BBC Radio Scotland's Off the Ball — self-described, without a hint of modesty, as "the most petty and ill-informed football show on radio" — broadcast its latest episode on Saturday 13 June 2026, kicking off at 12:00 on FM. The show runs for just under two hours and features a guest list that includes former Premier League manager Paul Lambert and snooker world champion John Higgins.
Why Lambert is worth hearing
Paul Lambert is one of the more credible voices Scottish football has produced. The former Celtic midfielder won the UEFA Champions League with Borussia Dortmund in 1997 before returning to Scotland, and he subsequently managed in England with Wigan Athletic, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Ipswich Town, among others. His managerial career gives him a perspective that bridges Scottish club football and the English top flight — a combination that makes him a natural fit for a programme that happily blurs the line between serious analysis and irreverent banter.
John Higgins, meanwhile, is one of snooker's all-time greats, a four-time world champion from Wishaw in North Lanarkshire. His appearance underlines the show's habit of mixing football guests with well-known Scottish sporting figures from outside the game — a format that has kept it on air for decades.
What Off the Ball actually is
Produced by BBC Radio Scotland, Off the Ball occupies a specific and slightly eccentric corner of Scottish sports broadcasting. It does not pretend to be a tactical breakdown show. The format leans on listener interaction, comic tangents and the kind of opinionated chat that the more strait-laced football programmes tend to edit out. The 13 June edition runs for one hour and 55 minutes and is available to listen back on BBC Sounds for 29 days from broadcast.
The show's scheduling — Saturday lunchtime, 12:00 kick-off — means it sits neatly in the window before afternoon football coverage begins, giving Scottish fans something to fill the pre-match hours. Whether there are live games on the same afternoon depends on where the domestic season sits, but as a radio product it functions independently of the fixture calendar.
The broader context
It is worth noting that the programme aired on 13 June 2026, a date that sits outside the normal Scottish Premiership season. That timing likely explains the broader guest selection — a manager and a snooker player rather than a player in the middle of a campaign. Mid-summer editions of football radio shows often take on a slightly more reflective, magazine-style tone, and a two-hour runtime suggests this was no exception.
For listeners outside Scotland, the episode is available via BBC Sounds. The podcast feed for Off the Ball is also active, meaning you do not need to catch it live to hear what Lambert and Higgins had to say.
Frequently asked
- What is Off the Ball on BBC Radio Scotland?
- Off the Ball is a long-running Scottish football show on BBC Radio Scotland, broadcast on Saturday lunchtimes at 12:00. It mixes football debate with comedy and celebrity guests from across Scottish sport, and describes itself as 'the most petty and ill-informed football show on radio'.
- Who is Paul Lambert and why is he on the show?
- Paul Lambert is a former Scottish midfielder and Premier League manager. He won the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund in 1997 and managed clubs including Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Ipswich Town, making him one of the most experienced Scottish figures in English football management.
- Where can I listen to the 13 June 2026 episode of Off the Ball?
- The episode is available on BBC Sounds for 29 days from the broadcast date of 13 June 2026. It can also be found via the Off the Ball podcast feed on BBC Sounds.