Amol Rajan YouTube Show Premieres with Southgate — SkimNews
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- Amol Rajan launched "The Amol Rajan Connection," a long-form, one-on-one video podcast on YouTube, branded with imagery from the 1972 Jamaican film "The Harder They Come."
- The project is sponsored by two global tech corporations, one of Britain's largest banks, and an upmarket supermarket chain; Rajan soft-launched with an appearance on former Tory chancellor George Osborne's podcast.
- Gareth Southgate was the debut guest, with the two-hour conversation covering his rejection by Southampton, his second chance at Crystal Palace, captaincy, the Euro 2020 penalty miss, and his time managing England's cultural and sporting direction.
- The second half of the interview turned to FIFA governance, the Manchester City situation, and Southgate's stated concerns about problems afflicting young men.
- Rajan has cited the BBC's shrinking role as motivation for leaving, telling Osborne he wants to "go to where the action is," though the reviewer notes that co-presenting BBC Radio 4's Today remains a more influential platform than an independent podcast.
- The reviewer judges the premiere as a "very traditional piece of broadcasting" that fails to prove the concept of the venture, calling for something more reflective of the volatile times it claims to address.
Why it matters: For Rajan, a former Today co-host and national newspaper editor, the YouTube venture is a high-profile bet that established media figures can build independent audiences outside the BBC, but the Guardian's lukewarm verdict on the Southgate episode suggests the format must still justify its "where the action is" pitch against the entrenched reach of Radio 4 mornings and existing long-form video podcasts.
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