1871 Podcast closes its doors with final episode

Final Episode of 1871 Podcast: A Look Back as the 1871 Podcast closes its doors with final episode

The 1871 Podcast aired its final episode on Tuesday.

The podcast – which launched in early 2022 to coincide with Reading FC’s 150th anniversary celebrations – has just completed its third series.

Mark Roach, the son of former Reading FC director Brian Roach – who helped former Reading chairman Roger Smee block the proposed merger between Reading and Oxford United in 1983 – hosted the 1871 Podcast, with Reading fan Johnny Hunt as co host and former Royals left back Dylan Kerr and occasional co host.

Guests on the podcast have included Steve Coppell, Brian McDermott, Noel Hunt, Phil Parkinson, Kevin Doyle, Graeme Murty, Adam Le Fondre, Jamie Cureton, Nicky Forster, Shaka Hislop, Trevor Senior, Martin Hicks and many more.

“It’s been a huge pleasure to host the 1871 Podcast with Johnny and Dylan,” said Roach. “We’ve had some brilliant guests since we started, including former Reading players who played for the club in the 1970s and players from the successful Reading teams in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

“It’s been fascinating to hear former players and managers reminiscing about their time at the club and I’d like to thank Johnny and Dylan for being part of it.

I’d also like to say a huge thank you to everyone who listened to the episodes and watched them on our YouTube channel.”

In the final episode, Roach, Hunt and Kerr chat about some of the guests that have appeared on the 1871 Podcast – and give conflicting views as to whether they think Reading FC will have a new owner before the end of this season.

You can watch the episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBZ2uSOT5pE&t=12s

Roach hasn’t completely ruled out the possibility of bringing back the 1871 Podcast for a one-off episode in the future – but says he is now focused on hosting a series of live Q&A events with former Reading FC stars. 

Nicky Shorey was the special guest for a Q&A at the Purple Turtle earlier this month, while Adam Le Fondre was joined by former Reading manager Brian McDermott for a Q&A at the same venue on Sunday.

Jem Karacan, who was part of the Reading team that won promotion to the Premier League in 2012, is the special guest at a Q&A event at the Purple Turtle on Sunday, which starts at 1pm. Tickets and guest passes are still available – for more information, send a WhatsApp message to 07842 627548.

More live Q&A events with former Reading players are planned for next year.

Alex Pearce and Simon Church will be together at the Purple Turtle in February to discuss their time at Reading FC, while former Reading striker Jamie Cureton is among the other ex Royals who have been signed up for a Q&A event early next year.