UK Sporting Greats

Lewis Hamilton is one of the most interviewed people in the world, but beyond the champagne-soaked press conference soundbites, how well do you really know the F1 world champion? An interview from 2018 but offers insight to how the sport had shaped him, how his interests away from F1 keep him grounded and much, much more.

The power of being ‘bloody-minded’, with Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson. Tanni is a Paralympic legend who now sits in the House of Lords, and she credits much of her success to being bloody-minded. It’s all about having a stubborn streak, and not just taking no for an answer.

Sir Ben Ainslie is the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, with four golds and one silver medal over a 16 year period. Ben had the honour of being Team GB’s flag bearer for the London 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony, was knighted in 2013 and in the same year added the America’s Cup to his list of achievements, with victory in the most remarkable of comebacks. Ben is now the Team Principal and Skipper of British America’s Cup; INEOS Team UK.

Katherine Grainger on taking risks to achieve your life goals. Team GB’s most decorated female Olympian with 5 Olympic rowing medals (including Gold at London 2012). Katherine is now the Chair of UK Sport.

A brutally honest conversation with the world’s most successful ever jump jockey about life at the top of elite sport, and the struggle to find meaning when you walk away from it. Sir AP tells of his pact with the Devil, in living the highest of highs but knowing it can’t last forever, and details the lows that come with striving to be not just the best he could be, but the best anyone in the sport could ever be.

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John is joined by England legend Freddie Flintoff, who, in a candid conversation, reveals what life is like post-cricket.

Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill is an Olympic heptathlon gold medallist and a three-time world champion. This is a woman who knows what it takes to succeed at the very highest levels, and who has learned to process failure when she doesn’t win. A truly fascinating conversation about the psychology of competitiveness, the importance of loyalty and roots, how injury taught her the value of rest and how losing the 2011 World Championship to a woman who later turned out to be a drugs cheat fuelled Ennis-Hill’s desire to do better.

The former England fly half opens up on a range of topics about being an obsessive child which helped him develop his skillset, how before England games he would get so anxious he would not want to play and what it feels what he remembers about winning rugby’s biggest prize in 2003. Wilkinson also opens up on topics like how he would have kicking competitions with both of his feet, his mindset when it came to making big hits in the tackle and his initiation song after making his debut as a winger against Ireland.

Sir Chris Hoy won six Olympic gold medals during his dazzling cycling career, and he was World Champion 11 times. He was inspired to take up the sport after watching “ET”, and began in BMX before switching to track cycling. In this episode, Hoy talks about confidence and why self-doubt is normal. He talks about the value of preparation and perspective, and why dreaming big is an absolute must.