Hazardous History with Henry Winkler

Very Extreme Sports is a one‑off episode of a documentary‑style programme, fronted by former rugby league star‑turned‑presenter Jamie Hughes. Think of it as a gritty, 30‑minute deep‑dive into the wildest, rule‑free era of football and baseball, when a tackle could snap a femur and a pitch‑forked fastball was a genuine death‑wish. It’s essentially “what if sport had no safety net” – a proper throw‑back to the 1920s‑30s. The episode rolls through two main case studies. First, it follows the brutal “bone‑crushing” version of football played in the industrial north, using grainy newsreels and interviews with the last surviving players. Then it switches to America’s “deadly” baseball leagues, where pitchers were allowed to hurl spikes‑tipped balls and batters wore little more than a thin shirt. The narration is peppered with anecdotes from historians and a few cheeky reenactments that keep the pace lively, without giving away the final verdict on whether these sports were ever truly “extreme”. Honestly, it’s a mixed bag. The archival footage is fascinating and the comparisons to modern extreme‑sport shows like Channel 4’s The World’s Most Dangerous Sports are spot‑on, but the production feels a touch dated – the graphics are a bit ropy and the pacing drags in the middle. Still, if you love a bit of sporting history with a side of gore, it’s surprisingly good and far more engaging than the half‑hearted attempts at nostalgia you’ll find on YouTube. Rated 15 for strong violence and occasional graphic injuries. First terrestrial broadcast on BBC Two last month, it’s a stand‑alone piece rather than a remake, so no prior knowledge is needed. Fair warning: the blood‑splatter scenes are vivid, so younger viewers might want to look away.