The critically-acclaimed documentary focusing on football legend Jack Charlton will premiere on BBC Two on Monday, 29 March, at 9pm.
Finding Jack Charlton is the compelling, emotional and definitive portrait of a football life like no other.
Directed by Gabriel Clarke and Pete Thomas, and shot on location in Ireland and England, it is the story of an extraordinary man, an English, World Cup-winning legend who became an Irish hero.
Jack Charlton won the World Cup in 1966 playing alongside his brother, Bobby, in England’s greatest ever side.
A proud Englishman, Jack applied for only one job in his subsequent career as a football manager: the England job. Jack never received a reply from the FA.
Instead, he accepted an invitation to manage the Republic of Ireland, and took on a side that had never qualified for a major tournament to the dizzying heights of a World Cup quarter-final.
In doing so he inspired a nation. Ireland’s footballing success represented far more than winning matches, it influenced a social and cultural change in a country that faced deep-seated political and economic challenges.
Finding Jack Charlton tells the story of Jack’s special association with Ireland and also examines his frustration with England and the FA, his complicated relationship with his brother Sir Bobby Charlton, and his final battle with dementia, which was previously undocumented.
Offering an intimate, compelling insight into Jack the man, Finding Jack Charlton includes contributions from Jack’s family, his wife Pat and son John, alongside celebrated Irish players, musicians, writers and politicians, including Larry Mullen Jr, Roddy Doyle, Brendan O’Carroll, Paul McGrath, Niall Quinn, Mick McCarthy, David O’Leary and Andy Townsend.
As well as airing on BBC Two, Finding Jack Charlton will also be available to watch live or on demand via BBC iPlayer.
For further information about the documentary, visit the official website – findingjackcharlton.com.
Finding Jack Charlton airs on on Monday, 29 March at 9pm on BBC Two
