We love ourselves a good documentary.
Over the last year, we feel like we’ve been completely spoilt with documentaries. From docs on true crime, to famous people, to music, to all things weird and whacky, we think we’ve significantly expanded our knowledge of all the good, bad, and crazy things that go on in the world.
However, they really only whetted our appetite for more. More documentaries about, well, everything.
Sky heard our calls and they have delivered eightfold. Oh yes, they have eight new Sky original documentaries set to be released on their new channel, Sky Documentaries.
Here’s what to expect:
1. Hawking
This is a 90-minute feature documentary about the life of Stephen Hawking. The film is produced by Atlantic Productions and explores the remarkable human story of the man who became one of the most iconic physicists of the 20th Century. It draws on private family archive – footage and stills – and includes interviews with his family, friends, and colleagues.
2. McQueen: The Lost Movie
Hollywood icon Steve McQueen would have been 90 years old in 2020. Tragically, he never made it past 50, but in a short career reached global superstar status as the male lead of many of the most memorable films of the 1960s and ’70s, such as The Great Escape, Bullitt, and The Towering Inferno. One film from his prime mid-1960s era was started but never completed, and all materials from it were thought to have been long lost or destroyed. But the fate of these missing reels only tells part of this tale, and the full behind-the-screens story – which plays like something out of Once Upon A Time in Hollywood – will have to be seen to be believed.
3. Tina Turner
The story of an icon from the Oscar-winning filmmakers behind Undefeated and Searching for Sugar Man. With over 200 million record sales worldwide, 12 Grammy Awards and the holder of the Guinness World Record for selling more concert tickets than any solo performer in history, Tina Turner’s road to global superstardom is an undeniable story of triumph over adversity. As this documentary with exclusive access to the star will show you, it is the ultimate story of survival.
4. The Go-Go’s
With candid interviews from the band themselves and other industry insiders, The Go-Go’s examines how an all-female punk band from the 80s changed perceptions, broke down barriers and made history, paving the way for future musicians, particularly women. This documentary digs deep into the annals of Go-Go’s history and how, despite the pressure of fame and painful consequences of success, the group became a global phenomenon.
5. Look Away
This documentary takes a stark look at the darker side of rock and a subject society has glossed over for years: statutory rape. For the first time, women who were groomed in their early teenage years open up about their experiences and offer a genuine and unfiltered insight into their conflicting emotions. As the power imbalance surrounding their experiences is highlighted, this documentary explores the lengths the music industry went to in order to protect its own.
6. Tyson Bruno
This historic feature-length film charts the sensational highs and lows of two of the world’s most iconic black sportsmen, capped off with a reunion between the two foes. One hero, one villain: this is the story of America’s ‘baddest man on the planet’ Iron Mike Tyson as the friend and enemy of Britain’s gentle giant, Frank Bruno, and the fascinating story of the way their lives remained connected like two sides of the same coin.
7. The United Way
The story of Manchester United is one of the ultimate stories of our time and it has never been fully told this way before. This highly cinematic one-off feature documentary relays the swirling rise of an iconic sporting dynasty with comprehensive, unseen footage, untold anecdotes and unprecedented depth. All led by the legendary Eric Cantona, who provides the creative and storytelling spine throughout the film. Think ‘Rome; but in the sphere of sport – Old Trafford is the Colosseum, the titanic managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Matt Busby are the Emperors.
8. Lancaster
From the team behind the box-office hit Spitfire comes the second film in a trilogy commemorating the iconic WWII aircraft. Lancaster tells the story of the legendary bomber synonymous with the Dambusters and the night raids against Nazi Germany. This film is testimony to the bravery and resilience of the servicemen and women who flew and supported the missions and the deep lasting effect it had on them.
The Sky docs are all currently in production and will be released over the rest of 2020 and into 2021. Sky Documentaries is launching this Wednesday, May 27, along with the new Sky Nature and rebranded Sky History.
Those three channels are sure to keep us busy for a while – we can’t wait!
