Goalhanger
British podcast company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Goalhanger Podcasts Ltd[1] is a British podcast production and distribution company. In 2025, its podcasts received over 750 million downloads.[2]
Tony Pastor
Jack Davenport
 | |
| Industry | Media |
|---|---|
| Founder | Gary Lineker Tony Pastor Jack Davenport |
| Headquarters | Kennington, London, England |
| Products | Podcasts |
| Website | goalhanger |
According to the company, its 15 main shows collectively receive more than 75 million full-episode streams per month.[3]
History
Goalhanger is a British media company co-founded by sports broadcaster and former professional footballer Gary Lineker, along with Tony Pastor, former ITV controller of sport, and Jack Davenport, a former senior journalist at the BBC. Originally established as Goalhanger Films, the company initially focused on producing sports documentaries featuring figures such as Wayne Rooney.[4]
In 2018, the company expanded into podcast production, beginning with Behind Closed Doors, a football-focused series featuring Lineker and broadcaster Danny Baker. In April 2019, it launched We Have Ways of Making You Talk, a podcast centered on World War II, co-hosted by historian James Holland and comedian Al Murray.[5]
Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Goalhanger increased its focus on podcasting. In November 2020, the company launched The Rest Is History, hosted by historian Dominic Sandbrook and author Tom Holland.[6]
The company has since launched several other podcasts, including The Rest Is Politics (first published in March 2022), hosted by Alastair Campbell — an advisor to former Labour prime minister Tony Blair — and Rory Stewart — a former Conservative MP who held various ministerial portfolios; Empire (first published in August 2022), presented by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand; and The Rest Is Football (first published in August 2023), co-hosted by Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards. [7]
During the 2024 United Kingdom general election campaign, The Rest Is Politics and Leading recorded over 21.6 million downloads and full-episode views on YouTube.[8] During the 2024 UEFA European Championship, The Rest Is Football received a combined total of 19.6 million downloads and full-episode views on platforms it was published on.[8]
Since 2023, the company has introduced a subscription-based model for some shows, providing early access, bonus material, and priority entry to live events - contributing to steady growth in their paying audiences. [9] An interview with Davenport in 2025 revealed that Goalhanger has over 200,000 paying members.[10]
In December 2025, Netflix signed a deal with Goalhanger to carry The Rest Is Football podcast during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[11]
In January 2026, The Chernin Group (Peter Chernin’s investment group) took a minority stake in Goalhanger.[12]
Programming
| Title | Genre | Hosts | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| We Have Ways of Making You Talk | History | Al Murray and James Holland | 2 April 2019 |
| The Rest Is History | History | Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook | 2 November 2020 |
| The Rest Is Politics | Politics | Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart | 2 March 2022 |
| Battleground | History | Patrick Bishop and Saul David | 4 April 2022 |
| Empire | History | William Dalrymple and Anita Anand | 16 August 2022 |
| The Rest Is Politics: Leading | Politics | Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart | 16 January 2023 |
| The Rest Is Football | Football | Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards | 7 August 2023 |
| The Rest Is Money | Economics | Steph McGovern and Robert Peston | 30 August 2023 |
| Sherlock & Co. | Scripted podcast | Paul Waggott as Doctor John Watson, Harry Attwell as Sherlock Holmes and Marta da Silva as Mariana Ametxazurra | 10 October 2023 |
| Football Clichés | Football | Adam Hurrey, Charlie Eccleshare and David Walker | 17 October 2023 |
| The Rest Is Entertainment | Entertainment | Richard Osman and Marina Hyde | 28 November 2023 |
| Walking The Dog with Emily Dean | Interview Series | Emily Dean | 23 December 2023 |
| The Rest Is Politics: US | Politics | Anthony Scaramucci and Katty Kay | 24 May 2024 |
| The Rest Is Classified | Intelligence | David McCloskey and Gordon Corera | 27 November 2024 |
| Journey Through Time | History | David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell | 20 March 2025 |
| The Rest Is Football: Daly Brightness | Football | Millie Bright and Rachel Daly | 15 April 2025 |
| The Rest Is Science | Science | Michael Stevens and Hannah Fry | 25 November 2025 |
| The Book Club | Literature | Dominic Sandbrook & Tabitha Syrett | 17 February 2026 |