Off the Ball (radio series)
| Running time | 120 minutes (afternoon show), 90 minutes (evening show) |
|---|---|
| Country | Scotland |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio Scotland |
| Hosted by | Stuart Cosgrove & Tam Cowan |
| Air dates | since 1995 |
| Opening theme | "Let Me Clear My Throat" by DJ Kool |
| Website | Off the Ball |
| Podcast | Off the Ball podcast |
Off the Ball is a radio show broadcast twice on Saturdays from 12:00pm - 2:00pm and around 5:35pm - 7:00pm on BBC Radio Scotland. It takes a satirical and sideways view at football in Scotland, self-styling itself as "The most petty and ill-informed football show on radio!".
Background
The show began in 1995 and is presented by Stuart Cosgrove and Tam Cowan and at least two weekly guests; one from the world of Scottish football and one from Scottish culture. Occasionally, other presenters will cover for Cosgrove or Cowan if they are not available.
Features
Features of the show include the Team of the Week, where listeners are invited to contribute players for a subject suggested by Cowan. For example, if the subject was "The Female Fashion XI", then players such as Alan Bra-zil and Lionel Dress-i would be in the team. In a long-running joke, former Clyde player Tommy Ring is almost always included in the team.
A song is always chosen to end the programme based on listeners' suggestions on a subject suggested by Cowan, usually related to a news event from that week. In the second show on a Saturday, a team or player of the day is chosen, and a song is also chosen as a tribute to that team or player.
Podcast
A weekly podcast of the show is produced and is available on a Saturday. It does not include any content from the evening programme. The show is also available on the BBC iPlayer for thirty days after the first broadcast.
Theme tune
The programme's theme tune is "Let Me Clear My Throat" by DJ Kool, followed by a snatch of the theme music from The Odd Couple.