The Ball's In Our Court

The Ball’s In Our Court goes back in time to find out how sports like squash, archery, badminton, rowing, lawn tennis, cricket, synchronised swimming, boxing, snooker and baseball – yes, baseball! – grew out of occasional pastimes into global sporting phenomena.

Of course, great sport doesn’t just mean high-paid professionals, as millions play one or more sports every day of the week in the UK. It runs deeper than just watching the big match on the telly in a pub, and this series also considers the idea of the archetypal ‘Britishness’ of some of the sports we’ve invented and also consider how these sports have evolved; and whether Britain has remained at the top of the game in terms of sporting excellence.

Look out for revelations of how the modern marathon distance was changed because King Edward VII wanted to see the start of the race from the comfort of his palace, how snooker emerged thanks to bored British soldiers in India and how Britain was the first nation to apply written rules to a sport in 1743.

By interviewing sport historians, experts, coaches, psychologists and the fans themselves The Balls In Our Court reveals the truth about the origins of sports, the amazing people behind their development and what the sport and all its components mean to the British people of both the past and the present.

Britain and sport? Over the moon, Brian.