Olympic drama, ‘Bert and Dickie’, written by Honorary Lecturer, William Ivory, has received positive reviews in the national press after it aired on the BBC ahead of the London 2012 Olympics.
Thrown together just five weeks before the final of the 1948 London Olympics, Bert Bushnell and Dickie Burnell defied all the odds and achieved gold in the double sculls. This is the story of how they did it - not only by pushing physical and emotional limits, but also by confronting and overcoming their vast professional and personal differences.
The Telegraph’s James Cracknell noted:
“Bert and Dickie celebrates a fantastic achievement by two men from very different backgrounds, one that would have cheered a nation still experiencing economic hardship and food rationing.” (read more)
In the run up to the broadcast, William Ivory wrote a TV blog on his approach to writing the drama:
“What I have tried to demonstrate in Bert & Dickie is that the people of 1948 really understood that the Olympics was all about an attitude of mind: a desire to come forward and to be involved, to compete and to watch, to strive and to enjoy.
“And as long as that effort was made in a heartfelt way then money did not have to be showered upon the event for it to be a success.”
You can read more reviews of the drama on The Guardian and The Independent.
Posted on Friday 3rd August 2012