The Good, the Bad and the Rugby launches

Fair Oak, Hampshire, England—The Good, The Bad & The Rugby is a brand-new, weekly rugby show with familiar fan favourites, Sky Sports presenter, Alex Payne, and former professional rugby players, James Haskell and Mike Tindall. Over the past two years, the trio have collaborated on the award-winning House of Rugby podcast and YouTube show that
attracted almost 200,000 listeners and viewers per week, making it the biggest of its kind in the world. The guys went beyond just being the faces of the show; they became it. For that reason, the team have decided to now go it alone and launch: “The Good, The Bad & The Rugby.”

The magic of the show is undoubtedly the dynamic that exists between our three hosts, its broad audience appeal, and the calibre of famous guests. This is a rugby show at its core but offers so much more. There is no defining an episode, no silly gimmicks, it’s simply a collection of real and raw human stories, a rollercoaster of emotions slotted into an hour. Alex, James and Mike are now relaunching the show under new management, with a new name: The Good, The Bad & The Rugby.

Every week, the panel are joined by different guests, ranging from fellow rugby legends to TV and entertainment stars from around the world. Working together with the team at 21Six Sport, Alex, James and Mike are planning to drive the show forward from being an exceptional sports podcast to a serious challenger for the number-one spot in the UK podcast ratings.

The first episode launches on 12 August 2020 and is set to be an absolute blockbuster with England’s head coach, Eddie Jones, as the first guest. Each episode will go live on Wednesday afternoons, with rugby fans being able to listen on all major podcast platforms and watch the full episode on YouTube. Show highlights will also go out across the show’s Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram channels, and will be supported by live Q&As with the panel and exclusive rugby competitions and content.

Alex Payne

Alex Payne is an experienced television presenter and event host.  In 16 years with Sky Sports, he has spent six years presenting on Sky Sports News as well as fronting Sky’s live tennis and poker.  He has spent 10 years as the lead presenter on their rugby union coverage, covering three Lions tours, England internationals and the domestic and European game.   Alongside his television work he has been involved with podcasts for JOE.co.uk, Sky, The Times and O2 and hosted events for Guinness, Société Générale, HSBC, QBE, Heineken, Help for Heroes and the NSPCC among others.  Alex is also the founder of tech start up ‘TheRoom.io’.  He is happy to admit he is living his dream.

James Haskell

James Haskell is one of the best know Rugby players and sports people in the UK. Having gained 77 caps for his country as well as playing around the world, James is known as much for his ability on the field as his personality off it. Having retired in 2019 James is pursuing a career as a professional DJ and cage fighter in the Bellator organization. Alongside these he spends a large amount of his time speaking on several topics from straight after dinner work, to serious motivation and leadership. He is also extremely comfortable hosting and being an auctioneer for any event.

Having appeared on shows such as I’m a celeb, The chase, A league of their own, question of sport, fighting talk and various other mainstream shows. James has transcended from the world of rugby into mainstream entertainment. James is also a published author of 3 books, including the best seller Perfect Fit. He has rugby guide focused on young adults called Rugby Fit, A cook book – Cooking For fitness and perfect fit, a training bible for both Fat loss and muscle gain.

Mike Tindall

Mike Tindall is a renowned retired international Rugby Union player, with caps for England, Barbarians, Bath RFC and Gloucester RFC.  Mike’s premiership career spanned 17 years, joining Bath RFC at just 18 years old. After 8 years with Bath RFC, Mike moved to Gloucester RFC where he played both 12 and 13. Playing for the England from 2000 to 2011, Mike featured as a core component of the 2003 Rugby World Cup winning squad and later went on to captain his national team. He was selected for the Barbarians squad on their short tour in May 2012 against England, Ireland, Gloucester and Wales. In May 2013, Tindall captained the Barbarians against England, and was named a replacement for the Barbarians against the British and Irish Lions as part of a 2013 trip to Australia.

Since his retirement from professional rugby in 2014, Mike has played for his local amateur club, Minchinhampton RFC. Not being one to shy away from a challenge, in 2015 Mike became a finalist on both The Jump and Bear Grylls: Mission Survive.  Mike continues to hold an active role in domestic and international sport in several ways through punditry on a range of TV and radio outlets including talkSPORT, BBC Radio 5Live, BT Sport and BeIN Sports. He has also been one third of the popular House of Rugby podcast which attracted a cult following becoming the second-biggest sports podcast in the UK. Away from the sports field, Mike is actively involved in raising money for The Cure Parkinson’s Trust, Matt Hampson Foundation, Right to Play and Rugby for Heroes.