The Football Interview
BBC iPlayer Running Sports
The biggest names in sport and entertainment join host Kelly Somers for bold, in-depth conversations about the nation's favourite sport.
Where to Watch:
BBC iPlayer
Next Air Time: Fri, Mar 20 2026 12:00 PM GMT+0000
Seasons & Episodes
Season 1
27 episodes
E01
Wayne Rooney
Sat, Aug 16 2025 11:00 AM GMT+0000
15 min
Former England captain Wayne Rooney talks to Kelly Somers about his love of musicals, family life and more.
E02
Marc Guéhi
Sat, Aug 23 2025 11:00 AM GMT+0000
15 min
Kelly Somers talks to Marc Guéhi, the Crystal Palace and England defender. They chat about his desire to keep on playing until he's 40, how he'd love to be a WWE wrestler if he wasn't a footballer, plus his love of drumming and music.
E03
Jarrod Bowen
Sat, Aug 30 2025 11:00 AM GMT+0000
15 min
West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen talks about his Dad's potato field ‘boot camp', family life with wife Dani Dyer and winning the Europa Conference League trophy with the Hammers.
E04
Lucy Bronze
Sat, Sep 6 2025 11:00 AM GMT+0000
15 min
Kelly Somers chats to England's most decorated female footballer Lucy Bronze. She talks about being rejected by England as a young player, her proud Portuguese heritage, about winning Euro 2025 with the Lionesses and playing the entire tournament with a fractured leg.
E05
Bruno Fernandes
Sun, Sep 14 2025 11:00 AM GMT+0000
15 min
Kelly Somers in conversation with Bruno Fernandes.
E06
Alessia Russo
Sat, Sep 20 2025 11:00 AM GMT+0000
15 min
Kelly Somers speaks to Alessia Russo, two-time European champion with the Lionesses and a Champions League winner with Arsenal last season. She talks to Kelly about being a mascot for Casey Stoney when she was an academy player at Charlton, how going to college in the United States proved a pivotal point in her career, and about her friendships with Lotte Wubben-Moy and Ella Toone.
E07
Andoni Iraola
Sat, Sep 27 2025 11:00 AM GMT+0000
14 min
Kelly Somers speaks to the Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola. He talks about life growing up in the Spanish city of San Sebastián, playing football on the beach with Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso, his love of reading books as a means of switching off from football and why family is so important to him.
E08
Hugo Ekitike
Sat, Oct 4 2025 11:00 AM GMT+0000
14 min
Kelly Somers sits down with the Liverpool forward, Hugo Ekitike. The Frenchman joined the Premier League champions this summer from Eintracht Frankfurt. He chats to Kelly about his childhood, playing alongside Mo Salah and how he loves to draw!
E09
Brendan Rodgers
Sat, Oct 18 2025 11:00 AM GMT+0000
14 min
Kelly Somers talks to Brendan Rodgers about the 'unique pressure' of managing his current club, Celtic, his hope of managing 1,000 games, and how winning the Championship play-off with Swansea City in 2011 to take them to the Premier League propelled his career to another level.
E10
Reece James
Sat, Oct 25 2025 11:00 AM GMT+0000
11 min
elly Somers talks to Chelsea captain and right back Reece James. They chat about how he began his footballing life as a striker, his love of fashion and his friendship with seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton.
E11
Jordan Pickford
Sat, Nov 1 2025 12:00 PM GMT+0000
14 min
Kelly Somers speaks to Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. They discuss ambitions for his club side this season, breaking Gordon Banks's record for the number of consecutive clean sheets for England and his love of motocross.
E12
Emma Hayes
Sat, Nov 8 2025 12:00 PM GMT+0000
14 min
Kelly Somers talks to USA manager Emma Hayes, who previously guided Chelsea to seven FA Women's Super League titles.
E13
Bukayo Saka
Sat, Nov 22 2025 12:00 PM GMT+0000
13 min
Kelly Somers speaks to the Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka. They discuss why Arsenal was always going to be his club, his unusual breakfast choices when he was a kid, and learning the art of being a barista.
E14
Ole Gunnar Solskjær
Sat, Nov 29 2025 12:00 PM GMT+0000
16 min
Kelly Somers in conversation with Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
E15
Mauricio Pochettino
Sat, Dec 6 2025 12:00 PM GMT+0000
13 min
Kelly Somers in conversation with Mauricio Pochettino.
E16
Bernardo Silva
Sat, Dec 13 2025 12:00 PM GMT+0000
13 min
Kelly Somers speaks to Manchester City captain and Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva. He talks about being part of a City generation that he feels was one of the best in English football, the influence Pep Guardiola has had on him and why he's called his two dogs John and Charles!
E17
Yaya Touré
Sat, Dec 20 2025 12:00 PM GMT+0000
13 min
Kelly Somers speaks to former Manchester City, Barcelona and Côte d'Ivoire midfielder Yaya Touré, who talks about leaving Africa as a 17-year-old to pursue his football career in Europe, the sibling rivalry with his brother Kolo and why he took up coaching.
E18
Best Bits
Sat, Dec 27 2025 12:00 PM GMT+0000
15 min
Over six months, Kelly Somers has spoken to a number of current and former players and managers who have opened up about their careers in the game and life away from it. This episode features some of the stand-out moments from those interviews.
E19
Oliver Glasner
Sat, Jan 17 2026 12:00 PM GMT+0000
14 min
Kelly Somers speaks to Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner about his journey into football, growing up in a single-parent household and how his playing career was cut short.
E20
João Palhinha
Fri, Jan 23 2026 12:00 PM GMT+0000
14 min
Kelly Somers speaks to Spurs midfielder João Palhinha. He talks about growing up in Portugal and the importance of family, his love of tennis away from football, and the coaches who have helped shape his career.
E21
Florian Wirtz
Fri, Jan 30 2026 12:00 PM GMT+0000
13 min
Kelly Somers speaks to Liverpool's attacking midfielder, Florian Wirtz. The 22-year-old talks about how he wanted to be an instant success when he joined Liverpool.
E22
Granit Xhaka
Fri, Feb 6 2026 12:00 PM GMT+0000
22 min
Kelly Somers speaks to Sunderland and former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka. He talks about why he wanted to return to the Premier League and join the Black Cats, how he reflects on his falling-out with Arsenal's fans in 2019 and his respect for Mikel Arteta.
E23
Roberto MartÃnez
Fri, Feb 13 2026 12:00 PM GMT+0000
14 min
Kelly Somers speaks to the Portugal manager Roberto Martinez. They talk about his journey into football, managing Wigan Athletic to their historic FA Cup win against Manchester City in 2013, the golden generation of players he managed with Belgium and working with Cristiano Ronaldo.
E24
Michael Carrick
Fri, Feb 20 2026 12:00 PM GMT+0000
15 min
Mark Chapman in conversation with Michael Carrick.
E25
Leah Williamson
Fri, Feb 27 2026 12:00 PM GMT+0000
13 min
Kelly Somers in conversation with Leah Williamson.
E26
Nathan Collins
Fri, Mar 13 2026 12:00 PM GMT+0000
E27
James Milner
Fri, Mar 20 2026 12:00 PM GMT+0000