TV personality Spencer Matthews is heading to Mount Everest in search of his late brother in this upcoming Disney Plus documentary.

By Lauren Morris

Published: Saturday, 04 March 2023 at 12:00 am

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Michael Matthews died after summiting Mount Everest in 1999 at the age of 22. His body was never found.

Now, his brother Spencer Matthews is retracing Michael’s last steps and attempting to recover his body, which was never found, in a Disney Plus documentary, titled Finding Michael, the release date for which has been delayed.

The former Made in Chelsea star is joined by a team of experts including British adventurer Bear Grylls and mountaineer Nims Purja as he makes an emotional journey up Mount Everest, which he told RadioTimes.com helped him “to understand who he was more as a person“.

“It was so beautiful and we stayed in all of the same hostels (or tea rooms, as they call them) that Mike stayed in, and I met some people who were still in charge of the same tea rooms that were there in 1999 and played pool on the same pool table as Mike.

“I experienced exactly what he experienced, albeit with different people and we enjoyed ourselves on the way to Everest.”

He also revealed that he hadn’t considered the “detrimental effect” that failing to find Michael might have on his family, adding: “I hadn’t given that a single second of thought because I just thought that we would find him because that’s the way I’m put together.”

Executive produced by Bear Grylls, the Disney Plus documentary hasn’t landed on the streamer on the scheduled date – here’s everything we know so far about Finding Michael’s delayed release date.

When is Finding Michael release date on Disney Plus?

Finding Michael was set to be released on Disney Plus on Friday (3rd March).

However, viewers looking to watch the documentary were left confused after the film failed to premiere on the streamer on the scheduled date.

Disney Plus issued a statement on the delay on Saturday (4th March), explaining: “We’re sorry that the debut date for Finding Michael has shifted on Disney+. We will let you know as soon as we have new timings for its launch. This will be in the near future.”

The statement added: “Thanks for your patience.”

Spencer penned a similar message on his Instagram Story explaining that the “debut date has shifted”.

He explained: “Apologies to everyone trying to view Finding Michael on Disney Plus. The debut date has shifted and we’ll update you as soon as we have the timings.”

He continued: “This will be in the near future. Thank you all for your support.”

RadioTimes.com has contacted representatives for Disney Plus for further comment.

The streamer announced the documentary last summer, announcing that it would be arriving in early 2023.

Meanwhile, speaking about the documentary in an Instagram post in September 2022, Spencer Matthews said: “I am now proud to announce, together with Disney Plus that early next year we will bring you Finding Michael, a strong and powerful story of brotherly love.”

What is Finding Michael about?

Finding Michael is a feature-length documentary in which broadcaster and former Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthew heads to Mount Everest to find his brother Michael, who disappeared whilst climbing the mountain 23 years prior.

“In 1999, Michael Matthews became the youngest Briton to summit Mount Everest. But three hours after he reached the top of the world, aged just 22, he disappeared into blinding snow and his body has never been found,” Disney Plus says.

Spencer Matthews is heading on the mission to recover his brother’s body alongside Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja MBE – the world record holder for climbing all 14 mountains over 8,000 metres the fastest.

“As they follow in Michael’s footsteps, Spencer and Nims face unexpected and extreme challenges as well as intense time pressures when the weather closes in,” the documentary teases.

Speaking about making the documentary on Instagram, Matthews said in August: “This has been the most meaningful and humbling experience of my own life and it is hoped the film will deliver my brave brother the decent legacy that he earned when so young.”

Who appears in Finding Michael?

Instagram: @spencermatthews

Spencer Matthews is set to star in this upcoming documentary as he heads out on the challenging trek.

He’ll be joined by Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja, a mountaineer and world-record holder. He previously served in the British Army and the Special Forces before becoming the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders in just six months and six days – a challenge documented in Netflix’s 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.

Judging by the trailer, we also know that Bear Grylls, Matthews’ wife Vogue Williams and members of Matthews’ family appear in the documentary.

Is there a Finding Michael trailer?

Disney Plus released a trailer for Finding Michael last week, giving viewers a first look at Spencer Matthews’s mission to recover his brother’s body. You can watch the clip below: