麻豆社

'Sixty Years of Hurt with David Baddiel' explores the meaning of England and Englishness through the history of the England Men鈥檚 Football team. This is a social and cultural history as much as a sporting one, examining the story England tells about itself and how it's changed, via the medium of the international game.

鈥淔ootball is singularly the most important cultural institution in the country for defining Englishness鈥� says Historian David Goldblatt, as the series begins looking at the most famous moment in English football 鈥� the world cup win in 1966. Comedian, writer and football fan, David Baddiel, sees how the victory adorned swinging London, and yet the characters in the team spoke to a very different kind of England. David also travels back to the very origins of the game in England (discovering that Henry VIII had a pair of football boots), checks in with Elis James for a view from Wales, and muses on the meaning of national anthems.

The series delves deep into how national myths are both forged and reflected in the fate of eleven young men with three lions on their shirts. It takes in the view from England鈥檚 sporting rivals, from Wales to Argentina, and asks what light the success of England鈥檚 Woman casts on the story of England鈥檚 Men.

Across the series, David Baddiel will be joined by contributors including Stephen Fry, Alex James, Maisie Adam, Elis James, Barney Ronay, Roy Williams, Des Lynam, Stuart Pearce, Jean Williams, David Goldblatt, Pippa Grange, Jonathan Wilson, David Seaman, Omid Djalili and many more.

Sixty Years of Hurt with David Baddiel is produced by 麻豆社 Studios Audio for 麻豆社 Radio 4, in collaboration with Left Bank Pictures who are producing the upcoming drama Dear England for 麻豆社 iPlayer and 麻豆社 One.