David Beckham says filming ‘difficult’ documentary made him feel ‘uncomfortable’
David Beckham has said creating his hit documentary series made him feel “uncomfortable”, as he was forced to discuss “things I’d never spoken about before”.
The football star spoke about the process of making Beckham, which was released on Netflix last year, at the Royal Television Society’s annual conference.
When asked by session presenter Jane Featherstone how he could make an “authentic documentary” about himself with his own Studio 99 firm, he said he worked with a team and a director he knew would push him.
The documentary series delved into Beckham’s life and career
The 49-year-old said it took him a “long time” to say yes to making the series – but once decided, he wanted it to be helmed by someone who would come at it “from a different angle” to the story people may think they know.
“It was really difficult,” Beckham said, of being interviewed for about 50 hours by director Fisher Stevens. “It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that I was going to make it… when I retired, I wasn’t ready to talk about my career and talk about what had happened over that time.”
But as he approached the 10-year anniversary of his 2013 retirement from football, he thought: “Maybe this is the right time.”
Beckham said both he and his wife, Victoria, were “nervous” about the idea. “Because as much as people think they know everything about us, [they] don’t really. We don’t really let kind of those doors open to our house… I’m not going to lie, I hated probably almost every moment…”
Beckham said his former Manchester United boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, encouraged him not to read headlines at the time
As the audience laughed, the former England and Manchester United star clarified: “I wouldn’t say I hated it. I would just say it was very difficult…
“I’ll go back and say it wasn’t hate, but it was really difficult because there were moments when I was talking about things that I’d never spoken about before.
“This was a time when I was playing in my career and there wasn’t social media. Everything that was said about me, I knew what was being said – but the boss would turn round to me, Sir Alex Ferguson, and say, ‘don’t read the papers today. Do yourself a favour, don’t read the papers, go out there and play’. And that’s really all that I kind of saw.”
Beckham said he did not want to see what was in the series until it was finished. “I didn’t go into the edit. I didn’t see any cuts. I saw the odd clip, but I didn’t see anything. And I just let Fisher have that control.”
Praising Stevens, he said: “Finding the right director took a while… But then when I met Fisher, I was like, okay – this is the man that is going to make me feel really uncomfortable. And I think I had to feel uncomfortable to make the documentary that we made…
“Fisher made me feel uncomfortable from the moment we sat down to talk, to the moment I finished. And I really needed that because I needed a director to come at it from a different angle. Because everyone kind of knows my career and my life and things like that. So I needed someone like him to bring something different out of me.”
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David Beckham speaks to Sky News at documentary premiere
Beckham said watching the series for the first time at the premiere was an “emotional” experience, but he “loved” the result. On Sunday night, the programme picked up the award for outstanding documentary series at the Emmys in the US.
The star also spoke about Victoria Beckham’s upcoming documentary series, announced earlier in the summer, which will chart her career from Spice Girl to fashion designer and beauty entrepreneur.
Asked if he would be giving her “notes” now he has his own documentary behind him, Beckham laughed and replied: “Do you know my wife?”
He continued: “I’m actually really excited about this one with Victoria because she is an amazing woman. She’s a strong, driven, passionate person that has gone from being a Spice Girl, and to be respected in this industry is very, very tough.
“She’s worked hard for the last 17, 18 years on her business and all of a sudden she’s having the success that she really deserves. And no one really sees what she does. No one really sees the amount of work she puts in.
“She’s over everything, from where people sit at the shows to what they wear to everything that goes into her business. She’s over every single piece and I want people to see that.”
Despite The Who’s Quadrophenia being set over 60 years ago, Pete Townshend’s themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.
The album is having a renaissance as Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia A Mod ballet is being brought to life via dance at Sadler’s Wells East, and Sky News has an exclusive first look.
As Townshend puts it, the album he wrote is “perfect” for the stage.
Pete Townshend
“My wife Rachel did the orchestration for me, and as soon as I heard it I said to her it would make a fabulous ballet and we never really let that go,” he tells Sky News.
“Heavy percussion, concussive sequences. They’re explosive moments. They’re also romantic movement moments.”
If you identify with the demographics of Millennial, Gen Y or Gen Z, you might not be familiar with The Who and Mod culture.
But in post-war Britain the Mods were a cultural phenomenon characterised by fashion, music, and of course, scooters. The young rebels were seen as a counter-culture to the establishment and The Who, with Roger Daltry’s lead vocals and Pete Townshend’s writing, were the soundtrack.
Quadrophenia the album is widely regarded as an essay on the British adolescent experience at the time, focusing on the life of fictional protagonist Jimmy – a young Mod struggling with his sanity, self-doubt, and alienation.
Townshend sets the rock opera in 1965 but thinks its themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.
He says: “The phobias and the restrictions and the unwritten laws about how young men should behave. The ground that they broke, that we broke because I was a part of it.
“Men were letting go of [the] wartime-related, uniform-related stance that if I wear this kind of outfit it makes me look like a man.”
Paris Fitzpatrick and Pete Townshend. Pic: Johan Persson
This struggle of modern masculinity and identity appears to be echoing today as manosphere influencers like Andrew Tate, incel culture, and Netflix’s Adolescence make headlines.
For dancer Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy, the story resonates.
Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy in the ballet
“I think there’s a connection massively and I think there may even be a little more revival in some way,” he tells Sky News.
“I love that myself. I love non-conforming to gender norms and typical masculinity; I think it’s great to challenge things.”
Despite the album being written before he was born, the dancer says he was familiar with the genre already.
“I actually did an art GCSE project about Mods and rockers and Quadrophenia,” he says.
“I think we’ll be able to bring it to new audiences and hopefully, maybe people will be inspired to to learn more about their music and the whole cultural movement of the early 60s.”
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In 1979, the album was adapted into a film directed by Franc Roddam starring Ray Winstone and Sting but Townshend admits because the film missed key points he is “not a big fan”.
“What it turned out to be in the movie was a story about culture, about social scenario and less about really the specifics of mental illness and how that affects young people,” he adds, also complimenting Roddam’s writing for the film.
Perhaps a testament to Pete Townshend’s creativity, Quadrophenia started as an album, was successfully adapted to film and now it will hit the stage as a contemporary ballet.
It appears that over six decades later Mod culture is still cool and their issues still relatable.
Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet will tour to Plymouth Theatre Royal from 28 May to 1 June 2025, Edinburgh Festival Theatre from 10 to 14 June 2025 and the Mayflower, Southampton from 18 to 21 June 2025 before having its official opening at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London on 24 June running to 13 July 2025 and then visiting The Lowry, Salford from 15 to 19 July 2025.
Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.
The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.
The charges relate to four women.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.
Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.
He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.
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Ashna Hurynag discusses Russell Brand’s charges
The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.
Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.
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The comedian has denied the accusations and said he has “never engaged in non-consensual activity”.
He added in a video on X: “Of course, I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.
“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”
Tom Cruise has paid tribute to Val Kilmer, wishing his Top Gun co-star “well on the next journey”.
Cruise, speaking at the CinemaCon film event in Las Vegas on Thursday, asked for a moment’s silence to reflect on the “wonderful” times shared with the star, whom he called a “dear friend”.
Kilmer, who died of pneumonia on Tuesday aged 65, rocketed to fame starring alongside Cruise in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, playing Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, a rival fighter pilot to Cruise’s character Maverick.
Tom Cruise said ‘I wish you well on the next journey’. Pic: AP
Val Kilmer in 2017. Pic: AP
His last part was a cameo role in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
Cruise, on stage at Caesars Palace on Thursday, said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.
“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.
“I wish you well on the next journey.”
The moment of silence followed a string of tributes from Hollywood figures including Cher, Francis Ford Coppola, Antonio Banderas and Michelle Monaghan.
Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times on Wednesday that the actor had died from pneumonia.
Tom Cruise at Caesars Palace on Thursday. Pic: AP
Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer discussed his illness and recovery in his 2020 memoir Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime documentary Val.
He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the disease and also had a tracheostomy which damaged his vocal cords and permanently gave him a raspy speaking voice.
Kilmer played Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of rock singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors.
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He also starred in True Romance and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as playing criminal Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat and Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone.
In 1988 he married British actress Joanne Whalley, whom he met while working on fantasy adventure Willow.
The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.
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