Sleepy Sport

The Vendée Globe: The World's most Dangerous Sailing Race - Part Two

Across the loneliest waters on Earth, where the Roaring Forties become the Furious Fifties and ice drifts in the dark, the Vendée Globe enters its most brutal chapter. In Part Two of our two-part special, sports historian Michael Wiltshire guides you through the modern era of the world’s hardest solo race, from the rise of high-speed foiling yachts to the legendary rescues, heartbreaks, and miracles that unfold far from land. Drift through the stories of sailors who faced the Southern Ocean at its fiercest, including Jean Le Cam’s dramatic mid-storm rescue, the tragedy of boats lost to rogue waves, and the breathtaking final sprints back up the Atlantic. Explore the psychology of extreme solitude, the fragile beauty of the empty horizon, and the powerful bond between humans and the sea. A calm, immersive journey into the heart of modern ocean racing, and the wild, indifferent waters that will always command respect.

The Vendée Globe: The World's most Dangerous Sailing Race - Part One

Far from land, where the sea turns grey and the horizon disappears into mist, a handful of sailors attempt something almost impossible: to sail alone around the entire planet without stopping. In this calm and cinematic episode of Sleepy Sport, sports historian Michael Wiltshire drifts through the beginnings of the Vendée Globe; the world’s most dangerous solo sailing race. Travel softly through the early dreams of circumnavigation, the tragic Golden Globe Race of 1968, the birth of the Vendée Globe in France, and the lonely journey into the Roaring Forties, where storms roar, swells tower overhead, and solitude becomes a companion. This is the story of the sailors who set out to meet the ocean at its fiercest point, and discover themselves at the edge of the world. A gentle, atmospheric exploration of courage, isolation, and the quiet beauty of the Southern Ocean.

The Dakar Rally: Dust & Danger - Part Two

After the shock cancellation of 2008 left the Dakar Rally without a home, the world’s toughest endurance race was forced to reinvent itself. In this calming second chapter of Dust & Danger, sports historian Michael Wiltshire follows the Dakar across continents, from the towering Andes to the Atacama Desert, and finally into the vast dunes of Saudi Arabia. This gentle, atmospheric episode explores how the legendary Paris-Dakar Rally survived exile, political upheaval, sandstorms, altitude, and the harshest terrain on Earth to become a new kind of motorsport epic. Drift through stories of motorcycle warriors, car and truck champions, navigation battles, modern tragedies, and the breathtaking beauty of the Empty Quarter; the endless Arabian desert that reshaped the rally once again. A slow, immersive journey through the modern history of Dakar, the evolution of desert racing, and the spirit of adventure that still defines the world’s most dangerous and iconic rally.

The Dakar Rally: Dust & Danger - Part One

On a silent night beneath the Sahara stars, a lost rider named Thierry Sabine found himself stranded in one of the most unforgiving landscapes on Earth. That moment of isolation; cold, calm, and strangely beautiful, sparked the creation of one of the most dangerous and legendary races ever imagined: the Paris-Dakar Rally. In this slow, cinematic first chapter of a two-part Sleepy Sport special, sports historian Michael Wiltshire drifts through the early years of Dakar; the dream, the dunes, the daring, and the desert that shaped it all. From makeshift motorcycles to endless sand seas, from night bivouacs to the mythic figures who carved their names into the rally’s history, this is the story of how a single moment became a global motorsport phenomenon. A soft, immersive journey into dust, danger, adventure, and the wild beginnings of the Dakar Rally.

Ice Hockey: Lights in the Snow - Part Two

Step back into the glow of winter arenas as ice hockey transforms from a quiet pond pastime into one of the world’s most electrifying sports. In this soothing Christmas series, sports historian Michael Wiltshire guides you through the modern rise of the game from the bright lights of the Original Six to the brilliance of Gretzky, Lemieux, Wickenheiser, Crosby, and the international stars who reshaped hockey across continents. Drift through iconic moments like the Miracle on Ice, the birth of outdoor classics beneath falling snow, the rise of European finesse, and the rivalries that gave modern hockey its heartbeat. Explore packed arenas, frozen breath rising beneath floodlights, holiday games filled with warmth, and the global winter tradition that hockey has become. A calm, cinematic journey through the legends, lights, and stories written across the ice. Perfect for deep winter listening, and for drifting gently into sleep beside the season’s glow.