Athletico Mince podcast ending after more than 10 years

Bob Mortimer and Andy Dawson announced the decision in a statement yesterday (Wednesday, September 23), telling listeners: “After over a decade and almost 200 episodes, it is time to bring Athletico Mince to an end.

“We’d like to thank all of you for the huge amounts of love and support you’ve given us over the past ten years as we all went up, up, up into the podcast sky together.”

The statement also revealed what’s next for the duo.

Mortimer will work on a new series of Gone Fishing and a fresh novel, while Dawson joked that he’ll be “mostly focusing on his Type 2” — with plenty of room for fun along the way.

Launched in March 2016, the podcast became one of the UK’s most successful and distinctive comedy shows.

Billed as a football podcast, Athletico Mince soon became something far stranger, blending surreal comedy, songs, improvised sketches and recurring characters with occasional football references.

The show built a devoted following with its bizarre fictional universe, featuring exaggerated versions of Steve McClaren, Peter Beardsley and Mark Lawrenson alongside characters created by Mortimer and Dawson.

Its success led to UK-wide live tours and Club Parsnips, a subscription service offering bonus content and exclusive episodes.

Middlesbrough author Mortimer, 67, is one of Britain’s best-known comedians and rose to fame as one half of double act Reeves and Mortimer alongside Vic Reeves.

He has since enjoyed success with television programmes including Would I Lie To You? and the award-winning BBC series Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.

Middlesbrough-born author and TV personality, Bob Mortimer. (Image: Ian West/PA)

Sunderland-born Dawson is a writer, broadcaster and podcaster who has built a large following through comedy writing and podcasts.

He co-created Athletico Mince with Mortimer after the pair connected through their shared love of football and comedy.

Over the years, Athletico Mince attracted tens of millions of listens and earned a reputation as one of Britain’s most influential comedy podcasts.

By 2018, it had passed 30 million listens and regularly drew more than 200,000 listeners per episode.

While Athletico Mince may be ending, fans can still revisit hundreds of episodes from the podcast’s decade-long run.

Mortimer and Dawson signed off with one final nod to a favourite listener in-joke: “Please raise your next glass of blue drink to us.

“Dog dirt.”