z/?igsh=MWZ4ZDVpcm5xNGx3OQ%3D%3DMike: Actors can’t throwhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DWjvy9YibzB/?igsh=MTFxYXhpN2VnY3RoOQ==Steff: March Madnesshttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DWjWd0LjoVh/?igsh=MWh5aWN1NTNvdGw3Yw==👉 For early, ad‑free listening and the live Q&A, subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
711. Danny Wallace: Pint Size
07:44||Ep. 711Welcome 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 “Danny Wallace”
709. Steaming Cocks (pt 2)
43:48||Ep. 709Elis James (Elis James & John Robins), Mike Bubbins (Mammoth) and producer Steff Garrero return for another episode of The Socially Distant Sports Bar. 👉 For early, ad‑free listening and bonus content, subscribe on Apple Podcasts.Part 2 slows things down — slightly — for a classic Sports Bar deeper dive.PART 2 Mike Documentary: Ivor AllchurchA look at the “Golden Boy of Welsh Football” — a Swansea and Newcastle legend who represented Wales at the 1958 World Cup.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxyTRf8qTJgElis Book / Reading: Phil Stead’s SubstackThoughtful sports writing and football culture essays, recommended by Elis.https://philstead.substack.com/
708. Steaming Cocks (pt 1)
01:08:56||Ep. 708Elis James (Elis James & John Robins), Mike Bubbins (Mammoth) and producer Steff Garrero return for another episode of The Socially Distant Sports Bar — where sport, culture and conversational cul‑de‑sacs collide.👉 For early, ad‑free listening and bonus content, subscribe on Apple Podcasts.PART 1The lads catch up on the week before wandering into a discussion that starts with sport and ends somewhere deep inside a Carry On film.Mike and Elis take in an England cricketer having a go at Major League Baseball, Elis continues his fascination with cockles, and things slowly spiral from there.Mike: Hockey at 81https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWOnZwHjV4V/?igsh=MTF6OGx3aXV4czNmZQ==Elis: Jon Welsh lives every prop’s dream — very brieflyhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DXCgqWxhgTI/?igsh=aW03eWM1cXh1MHl5Steff: Harry Brook tries his hand at baseballhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tleXz33ilb4
707. GloboPod: Pint Size
10:50||Ep. 707Welcome 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 “Sugared Alpen”
705. Heseltine’s Mace (pt 2)
36:40||Ep. 705Elis James, Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero return with another episode of The Socially Distant Sports Bar — a podcast that uses sport to talk about life, culture, history and whatever else comes up.Part 2 of this week’s episode — a documentary and a book used mainly as springboards for stories and digressions.PART 2 Steff Documentary: Carts of DarknessA cult documentary following people experiencing homelessness in Vancouver, who race shopping carts down steep hills while collecting bottles — blending danger, humour and a deeply human look at life on the edge of society.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi-f_J6hV-gMike Book: Gypsy Jem Mace by Jeremy PoolmanA boxing biography Mike chose on the podcast over a year ago — and still hasn’t finished reading.https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/gypsy-jem-mace-book-jeremy-poolman-9780233002255
704. Heseltine’s Mace (pt 1)
58:43||Ep. 704Elis James, Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero return with another trip to The Socially Distant Sports Bar — catching up on life, sport and culture with strong opinions and zero expertise.PART 1Elis and Mike catch up on their week, with the usual modern cultural references of Michael Heseltine and Karen Carpenter, before diving into the sporting moments that caught their attention.Elis: Reflecting on the career of Aaron Ramseyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pki069juAH8Mike: Emma Hayes on understanding menstrual cycles in elite women’s sporthttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DW7ZwC6P-ZC/?igsh=MW44M3JibXNvdGo1aQ==Steff: Diego Maradona — and his unique relationship with the footballhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqzXw3fygBg👉 For early, ad‑free listening and bonus content, subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
703. Darts: Pint Size
16:45||Ep. 703Welcome 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 “Stuck In The Middle With Poo”
671. You're The 2nd Richest Man I Know (pt 2)
34:21||Ep. 671Part 2 of this week’s episode — where the lads go deeper into the stories behind sport.🎧 PART 2 Elis Documentary: The Overlap – Gareth Balehttps://youtu.be/4HgfuJZVLHU?si=AAo7eHu2TliEND_4Steff Book: Runner’s World (Harry Styles edition)https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/motivation/a70591239/harry-styles-marathon-haruki-murakami/?HearstNode=4F5F33FA2B5A7B34D4836F928AC01875D0201F6E0AB1D217C710F7BBF55D826D&utm_source=crm&utm_term=SUBS_N&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=RNW_N_20260303_HS👉 For early, ad-free listening + Part 3 bonus content, subscribe to Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Podcasts.