In the first episode of a new fly-on-the wall series, Jermain Defoe travels back to the estate in East London where he grew up, exploring how his past experiences will affect his future as he begins a journey into the world of football management. From the house he grew up in and memories of his grandparents, to games of football in the street and a trip back to his old school, the former England star is keen to delve into his childhood and the people he shared those years with as he searches for a new career now that no-one’s singing his name. With management the focus, Defoe discusses the en ..read more

Jermain speaks to former England international and ex teammate Sol Campbell about his journey from calling time on his playing career to becoming a football manager in the lower leagues. Sol talks about know he wanted to go into management in the latter stages of his career as he was an on-field coach for Arsenal and his centre-back partner of Kolo Toure. He also revealed the managers that he took the most from, Ossie Ardielles at Tottenham in how to deal with players, Gerry Francis also at Spurs with the focus on fitness, strength and conditioning and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and the sports s ..read more

Jermain heads to the south coast and to Harry Redknapp's house to catch up with his 3-time former manager. The pair discuss when Harry first heard of a young 16-year old Jermain and how he signed him from Charlton to West Ham, sending him on loan to Bournemouth, scoring in his first 10 consecutive games. Harry talks about his time in the USA with Bobby Moore and also the importance of managers having a keen eye on the youth teams of their clubs and getting to know each player not just in and around the club but also on a personal level too. Harry also gives Jermain advice on how to deal with b ..read more

Jermain and former SAS soldier Mark 'Billy' Billingham discuss leadership and team building in this bonus episode of Outside The Box. Billy advises Jermain on what good leadership is, what it takes to build a team, when to delegate and how to spot and deal with individuals that have professional or personal problems or issues within his squad. Billy also talks about his time in the military on missions, recalling a near miss in the field and how he coped with pressure situations including when he was leading a squadron that was outnumbered, surrounded and under heavy fire. Billy also talks abo ..read more

In the final episode of Outside the Box, Jermain reflects on his journey to this point, looking back on what he's learned through the series and what he hopes to achieve in the next weeks and months. He's been informed that he has an interview to attend - his first - with the Chief Executive of Brighton and Hove Albion, Paul Barber who will put him through his paces in a simulated interview that will give Jermain the sort of experience he will need when he comes face to face with a chairman. The two meet in London and Barber grills Jermain on his plans: why he wants to manage, what his philoso ..read more

This episode discussed child bereavement and you can find details of organisations offering information and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline In episode ten of Outside the Box, Jermain takes an emotional trip to the North East to see the family of Bradley Lowery, the young boy who he befriended after being diagnosed with neuroblastoma at just 18-months of age. This episode discussed child bereavement and you can find details of organisations offering information and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline He travels from his home outside London to the small colliery village south of Sunder ..read more

The penultimate episode of Outside the Box begins on the day job for Jermain and another session with the under-18's. But after eight months at Spurs, how's he getting on? His manager Stuart Lewis gives us a status update on his progress so far. A week on from visiting the north east and the family of Bradley Lowery, Jermain reflects on some much needed perspective that the trip offered him. Coaching helps, but so does the opportunity to reflect on other aspects of his career that he regrets, notably the way his time in the MLS ended. He discusses what went wrong in Toronto in 2014, how he fee ..read more

In episode eight of Outside the Box, Jermain heads to Media City in Salford to work as a pundit on Match of the Day 2. It's a post-playing world that has always interested him, and for a football obsessive like Jermain the idea of watching and talking about games is extremely appealing. He speaks to the show's editor Steve Houghton about what's required, and then reminisces about growing up watching a programme he's about to appear on. Smoothing his path on this night will be his fellow pundit and former Tottenham and England teammate, Jermain Jenas who discusses how difficult he found life af ..read more

In the ninth episode of Outside the Box, Jermain talks to current and former managers about the stress of the job, finding out about the pressures of running a football club, and discovering what it means to be sacked. His journey begins closer to home as his club, Tottenham, announce the departure of their manager, Antonio Conte. That leads to questions about his possible replacements which are taken up by 5 live's Monday Night Club show, including one listener who believes Jermain should be given an opportunity. One of the recurring themes of the series has been the undercurrent of pressure ..read more

In episode seven of Outside the Box, Jermain confronts the game’s ugly past to discover if management is really something he wants to get into by asking why there are so few jobs available for black managers. He tackles the problems in society pertaining to race and wonders whether he really has what it takes to fight racism in football and beyond. His journey starts with his mother Sandra, as the pair get together to discuss what it was like for her to watch him play throughout his career, often in environments which were hostile towards black players. She discusses the worst time: a 2004 gam ..read more