THE story of two Leander Club rowers who won gold at the 1948 Olympic Games has been immortalised in a new BBC drama.
Bert And Dickie tells how Bertram Bushnell and Richard Burnell paired up to win the double sculls event after a chance meeting at Henley Royal Regatta.
A preview of the 90-minute film, written by William Ivory, will be shown at the Kenton Theatre in Henley on Sunday.
Bushnell is played by Doctor Who star Matt Smith while Dickie Burnell is played by Sam Hoare, who has had roles in Captain America: The First Avenger, Doctors and EastEnders.
Much of the filming took place in Henley last July, when Smith could be seen wearing round-rimmed glasses, an Olympic vest and a white sculling hat.
Six Leander rowers were used as body doubles for the actors.
The drama will reveal how the rowers were paired up just six weeks before the Games and had to overcome class differences to achieve their dream on the Olympic regatta course in Henley.
Despite losing to France in the first round, Bushnell and Burnell won the repêchage and the semi-final.
They then beat the favoured Danish duo of Parsner and Larsen by two lengths to take the gold medal with Uruguay coming third.
The film also explores how London coped with staging the Olympics, which were known as the “austerity games” as they took place just three years after the the end of the Second World War. The capital was still being rebuilt and rationing remained.
A total of £760,000 was spent on the Games, all of which was said to be recouped in ticket sales and advertising. No new venues were built and athletes were housed in existing accommodation instead of an Olympic village.
Yesterday (Thursday), the boat used by Bushnell and Burnell was lifted into the New Street theatre, where it will be displayed during the screening. Members of the two men’s families will attend.
Susie Bushnell, the youngest of Bert’s three daughters, has already seen the film.
She said: “It is wonderful and really heartwarming and Matt Smith gives a fantastic performance. The rowing scenes are beautifully shot and I think the film is going to be a huge success.”
Miss Bushnell, who lives in Wimbledon, remembers playing with her father’s gold medal as a child.
She said: “During the Olympics we would invite our friends round and would play games in the garden, handing out the real gold medal as a prize to the winners.
“Dad was very casual about the actual medal and he did not talk about the Olympics much until the last few years of his life. He would talk about the training.”
Miss Bushnell said her father was a determined man, adding: “He was quite a character and quite bolshy. He loved his sport.”
Her daughter Molly, 17, was Bushnell’s youngest grand daughter.
She said: “Although Bert was a very untraditional man, he was a traditional grandfather. Unlike most men of his generation, he was not allowed to go off to the war because of his job, so his stories were about when he won the gold medal or spending time in Portugal.
“He didn’t speak about the Olympics and he was blasé about it as if it was something that everyone did.
“Being a sportsman was something that he was proud of, though not to the point of arrogance.”
Edward Simons, chairman of the Kenton Theatre trustees, said: “This is the equivalent of Chariots Of Fire for rowing. Whenever it has been shown there has not been a dry eye in the house. For the Kenton and for Henley this is a big deal and we are very excited about it.”
Bert And Dickie also stars James Frain as five-times Olympian Jack Beresford Jnr, who officiated at the 1948 Olympic regatta, Douglas Hodge as Bert’s father, John, and Geoffrey Palmer as Dickie’s father, Charles.
It will be screened on BBC1 later this year.
Doctor Who star Matt Smith is to take part in a Disney TV show aimed at introducing poetry to young audiences.
The 29-year-old will perform one of the readings on A Poem Is, a "short-form" series that twins celebrity poetry recitals with classic Disney animation.
Smith will read Once They All Believed in Dragons by Jack Prelutsky, the first US Children's Poet Laureate.
The actor, who is currently filming his third Doctor Who series, said he had "always had an enthusiasm for poetry".
"It is so vital to my art to have an understanding and appreciation for classic literature," he went on.
According to the actor, A Poem Is offers "a whole new generation of young minds a way of learning and sharing poetry".
"The fact that it's set to some of the most iconic Disney animations just makes the whole experience so enjoyable."
Actor Richard Briers, comedian David Walliams and Downton Abbey actress Michelle Dockery will also lend their voices to the show, which begins on 30 April on the Disney Junior UK cable channel.
Jennifer Garner, Whoopi Goldberg, Kenneth Branagh and Owen Wilson are among the performers who have contributed to previous editions.
As our exclusive picture shows, the Tardis has definitely landed in Llanelli!
Following a hot tip that there was a Time Rift in the Llanelli area, our intrepid reporter was sent to investigate. He didn't have to travel far, just up the road to the Box Cemetery.
There he found the battled damaged Tardis and the Doctor and companions busy trying to save the planet!
The Tardis, Matt Smith as the Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, Arthur Darvill as Rory and Alex Kingston as River Song are filming part of the new Doctor Who series in the cemetery today.
So who is the Doctor battling in this episode?
Look at the picture, but be careful not to look away, as you can just about make out the body of a Weeping Angel. Sadly, the storyline just like the Weeping Angel was being kept underwraps but we all hope the Doctor triumphs again.
There's no actual release date yet but having it available for pre-order is a step in the right direction.Save the Future.
Play as the Doctor and River Song as they race to save the universe and time itself. Unravel the mystery of The Eternity Clock and stop its deadly path of destruction before it’s too late.
Outwit and destroy monsters including the Silence, Daleks, Silurians and Cybermen in an epic action-adventure
Time travel gameplay mechanics - changes to one time period affect the layout of another, solve puzzles across the centuries
Collaborative split-screen multiplayer - play together simultaneously and in different time periods
Innovative 2D to 3D camera switch play
An intriguing, expansive plot developed in collaboration with the team behind the TV show
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“The Drink Tank’s Hugo Acceptance Speech”, Christopher J Garcia and James Bacon (Renovation)
Doctor Who, ”The Girl Who Waited”, written by Tom MacRae; directed by Nick Hurran (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who, ”A Good Man Goes to War”, written by Steven Moffat; directed by Peter Hoar (BBC Wales)
Community, ”Remedial Chaos Theory”, written by Dan Harmon and Chris McKenna; directed by Jeff Melman (NBC)
