Unsung
Not All Heroes Wear Kits: Unsung Live at the Morpeth Book Festival
Published: 10 April 2025 at 06:00 Europe/London
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Episode notes
This is the Unsung podcast, introducing the sports starts you don’t know, telling the stories you can’t miss.
We’ve got a special episode for you this time around, which was recorded live as part of the 2025 Morpeth Book Festival in March.
It was great to be part of the event, alongside some big-name authors who actually know what they’re doing.
The talk is titled Not All Heroes Wear Kits, and it’s something of a whistlestop tour through a few of the Unsung characters I’ve written about, including one or two that podcast listeners may be familiar with, alongside others who I’m speaking about the first time.
And, like a pound shop Marvel villain, there’s a little bit of backstory that goes into the how and why I got into telling these unsung stories from outside the mainstream.
Many thanks to everyone who came along. Thanks also to Ben Hobson at Morpeth Library for his tech expertise, and to Sarah Jayne Kennedy Robson, Ian Leech, and all the festival organisers for inviting me along.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Off-Field’s debut print anthology that I mention at the end of my talk, head to off-field.net.
We’re taking pre-orders now for release later this Spring. If you want to be among the first to have a copy land on your doorstep, use code MORPETH2025 at checkout to enjoy a 10% discount on all pre-orders.
Quotes:
Alan Bell, Athletics Starter
“The lowest moment was probably the disqualification of Usain Bolt, not because it was him at all, but because having to disqualify an athlete in the final of the World Championships. It could have been any of them, but the fact that it's an athlete who, like all of the people in that final, they might have worked for 10, 12, 15 years just to be there. It's sad that you have toapply the rule. I take no pleasure in any red card to any athlete, whether it's the under 13s in the Tyneside Track League, or whether it be somebody in a World Championship.”
Matthew Scott, Haas F1 Chief Mechanic
“The car had just been converted to component pieces. It was one of the worst things I've ever seen. The batteries are anything from 600 to 800 volts. At the start of the race, they're fully charged. And they're lethal anyway. But the battery had split open. So, it was hanging there, sizzling away. Someone had to take the responsibility of cutting through those battery cables. And so, it was like, well, I suppose I've got to have a go at this. And you're there stood in all this protective gear. You just go down and cut these wires. You don't know what's going to happen.”
James Robson, British Lions Rugby Doctor
“I love seeing Tom, and he's off with Nicole now, and he's having a fantastic life. The only piece of memorabilia I have on the walls in the house, despite being in privileged position over the years, is Tom's jersey that was cut off him. It sits above our television. Because every day, I thank goodness that we were able to affect what we did and that was down to training. That is a reminder to me how fickle life is. If you can be there and you can have that privileged moment of providing the necessary care, you can make such a difference to not only that individual, but their family and friends and what happens for the rest of their lives.”
“Medics worldwide do that every day. We don't do it quite so much in sport, but every now and again, you think, "Wow, I did make a difference.”
Explore more
Pre-order Off-Field Volume #1!
(Use code MORPETH2025 for 10% discount)
Buy Unsung: Not All Heroes Wear Kits, by Alexis James
More from Off-Field
Unsung is an Off-Field production, bringing you the untold and unsung in audio, digital, and
print. To enjoy more of our storytelling head to www.off-field.net
Episode credits
Writing & Narration: Alexis James
Producer: Matt Cheney
Artwork: Matt Walker
Tech Support: Ben Hobson
Copyright 2025 Alexis James
This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.
Mentioned in this episode:
Off-Field: Stories from the Fringes of Sport and Society
Step beyond the headlines with Off-Field—the free monthly newsletter from the makers of UNSUNG. Discover powerful, untold tales from the edges of sport and society, and get exclusive access to our latest audio, digital, and print storytelling projects. Subscribe at off-field.net and stay tuned until the end of the episode for a first look at our newest publication.
