SPIN Podcast

The SPIN podcast is (famously) rated No 3 on itunes and features audio clips from recent interviews, general cricket chat recorded in the Streatham Wetherspoons and life advice from Colin the Janitor.

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Podcast A-Z

Streatham Wetherspoons. Home of the podcast.

Dobell, George SPIN columnist who calls into the podcast using his cardboard phone. It’s like one of them films: he has important things to say before the ECB catch up with him and off him. We just can’t quite tell what they are.

Henderson, Tyron. The Blacksmith. Shone as guest on our Middlesex Stanford special.

The Imperial. World War I-themed bar in vicinity of Imperial War Museum in London SE1. More upmarket than the ‘Spoons. Mooted future home of podcast.

Janitor, Colin the. By media law, all cricket podcasts must include at least one person of pensionable age. Technically, this is meant to be Tony Greig or Ian Chappell or similar. But we’ve flouted the spirit of the law. So.

Flintoff, Andrew. Appears in episode 5 of the podcast, talking about Radio 2 and Smooth FM.

Hadlee, Richard (Sir). Appears in episode 6, talking about how his first proper job, at Woolworths, helped make him a great fast bowler. (True - all to do with discipline, attention to detail etc.) Due to ‘technical’ ‘issues’ his quotes were read out, 1980s IRA style, by Sue the Landlady.

Russell, Jono. Australian contributor. Proved Australian-ness with lame tale about coming from a town in which a giant prawn was the main tourist attraction.

Candlelit newsagent. What the Spin podcast team have to pass on the way to the Streatham Wetherspoons. Used to sell pet food before deciding to sell booze instead. (Can’t be good for the pets. Surely.)

Franz Ferdinand. Art rockers who were remixing their album (or something) in the building next to Colin the Janitor’s boiler room. This is true. We saw the singer (old Franz himself) in the street many times but never managed to mention it on the podcast, even when we claimed that C the J was going to read his Iceland receipt over an art rock soundtrack for our Christmas special. Missed opportunity.

Robbo. No 1 correspondent. Writes in from Australia. Well done.

Fourth seat. Still vacant extra seat round the ‘Spoons table. It’s up for grabs.

Blofeld, Henry. Gantryist who represents everything that’s brilliant/terrible about England and cricket. Apparently, in all seriousness, v keen to come down the ‘Spoons and sit in the fourth seat (qv) in order to promote his one-man show at the Royal Albert Hall this summer. We’ll see.

Kemp, Alex ‘Challenge’. Podcast mainstay. Was quite a star in under-17s cricket. At the age of 26.

Barran, Johnny. “Best-connected man in cricket”. Put together Mark Butcher Band. Thanks very much.

Mark Butcher Band. Said they’d do some jingles for us but haven’t yet.

Mark Boucher Band. South African answer to Mark Butcher Band. Eschew Butcher’s pub rock stylings in favour of Alpine apres-ski vibe, involving yodelling and that.

Cook, Alastair. Beastly to Spin’s own Jono Russell when he tried his whimsical questions on him at an O2 publicity day. Mildly apologetic - in manner of CEO of a big bank - at later meeting with Spin editor.

Brains. Friend of C the J, who left job at Croydon library because he’d read all the books and had nothing left to read.

World XI: People are always talking about this, in reference to a putative game against a team from Mars, claims Smyth in Episode 10. Kemp incredulous.

Talks. What the Spin podcast team are in, with various big-shot radio producers. Never comes to anything, because they all insists on the role of the janitor being taken by Clive Dunn/David Jason/whoever.

I Could Be So Good for You. Minder theme song, covered by Mark Butcher Band and sent to England selectors during Moores-KP fiasco in January 2009.