Listen Now: Foul Play

Summary

American History Tellers: Listen Now – Foul Play

Date: June 22, 2026
Host: Lindsay Graham
Featured Voices: Gabriel Gatehouse, Ed Jervis

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Episode Overview

This special feature presents a preview clip from Foul Play, a new investigative podcast series hosted by Gabriel Gatehouse and Ed Jervis. The series explores a bizarre and captivating real-life mystery involving espionage, football, family secrets, and Cold War geopolitics: Was famed England goalkeeper Gordon Banks – Ed’s grandfather – poisoned by the CIA before a critical 1970 World Cup match? This episode takes listeners from the archives of the Mexican secret police to family lore, blending personal narrative and global intrigue.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to Foul Play: The Premise

• Hosts & Setup:
  • Gabriel Gatehouse (investigative journalist) and Ed Jervis (grandson of Gordon Banks) set the scene: they are on an unlikely hunt for evidence linking the CIA to the fate of Ed’s grandfather, possibly impacting generations of English football (00:00–00:24).
• The Core Mystery:
  • The investigation asks: Was Gordon Banks, England’s legendary goalkeeper, poisoned at the 1970 World Cup?
  • The tale is described as one of “sport, spies, and family secrets”—an intersection of personal and political intrigue (00:11-00:24).

Diving into the Mexican Secret Police Archives

• Surreal Experience:
  • Ed expresses disbelief at his circumstances: “It feels pretty surreal... to be in Mexico, in an old prison, digging through the archives of the Mexican secret police.” (01:03–01:15, Ed)
• Discovery of Classified Information:
  • The team uncovers photographic evidence and secret files on Gordon Banks—whose only link to Mexico was the World Cup, not espionage (01:35–01:42).
  • Notable quote: "My granddad wasn't a secret agent. He had no links to Mexico. No, his name has got no business being in this archive... My granddad was a football player." (01:42–01:58, Ed)

Gordon Banks: Legend and Target

• Background:
  • Gordon Banks, England’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper in 1966, is revealed as the subject of surveillance, raising the stakes of the conspiracy.
  • Legendary status contextualized: "Some argue my granddad was the greatest goalkeeper to have ever played the game. So what the hell is his photo doing in the archives of the Mexican secret police?" (02:29–02:44, Ed)
• Poignant Sports Reference:
  • "If it hadn't been Gordon Banks in that goal, he would have done. Gordon Banks, the world's number one goalkeeper... the man in goal in 1966, the one and only time England have ever won the World Cup." (01:58–02:16, Gabriel and Ed)

The Curse: England’s Footballing Downfall

• Historical Fallout:
  • England, defending champions in 1970, were favorites but crashed out after Banks fell ill with sudden food poisoning. The team’s subsequent decades of bad luck felt “like a curse had been laid on the national team.” (05:04–05:12, Ed)
  • “We didn’t even qualify for another World Cup for another 12 years...” (05:04–05:12, Ed)

Seeds of Conspiracy

• Family Lore vs. Global Plots:
  • Ed recounts family jokes about Banks’ mysterious illness: “We would just sort of laugh it off... Grandad won too many tacos from some dodgy street vendor...” (05:36–05:44, Ed)
• Shocking New Claims:
  • After Banks's death, a new suggestion emerges: “‘Your granddad was poisoned to sabotage England and the plot was masterminded by the CIA.’ The CIA.” (05:44–05:52, Gabriel)
  • Gatehouse’s skepticism: “I may not know much about football, but I do know about conspiracy theories, and this looks like a classic. I mean, why would the CIA want to poison an English footballer?” (05:53–06:07, Gabriel)

Investigative Journey

• Journalist’s Dilemma:
  • Gabriel Gatehouse, despite initial doubts, is compelled by the odd details he uncovers:
    • “Well, three years later, here I am, and the deeper I dig, the stranger it gets.” (06:21–06:29, Gabriel)
  • Personal background underscores his expertise with wild stories—from Russian spies to Gaddafi’s corpse—yet Foul Play stands out as perhaps the strangest (02:55–03:42).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “They have photos of your grandfather.” (01:35, Researcher in the archives)
• “Some argue my granddad was the greatest goalkeeper to have ever played the game. So what the hell is his photo doing in the archives of the Mexican secret police?” (02:29–02:44, Ed)
• “I’m here with Gabriel Gatehouse, investigative journalist, and we’re looking for evidence that more than 50 years ago, in the summer of 1970, spies were surveilling my granddad.” (01:23–01:35, Ed)
• “Well, three years later, here I am, and the deeper I dig, the stranger it gets.” (06:21–06:29, Gabriel)
• “Ed says his grandad always suspected his illness was no accident. ‘I was nobbled,’ he’d say.... To his dying day, he never knew. Ed never really took it seriously.” (05:12–05:36, Gabriel)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:11: Podcast premise – CIA, football, and a strange family mystery.
• 01:03–01:15: Ed's surreal journey to Mexican secret police archives.
• 01:35–01:42: Revelation of Gordon Banks' photos in secret files.
• 02:29–02:44: Heightened stakes—Banks as football legend, with mysterious surveillance.
• 05:12–05:44: The suspected “curse” on England’s football post-1970.
• 05:44–06:07: Introduction of the CIA poisoning conspiracy theory.
• 06:21–06:29: Gatehouse on the ever-more bewildering investigation.

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Tone & Style

The podcast clip is both deadpan and slyly incredulous, mixing objective investigation with the personal bewilderment of its hosts. There’s a balance of warmth, humor, and skepticism as Ed and Gabriel unravel a story that veers from family joke to potentially staggering historical intrigue.

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Summary

Foul Play promises to be a gripping investigation into whether Cold War espionage truly reached the heart of world football. The preview teases a blend of sports history, family myth, and international conspiracy—with just enough evidence, odd coincidence, and archival intrigue to lure listeners into the story. For history and sports fans alike, or anyone interested in the quirks of fate and geopolitics, this is a must-listen series.

Transcript

[A]

Hi, I'm Gabriel Gatehouse.

[B]

And I'm Ed Jervis.

[A]

And we're about to play you a clip from Foul Play, a new podcast

[B]

series in which we investigate whether the

[A]

CIA poisoned my grandad and possibly laid a curse on English football. It's an unbelievable tale of sport, spies and family secrets.

[B]

And here's a taster.

[C]

We'll hear the name of your grandfather, please.

[B]

My name's Ed and I feel like I'm having a sort of out of body experience right now.

[C]

Banks, Gordon.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Let me check.

[B]

I'm an ordinary dad of two small kids from Stoke on Trent in the English Midlands. I don't travel much.

[C]

They have a little secret repository. Nobody knows

[B]

we missed this. So it feels pretty surreal right now to be in Mexico, in an old prison, digging through the archives of the Mexican secret police.

[C]

Maybe we can find something.

[A]

You're putting Gordon Banks name into a secret, secret database.

[B]

I'm here with Gabriel Gatehouse, an investigative journalist, and we're looking for evidence that more than 50 years ago, in the summer of 1970, spies were surveilling my granddad.

[C]

Yes. They have photos of your grandfather.

[A]

What?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Can we see?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

My granddad wasn't a secret agent. He had no links to Mexico. No, his name has got no business being in this archive. My granddad was a football player. Maybe you call it soccer. He was quite famous, actually. He almost made it.

[A]

And if it hadn't been Gordon Banks

[B]

in that goal, he would have done. Gordon Banks, the world's number one goalkeeper. Gordon Banks, my grandad, was the man in goal in 1966, the one and only time England have ever won the World Cup.

[A]

Well done, Gordon Banks, the hero of England. They think it's all over. It is now.

[B]

Some argue my granddad was the greatest goalkeeper to have ever played the game. So what the hell is his photo doing in the archives of the Mexican secret police?

[C]

They have more information.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[C]

I know.

[A]

Yeah. So that other voice you hear is me. And yes, I am a serious journalist. At least I think I am. I've covered wars and revolutions, stories about Russian spies for two days. In 2011, a contact of mine had the body of the Libyan dictator, Colonel Gaddafi hidden in his fridge. I've reported some crazy stories in my time, but this one I've been dragged into, against my better judgment, because at first sight it seems absurd. Couldn't have happened. Unless it did. In which case it might just be the craziest story I've ever heard. It all started three years ago when a Stranger comes up to me. You're Gabriel Gatehouse, aren't you? He says. I loved your podcast. This happens to me from time to time, ever since I did a series about conspiracy theories in America. Thanks, I say. Who are you?

[B]

It's me, Ed, I tell Gabriel. I've got a story for him about football.

[A]

Let me stop you right there, I say. I'm not into football. I don't know anything about it. But Ed won't let it go. Have you heard of Gordon Banks? He asks.

[B]

Gordon Banks. Another trophy for his sideboard.

[A]

John Mahoney, the substitute goalkeeper, right? National hero from a bygone age when the England men's football team still won things. Yeah, even I've heard of Gordon Banks. So Ed starts telling me this story about his famous granddad and the World cup. But not 1966, the one we won? No, the next one in Mexico. In 1970, England were the defending champions, Ed says, one of the favorites to win. But Grandad fell ill. Food poisoning, apparently. Gordon Banks was too sick to play. He recovered a few days later, but England crashed out and English football was never the same again.

[B]

We didn't even qualify for another World cup for another 12 years, and even then it seemed like a curse had been laid on the national team.

[A]

We're talking about the men's team here. The women are doing just fine. Anyway, Ed says his grandad was always suspected. His illness was no accident. I was nobbled, he'd say. He thought someone had got to him all those years ago, though who or how. To his dying day, he never knew. Ed never really took it seriously.

[B]

We would just sort of laugh it off and kind of, oh yeah, all right, Grandad won too many tacos for some dodgy street vendor or whatever it was.

[A]

But after Gordon Banks death, Ed says someone tells him your granddad was poisoned to sabotage England and the plot was masterminded by the CIA. The CIA. I may not know much about football, but I do know about conspiracy theories, and this looks like a classic. I mean, why would the CIA want to poison an English footballer? Something about the Cold War and supporting a military dictator. Ed said it sounded kind of ridiculous. I told him I'd look into it, thinking I'll debunk this straight away. Well, three years later, here I am, and the deeper I dig, the stranger it gets. Follow Foul Play on the Audible app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Foul Play early and ad free right now by joining Audible in the Audible app or on Apple Podcasts.