The One with Craig Maxwell-Keys and Christophe Ridley

For more than two years, we've been shining a spotlight on the stories of people in sport who just so happen to be LGBTQ+.

But for the next few weeks, we’re going to be changing up our format with some special additional episodes, looking at what it means to be an ally and how everyone can play a role in making sport inclusive for all.

The idea is simple – we’ll take two people from the world of sport, one who is LGBTQ+ and one who is a straight ally, and simply have a chat with them both about their experiences.

We’ll hear how our straight guest offers support to the LGBTQ+ community and, in some cases, challenged their own perceptions along the way, and discuss what sort of difference their role as an ally made to our LGBTQ+ guest as well.

And, as always, the conversations will (hopefully!) offer some fascinating sporting stories too. To kick us off, we’ve got two fantastic guests, as Premiership Rugby referees Craig Maxwell-Keys and Christophe Ridley join the podcast for the first of our special episodes looking at what it means to be an ally. Craig is gay, and shared his story on this podcast almost exactly a year ago, and Christophe is straight.

And honestly, we couldn’t wish for two better people to kick this special set of episodes off, as there’s loads on the agenda for this chat – how the pair got to know each other; this year’s Rainbow Laces campaign and what it means to each man; what being an ally means to Christophe; how Christophe supported Craig after his appearance on this podcast; refereeing in empty stadiums and, in Craig’s case, taking charge of the Premiership final just a few weeks ago; and how each man has passed the time in lockdown.

We think it’s a fascinating conversation - open, honest and genuine – and we’re really grateful both men took the time to join us for it.

WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR GUESTS? @PremRugby @EnglandRugby

WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PODCAST? @jack_murley jack.murley@bbc.co.uk