The Rise of Olympism
Claire visits Rugby School, which can claim to be the birthplace of the modern Olympics.
- 15 mins
- 30 Jan 2012
BBC Sounds - Sport and the British - Available Episodes
Sport and the British
Clare Balding presents a 30-part series charting how sport has shaped the British and how Britain has shaped sport
Episodes (30 Available)
A Level Playing FieldUnlike the French, was it our bonding love of cricket that prevented a revolution?
- 15 mins
- 31 Jan 2012
The Bare Fists of BoxingClare Balding explores the importance of boxing to the 19th-century alpha male.
- 15 mins
- 01 Feb 2012
The Unsporting Side of SportSport and gambling are inextricably linked, especially when it comes to horse racing.
- 15 mins
- 02 Feb 2012
The Making of MenClare visits Rugby School to discover why it produced men fit to run the empire.
- 15 mins
- 03 Feb 2012
Playing Like LadiesClare discovers the freedom that Victorian public school girls found on the sports field.
- 15 mins
- 06 Feb 2012
The Corinthian IdealClare Balding explores the founding of the Football Association in 1863.
- 15 mins
- 07 Feb 2012
The Formal EmpireClare Balding reveals that sport was the glue that helped keep the British Empire together
- 15 mins
- 08 Feb 2012
The Dawn of Professional FootballClare Balding tells the story of how football went from an amateur pastime to big business
- 15 mins
- 09 Feb 2012
Exporting FootballClare Balding charts how Britain spread the passion for football around the world.
- 15 mins
- 10 Feb 2012
Rugby's Great SplitClare Balding tells a story of lies, expulsions and bigotry when rugby split in two.
- 15 mins
- 13 Feb 2014
Tennis and Golf in SuburbiaClare Balding discovers how tennis and golf clubs were borne of Victorian middle classes.
- 15 mins
- 14 Feb 2012
Fighting BackClare Balding looks at the relationship between boxing and Britain's ethnic minorities.
- 15 mins
- 15 Feb 2012
Women Between the WarsClare Balding discovers how working women were finally given their sporting chance.
- 15 mins
- 16 Feb 2012
A Bit of a FlutterClare Balding looks at the role gambling has played in our relationship with sport.
- 15 mins
- 17 Feb 2012
Cricket and the English HeroClare investigates the role our sporting heroes play in shaping national identity.
- 15 mins
- 20 Feb 2012
Anyone But EnglandClare Balding explores the role football has played in shaping Scottish national identity.
- 15 mins
- 21 Feb 2012
Welsh Rugby and Its National HeroesClare Balding explores the role rugby has played in shaping Welsh national identity.
- 15 mins
- 22 Feb 2012
Ireland, Politics on the PitchClare Balding is at Croke Park in Dublin to discover how Ireland developed its own sports.
- 15 mins
- 23 Feb 2012
Ireland, North of the BorderClare is in Belfast to explore the impact that the Troubles had on sport in the region.
- 15 mins
- 24 Feb 2012
