THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO… Ian Wright

Whether it’s on the pitch, in front of a camera or behind a microphone, Ian Wright has always been a bundle of enthusiasm. We caught up with the Wrighty’s House host for Issue #019 to discuss his passion for podcasting and the joy of elevating others.

PB: TELL US ALL ABOUT YOUR SHOW! WHAT’S YOUR PODCAST ELEVATOR PITCH?

IW: Wrighty’s House is a safe place where a group of friends come together and talk about football in a very inclusive and positive way. It’s my yard! It’s the place where the WhatsApp group comes to life.

We have some real family, non-football talk as well. It’s a group of people that have become very close, care about each other a lot and who also have a passion for the game. It’s everything from stories of my playing days to discussing the vibes of our favourite players and managers, harder hitting stuff (when needed to be done) and real life as well.

It’s me and the beautiful family that is Ryan and Musa from Stadio, Carl Anka, Jeanette Kwayke, Flo Lloyd-Hughes and Mayowa Quadri.

WHY PODCASTING? WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE FORMAT THAT APPEALED TO YOU?

I am a radio guy. I grew up listening to the radio when I was younger and many people won’t remember, but it was radio that you could say saved my post-playing career. When I left the BBC, and no TV broadcaster would even consider me, it was Absolute Radio that gave me a platform to fall back in love with football media.

Radio really supported me. Podcasting feels a lot like radio and is accessible too. It allows me to speak directly to the listener in a way I want to. For someone like me, that can be emotional and can be forthright, podcasting – especially on Wrighty’s House – is a really safe space for me to be me. We can own the narrative and build a real community. It’s not scheduled or programmed. It literally feels like an everyday conversation.

The free nature of it all just works for me and how I want to speak about myself and about football. There is no pressure to cover certain topics because they are in the news cycle – something that I still have to do on a lot of platforms.

YOU HAVE A ROTATING CAST OF GUESTS ON WRIGHTY’S HOUSE EACH WEEK, WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE THAT FORMAT?

The cast is rotating because I just love hearing different thoughts on football from different people. Also, you don’t always have the same people coming to your house right? One week you may have your sister come over, the next week it might be your cousin who you haven’t seen in a few months. Wrighty’s House is the same but football.

You may hear poetry in motion from Musa, alternative theory from Ryan, Championship and WSL breakdown from Flo, Olympic tales from Jeanette, xG explanations from Carl and Twitter breakdowns from Mayowa. Everyone has their certain niche, yet we all gel together and can move through different gears whenever we want.

Having different people just allows for us to touch on so much. I learn so much from them all and I think the audience love that too. I never wanted it to be just about me, I wanted it to be about us. And, one of my favourite things about the House, and having these people involved, is that there is something for everyone. Old or young. Expert or novice.

TOWARDS THE END OF LAST YEAR YOU DID A LIVE SHOW WITH CHELSEA WOMEN’S MANAGER EMMA HAYES. IS THIS SOMETHING YOU’D LIKE TO DO MORE OF?

For sure! Live shows are a real experience. The House is an experience already but bringing it to life is something even further. The great thing about live shows is that you can give listeners access to people and conversation that they love, but in a very different way. It’s not the same as the normal weekly shows, but the core ingredients of them are still there. Kinda like listening to a live album of artists you like.

My connection with every member of Wrighty’s House is real. I know them, their parents, their families, their partners and I feel that automatic bond with our listeners. We have some incredible listeners that are part of our community that engage with us on that same level of family.

Everyone knows Emma is an elite coach and one of best football minds in the world but in that live show, they saw Emma the way I see Emma away from the cameras. A footballing mind who is incredibly funny. The jokes and insights were amazing, it was as though she was a long-time member of the Wrighty’s House family.

I’ve just always felt that in those sorts of environments, you are able to really get to know people. We are more than our jobs. So when you come to the House, you are you. Emma was Emma. Not only Emma Hayes the Chelsea manager.

I can’t wait to do the same with future live show guests. We did our first Wrighty’s House Live with Barclays in November last year and it felt really good being in a room full of people while we had a chat over some drinks.

YOUR OTHER SHOW IAN WRIGHT’S EVERYDAY PEOPLE TOOK YOU AWAY FROM FOOTBALL TO FOCUS ON PEOPLE FROM OTHER WALKS OF LIFE. WHAT WAS THE APPEAL OF WORKING ON THAT PROJECT?

When I did my Desert Island Discs, I received so many comments about my growing up story. People were calling me a hero, saying how much my story moved them and how inspired they were by it. It made me think about all the amazing people doing incredible things every day in society whose stories we never hear so that’s what I wanted to do, amplify those stories. Like I experienced with my teacher Mr Pigden, an ordinary man that changed my life, the series looks at a range of amazing people doing incredible things, from Andy Hider who fostered 150 children throughout her life to Munira Mahmoud who supplied hot meals to survivors of Grenfell. Each episode is emotional but inspiring and completely different to anything I’ve done before.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO EMULATE YOUR SUCCESS BEHIND A MICROPHONE?

It is really important to own who you are. I could not do this if I tried to be someone else. I like having fun. I like telling stories. I love talking about football from my point of view. But I also speak how I speak and that is something that took me a long time to truly own, I remember getting criticised by viewers for some of my pronunciation.

I remember when I started, it was similar to when I had football trials back in the day. Back then, I was playing how I thought people wanted me to play, and my career in the media started similarly. However, as I built experience and confidence I was able to start just be me and grew more comfortable doing so.

The media industry can be very selfish, with everyone looking over their shoulder. You have to find friends in the industry that you can trust. People that will help you develop but also not hold you back because it serves them. You have to find those people and it takes time and you will get some of that wrong. But you learn from your experience and use that to hopefully help others on their journey too.

You also have to love what you do. Wrighty’s House does not feel like a show to me, it is literally a conversation between me and my people and one of the best parts of my week. I think that is a really important factor in its success: doing it because you enjoy it. I go through the rest of my week and I’m constantly thinking how we improve the show or I make a note of something I experienced or thought of that I want to mention on the next episode – you live and breath it because you ultimately love it and you hold yourself to a high standard.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER PODCAST HOSTS OR FOOTBALL PUNDITS THAT YOU TAKE INSPIRATION FROM?

Everyone on the House is a massive inspiration for me. They are incredibly talented and experts in their own right, they also talk about football in very pure and accessible way.

Musa and Ryan have made football more inclusive and a safe place for everyone. I learn from them all the time. They have mastered the art of just capturing people’s minds. You sit there listening and you are like “this is awesome’! As far as hosting goes, you won’t find many better. Every word they say becomes a part of your everyday dictionary.

Emma Hayes inspires me and is great to work with. Her understanding of the game and ability to give that back to the audience in a way that is very easy to understand is something I am always working to improve.

Jamie Carragher is also one of my favourite pundits because he brings football analytics together with a deep understanding of fan culture and how fans feel.

I am very fortunate to work with Kelly Cates – every time I am on with Kelly I learn something different. She has improved me as a pundit and host. She’s incredibly calm and witty, she keeps you on your toes but broadcasting with her is a pleasure.

WHAT ARE YOUR CURRENT FAVOURITE PODCASTS?

There are so many podcasts that I really enjoy that have good hosts with a range of styles and there is a new generation that is constantly creating new ways to consume football. I listen and try to support as many of them as I can. Musa and Ryan’s Stadio pod is one never miss along with Arseblog, and I also listen to the boys at Stoppage Time TV, the Goal Diggers girls & Sharky Does Sports. All really authentic football analysis and discussion pods.

I am also still working my way through GIANT which is a football documentary series that just tells some incredible football stories.

Outside of football I’m currently loving Mafia which is a deep look into the American criminal underworld.

Listen to Wrighty’s House on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

Find more interviews with your favourite podcasters in the Pod Bible Magazine >>