Sport's Strangest Crimes - 1. Dandies to Dark Arts

Ross Kemp visits the Clapham joke shop at the origin of the Bloodgate cheating scandal that brought rugby union to its knees.

We learn how the advent of professionalism in the 1990s brought a new win-at-all-costs mentality to the sport.

And Harlequins players Tom Williams, Ugo Monye and Nick Easter explain how new coach Dean Richards transformed the club from entertaining also-rans into ruthless winners who began to push the rules to their limits and beyond.

Could a loophole in the laws around blood injuries boost their chances of European silverware?

Narrator: Ross Kemp
Reporter/Interviewer: Chris Jones
Writer/Producer: Sam Sheringham
Story editor: Tom Fuller
Sound design/production: Jesse Howard
Digital Producers: Sam Huxley and Stephen Trenchard
Assistant producers: Metin Yilmaz, Jack Wood, Mujtaba Ali and Victoria Turner
BBC 5 Live Sport podcast editor: Matt Smith
Commissioner: Stevie Middleton

Published on Saturday, 15th March 2025.

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