09/06/2025
π 5 Years of The Brunton Bugle Podcast: An Incredible Journey! π
Five years ago yesterday, on June 8th, 2020, in the midst of COVID-19 lockdowns, Dan MacLennan, Mike Booth and I (Lee Rooney) took a leap of faith and launched the very first episode of The Brunton Bugle podcast.
It started as a pure passion project β something to fill the void left by no football. Honestly, listening back to that first episode now, I still cringe at the sound quality and our ramshackle approach! π
But I'm incredibly proud of how much we've improved and achieved in five years. From those basic beginnings, weβve grown to become arguably the number one independent outlet for Carlisle United content!
It's been an amazing evolution, and it's all thanks to you, our incredible listeners! Here are just a few milestones we've hit together:
ποΈ 279 episodes of in-depth conversations about our beloved Blues.
π§ An incredible 151,833 downloads β growing from just 200-300 per early episode to over 1,000 for recent releases!
π Listeners in 133 countries worldwide, from Chile to Kenya, Uzbekistan to Switzerland. We've literally covered most of the globe! (where are you listening from? comment on the map image!)
β A grand total of 346 hours, 27 minutes, and 20 seconds of content. That's a lot of listening!
Dan, Mike, and I have been lucky to have the excellent Adam Tiffen join us as a regular, plus the ever reliable Nick Brown and Gregg Bulman always there to help out when needed.
Beyond our regular match previews and reviews, weβve hosted some exciting specials. Highlights include interviews with former Blues boss Paul Simpson, players such as Tomas Holy, Owen Moxon and Kristian Dennis, and club owners Tom Piatak II and Alice Piatak. And a huge shout-out to all the amazing opposition podcasts and vlogs who give up their time weekly to provide brilliant insight into their clubs!
This whole journey wouldn't have been possible without our fantastic guests, the great support from the club and others like Jon Colman (News and Star) and Paul Newton (BBC Radio Cumbria), the brilliant sponsorship from Carlisle United Supporters Trust this season and the London Branch in previous years, but most importantly, YOU β our dedicated listeners.
Your support, feedback, and engagement have fuelled every single step. It still amazes me how many people recognise my voice at games and say, "Youβre that Lee Rooney from The Brunton Bugle, arenβt you?!" Even after the most miserable defeats, it's still a joy to talk about the Blues with so many fans across the world.
Thank you for being part of The Brunton Bugle family. Here's to many more years of insightful discussions and content (and yes, Mike's bad jokes will definitely continue!).
We're looking to freshen up the podcast again this season, so please share any suggestions or comments below! π
And if you haven't listened already, you can find us through all good podcast apps or directly at www.bruntonbugle.com!
