The Murder that Changed English Football (allegedly)

The Evidence Trail

A large parcel from the National Archives gave author Colin Brown a treasure trove of information about the 1923 killing of Aston Villa footballer Tommy Ball. By bollowing the threads he was able to dispel myths that have persisted for more than a century and get closer to the truth of what really happened one chilly Sunday night in north Birmingham. In this episode he explains his own family's connection to Ball, describes the life of an early 20th century footballer and explains why Ball's killer should not have been condemned to hang. Colin Brown's book is The Armistice Day Killing: The Death of Tommy Ball and the Life of the Man Who Shot Him

The Old Soldier

George Stagg had fought for the British Empire in Sudan alongside Winston Churchill and Douglas Haig; he'd been seriously injured in the trenches of World War I after walking out on his job and wife to serve his country. He was an upstanding citizen, a former policeman, so what led him to shoot dead his own neighbour Tommy Ball? The final episode of The Murder that Changed English Football (allegedly) looks at a man whose life reflected the peak and decline of the British empire; a character whose complexities were never given a chance to show in the one-day murder trial that ended in his death sentence. The series relies heavily on research by Colin Brown, author of The Armistice Day Killing: The Death of Tommy Ball and the Life of the Man who Shot Him. Post production by Istorias Media, sound editing by Sasha Sadikov.

By Far the Greatest Team

When former Durham miner Tommy Ball joined Aston Villa in 1920 they were the most successful football club in history with six league trophies and five FA Cups. Their manager, George Ramsey's record would only be matched almost a century later by Alex Ferguson. This episode is about football and justice in the 1920s. Tommy Ball rises into the Aston Villa first team and has international options for three nations at the time of his sudden death. And when the wheels of justice are triggered, things move speedily. The judge, Sidney Arthur Taylor Rowlatt seems keen on a conviction, to the point of trying to disprove the defence's claims himself. The series relies heavily on research by Colin Brown, author of The Armistice Day Killing: The Death of Tommy Ball and the Life of the Man who Shot Him. Post production by Istorias Media, sound editing by Sasha Sadikov.

The Gun and the Gate

Doubts begin to emerge about the testimony of Beatrice Ball, who claims her neighbour George Stagg shot her footballer husband Tommy before turning the gun on her. Episode 2 of The Murder that Changed English Football looks at the evidence collected against Stagg, including a former wartime rifle and a blood spattered gate, which are the only unbiased witnesses to his fatal confrontation with the Aston Villa player. Did the jury have doubts as they weighed up Stagg's life after the briefest of trials? The episode relies heavily on research by Colin Brown, author of The Armistice Day Killing: The Death of Tommy Ball and the Life of the Man who Shot Him. Post production by Istorias Media, sound editing by Sasha Sadikov.

The Footballers' Widow

On November 11, 1923 Aston Villa footballer Tommy Ball was shot dead outside his back garden. The killing remains officially the only time a top-level English player has been murdered. Ball's wife Beatrice heard the shots and was a key witness in the subsequent trials. And yet her account of what happened does not add up. This episode explores the events leading up the killing and its immediate aftermath, according to Beatrice Ball. You'll hear how a miner from the north east of England swapped his cramped and precarious life for the prestigious world of professional sport. There are the details of his final night out on the town with his wife and then the fatal circumstances that led to a completely unanticipated confrontation. Most sensational of all, according to Beatrice's testimony to police, the killing almost evolved into a double murder. The episode ends with the prospect of a third death- the execution of the man who fired a converted German military rifle into Ball's chest at near point blank range. The episode relies heavily on research by Colin Brown, author of The Armistice Day Killing: The Death of Tommy Ball and the Life of the Man who Shot Him. Post production by Istorias Media, sound editing by Sasha Sadikov.