Amol Rajan’s new interview show offers familiar fare with Gareth Southgate
Amol Rajan has launched a YouTube interview show after leaving the BBC, with Gareth Southgate as its first guest. The review finds the programme competent and often engaging, but conventional rather than the radical new venture Rajan’s launch suggested.
The two-hour conversation revisits Southgate’s football career before moving to Fifa governance, Manchester City and his concerns about young men. Rajan lets Southgate set a measured pace, while the review questions whether Rajan’s confidence and ambitions match the familiar format. The show is backed by major technology companies, a large bank and a supermarket chain.
- Amol Rajan’s YouTube show opens with Gareth Southgate.
- Their two-hour interview covers football and wider issues.
- The review finds it engaging but conventional.
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Amol Rajan is a journalist and presenter who has worked for the BBC. He has started a YouTube interview programme, a format in which a host speaks at length with a guest; former England football manager Gareth Southgate is its first guest.
Southgate became widely known for managing England’s men’s team, and his career has included work in football beyond the national side. Their conversation ranges across his career and wider issues in the sport, as well as concerns about young men. The programme’s backing from large companies is part of the context for Rajan’s new venture.
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The case for
A familiar interview format can still work well when it gives a thoughtful guest room to explain their experiences and views. Rajan’s measured approach allows the conversation to range from Southgate’s career to football governance and young men, while the show’s strong backing may help it reach a broad audience.
The case against
The show’s launch suggested a more radical venture, so a competent but conventional conversation may fall short of its promise. Its long format and deference to the guest can leave Rajan’s own ambitions less evident, and the backing of major corporations may invite questions about how independent or distinctive the project can be.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “The Amol Rajan Connection review – another wrong move after lasting one night in The Celebrity Traitors?”.