ITVX commissions Boris Becker docu-series
October 14, 2022
A new series for ITVX will tell the inside story of how one of the world’s greatest sporting stars ended up in Wandsworth Jail.
Produced by Finestripe Productions, The Rise and Fall of Boris Becker [working title] will feature exclusive interviews with some of those who know the tennis legend best, as well as previously unseen personal and family archive, to tell the story of how the three time Wimbledon champion lost it all in a highly publicised bankruptcy trial.
The series – which is distributed by Abacus Media Rights – will build a character study of the German tennis prodigy from his earliest days as Wimbledon’s youngest ever champion in the 1980s, through to the present day.
Executive Producers for Finestripe Productions are Lorraine McKechnie and Sue Summers. The two episodes will be Produced & Directed by multi award-winning filmmaker Stephen Finnigan.
The series is commissioned for ITV by Jo Clinton-Davis, Controller of Factual, who commented: “Boris Becker’s story covers a truly astonishing path – coming from nowhere to reach the peak of Wimbledon at a breathtakingly young age, to finding himself in middle-age in a place he must never have imagined he could end up: prison. Finestripe bring together the people closest to Boris Becker to offer unique and compelling insight into the personality that took this path and how it unfolded.”
Sue Summers, Finestripe Productions Manager Director, said: “Becker was the golden boy of world tennis and the story of his rise and fall is one of almost Shakespearean proportions which is crying out to be told. We are thrilled to be doing so with such a talented team for ITVX.”
The Rise and Fall of Boris Becker will premiere on ITVX in 2023.