Fighting Talk

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title: "Fighting Talk" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["bbc-radio-5-live-programmes", "bbc-radio-comedy-programmes", "2003-radio-programme-debuts", "british-panel-games", "british-radio-game-shows", "2000s-british-game-shows", "2010s-british-game-shows", "british-sports-radio-programmes"] description: "UK radio program" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_Talk" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary UK radio program ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox Radio Show"]

Field	Value
show_name	Fighting Talk
image	NewFightingTalkLogo.jpg
other_names	FT
format	Sports panel game
runtime	50 minutes (approx)
country	UK
language	English
home_station	BBC Radio 5 Live
presenter	Current
Rick Edwards
Former
Johnny Vaughan
Christian O'Connell
Colin Murray
Matt Johnson
Jonathan Pearce
Georgie Thompson
Josh Widdicombe
record_location	MediaCityUK (Salford Quays), Salford, Greater Manchester
producer	Simon Crosse
Charley Copsey
Mike Holt
first_aired	4 October 2003{{cite web
url	https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/09_september/29/vaughan_fighting_talk.shtml
title	Johnny Vaughan's Fighting Talk starts on Radio Five Live
date	29 September 2003
last_aired	Present
num_series	15
opentheme	Sabotage by Beastie Boys
website	Official website
podcast	Fighting Talk Podcast
::

| show_name = Fighting Talk | image = NewFightingTalkLogo.jpg | imagesize = | caption = | other_names = FT | format = Sports panel game | runtime = 50 minutes (approx) | country = UK | language = English | home_station = BBC Radio 5 Live | presenter = Current Rick Edwards Former Johnny Vaughan Christian O'Connell Colin Murray Matt Johnson Jonathan Pearce Georgie Thompson Josh Widdicombe | audio_format = | record_location = MediaCityUK (Salford Quays), Salford, Greater Manchester | creator = | producer = Simon Crosse Charley Copsey Mike Holt | first_aired = 4 October 2003{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/09_september/29/vaughan_fighting_talk.shtml |title = Johnny Vaughan's Fighting Talk starts on Radio Five Live |date= 29 September 2003 |access-date = 27 March 2007 |publisher = BBC — Press Office}} | last_aired = Present | num_series = 15 | num_episodes = | opentheme = Sabotage by Beastie Boys | endtheme = | website = Official website | podcast = Fighting Talk Podcast Fighting Talk is a topical sports show broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live during the English football season. The show is broadcast on Saturday mornings for an hour between 11:00 and 12:00 and is currently presented by Rick Edwards.

Its first series was broadcast in October 2003, presented by Johnny Vaughan. Later series were presented by Christian O'Connell and Colin Murray.

The show has twice won Gold Sony Radio Academy Awards in the sports programme category, in 2006 and 2011. In 2011, judges described the show as "like a modern version of old-fashioned Music Hall".

Format

Listener participation

Prizes were suspended during Series 5 due to the BBC's blanket ban on hosting phone-in competitions, which came as a result of various phone-in and interactive voting scandals.

History

The first series began in October 2003 and was hosted by Johnny Vaughan. The inaugural show featured a panel consisting of Greg Brady, Will Buckley, Bradley Walsh and the eventual winner, Stan Collymore. After the first series ended in April 2004, Vaughan left to present the Capital FM breakfast show.

Christian O'Connell was the show's second presenter,{{cite web | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/05_may/27/oconnell.shtml | title = Christian O'Connell to host Fighting Talk on Radio Five Live | date = 27 May 2004 |access-date = 13 June 2007 |publisher=BBC — Press Office}} and completed a successful second series from 2004 to 2005, culminating in a Gold Award for the show at the 24th Sony Radio Academy Awards. He left to focus on his new Virgin Radio breakfast show at the end of 2005. His last show was in December 2005, and featured his four favourite guests — John Rawling, Steve Bunce, Greg Brady and Bob Mills. That show also briefly featured the wives of three of those panellists, who were invited to answer (via telephone) a question on behalf of their husbands. Bob Mills' wife was unavailable for comment.

Colin Murray started presenting the show in February 2006.{{cite web |url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/01_january/31/murray.shtml | title = Colin Murray takes over Fighting Talk on Five Live |date=31 January 2006 |access-date = 27 March 2007 |publisher = BBC — Press Office}} He was the host for seven years until he left in July 2013 as he moved from the BBC to present on rival network Talksport.

Murray was replaced by three presenters who rotated hosting duties. O'Connell returned, with commentator Jonathan Pearce and TV presenter Matt Johnson the others for the 2013–14 season.

For two seasons, 2014–15 and 2015–16, hosting duties were shared between presenter Georgie Thompson and comedian Josh Widdicombe. Murray returned to the show on 17 September 2016 and remained until his second departure at the end of the 2022–23 season. Rick Edwards replaced Murray as the show's permanent host.

The "Stuart Hall incident"

Fighting Talk made national news with an episode broadcast on 12 March 2005. The panel consisted of Danny Kelly, Will Buckley, John Rawling and Stuart Hall. Presenter Christian O'Connell asked the panel: "What other former all-conquering nations, clubs or individuals would you like to see have a renaissance?" Hall responded with "Zimbabwe" and criticised President Robert Mugabe, saying "...don your flannels, black up, play leather on willow with Mugabe cast as a witch doctor. Imagine him out at Lord's casting a curse; tincture of bat's tongues, gorilla's gonads, tiger's testicles...". Shortly afterwards, O'Connell was heard to ask studio staff "Are we still on air?" During the same show, Hall was also asked for his opinion on sporting stars acting as role models for young people. In his response, he defended swearing by footballers suggesting that "your average 10-year-old can instruct you in oral or anal sex".{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/mar/17/radio.zimbabweandthemedia | title = BBC defends sports pundit on a sticky wicket | author = John Plunkett | date= 17 March 2005 | access-date = 2 February 2007 | publisher = Guardian Unlimited | location=London

Fighting Talk: Any Other Business

A one-off, politics-based show — using the name of *Fighting Talk'''s 'Any Other Business' round — was broadcast on Sunday 17 December 2006 at 19:00, presented by Richard Bacon. A run of four further shows billed as Fighting Talk: Any Other Business were broadcast between 15 July and 5 August 2007. The host was the original *Fighting Talk'' presenter Johnny Vaughan and guests included Alan Duncan, Diane Abbott, Stephen Pound, Arabella Weir and Robin Ince.

Book

A Fighting Talk tie-in book, Fighting Talk: Flimsy Facts, Sweeping Statements and Inspired Sporting Hunches, edited by regular pundit Will Buckley, was published by Hodder & Stoughton on 2 October 2008.

References

References

1. (10 May 2011). "TalkSport leads sporting triumphs at radio awards". Sports Journalists' Association.
2. (5 October 2007). "At a glance: Shows in TV scandal". BBC News.
3. "The Sports Programme Award". Sony Radio Academy.
4. "Christian O'Connell to return to BBC Radio 5 Live's Fighting Talk". [[The Guardian]].
5. "Josh Widdicombe and Georgie Thompson to host Fighting Talk". [[British Comedy Guide]].
6. "Josh Widdicombe throws in the towel on Fighting Talk". [[Chortle]].
7. ""It'll never work…." - Colin Murray back on Fighting Talk". [[BBC]] Press Office.
8. Ian Herbert. (18 March 2005). "Bard of the airwaves Stuart Hall stuns show with 'black-up' rant". The Independent.
9. Plunkett, John. (7 June 2007). "Vaughan back at Radio Five Live". Media Guardian.

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