<\/p>
Gazza is not the documentary you expect. You\u2019d be forgiven for doubting the existence of fresh paths left to tread on the Paul Gascoigne trail, but this two-part BBC dive into the maverick superstar\u2019s life away from the field is a compelling watch.<\/p>\n
This is a documentary for everyone, it transcends sport in the way the Geordie enigma became a brand for everyone as he dominated the back and front pages of tabloids across the land.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not a tired, formulaic re-run of his greatest hits featuring inevitable talking heads wearily trotting out the same lines about \u2018that goal against Scotland\u2019 while only sweeping the surface of Gascoigne\u2019s indiscretions. Gazza is not that at all.<\/p>\n
The focus here is not on Gascoigne\u2019s extraordinary technical wizardry but on the \u201cdark arts\u201d practised around him by members on every level of the Fleet Street food chain, from convicted, underworld-dwelling phone-hackers up to the top brass, Rebekah Brooks (n\u00e9e Wade) and Piers Morgan, in particular. Brooks was cleared of phone-hacking charges in 2014 and Morgan has always strongly denied any involvement in it.<\/p>\n
This is a historical piece, crafted almost entirely using archive footage, seasoned with dated and contemporary audio snippets. You are firmly transported back to a period in time when Umbro ruled the world and the pre-internet \u201990s culture that feels so breathtakingly different from the world around us now. It\u2019s a strife-filled tale executed brilliantly by the producers.<\/p>
Part One hurriedly flicks through Gascoigne\u2019s Newcastle breakthrough period and subsequent move to Tottenham. We see all the hallmarks of the boyish charm that went on to sweep the nation off its feet. Gascoigne displays the permanent twinkle of a child being told off by a parent while still trying to make everyone in the room laugh. He is a performer, with a deep craving for adulation and affection that fuels his wonderful early career.<\/p>\n
However, Gascoigne\u2019s life and career show signs of creaking, coming away at the seams.\u00a0Part Two is a stand-out triumph \u2013 the story of how a rough diamond was formed in a searing pressure-cooker environment.<\/p>\n
The majority of voiceovers provided for the documentary don\u2019t come from an all-star team of ex-England internationals, but from reporters and journalists, some of whom were convicted for phone hacking, including former News of the World journalist Greg Miskiw.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a bold move, to give such a sinister supporting cast air time, but it pays off. They regale their accounts of surveilling Gascoigne and his then-wife Sheryl.<\/p>\n
Brooks (then Wade) and Morgan both declined to be involved in the making of the documentary but they are woven throughout it. Brooks appears intermittently, a spectral figure drifting in the shadows drawn by paparazzi bulbs. She cuts a particularly ominous figure in Gazza as her ascent to the top of the career ladder is set against the tabloids\u2019 ever-deepening, ever-lurking presence in the lives of the Gascoignes.<\/p>\n
Much of the narrative in Part Two actually sidelines Gascoigne himself. His life is simply the prize in an escalating game of Capture The Flag between The Sun and The Mirror under the command of Brooks and Morgan.<\/p>\n
Gazza \u2013 over which Gascoigne himself had zero creative control \u2013 is no mere hero-worshipping sympathy piece, but a case study into the human damage that can be caused by a media system rigged to benefit from falling stars.<\/p>\n
The documentary does not shy away from his admissions of domestic abuse against Sheryl while the correlation between his rise to stardom and descent into alcoholism is laid bare, but the scope is much wider. The documentary asks questions of its viewers about the type of content we willingly consume and the true cost for those it consumes.<\/p>\n
Gazza is not the comfortable highlights reel you expect. That\u2019s why it should be seen.<\/p>\n
Gazza begins on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer<\/a> on Wednesday 13th April at 9pm.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for something else to watch check out our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>. Visit our dedicated hub for more\u00a0Sports<\/a>\u00a0news.<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, l<\/strong>isten to the\u00a0Radio Times podcast<\/a> with Jane Garvey.<\/strong><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n By Michael Potts Published: Monday, 11 April 2022 at 12:00 am Gazza is not the documentary you expect. You\u2019d be forgiven for doubting the existence of fresh paths left to tread on the Paul Gascoigne trail, but this two-part BBC dive into the maverick superstar\u2019s life away from the field is a compelling watch. This […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":13675,"template":"","categories":[7,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/gazza-review-a-gripping-tale-with-few-heroes-and-a-sinister-supporting-cast.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/gazza-review-a-gripping-tale-with-few-heroes-and-a-sinister-supporting-cast-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/gazza-review-a-gripping-tale-with-few-heroes-and-a-sinister-supporting-cast-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/gazza-review-a-gripping-tale-with-few-heroes-and-a-sinister-supporting-cast.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/gazza-review-a-gripping-tale-with-few-heroes-and-a-sinister-supporting-cast.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/gazza-review-a-gripping-tale-with-few-heroes-and-a-sinister-supporting-cast.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/gazza-review-a-gripping-tale-with-few-heroes-and-a-sinister-supporting-cast.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Michael Potts Published: Monday, 11 April 2022 at 12:00 am Gazza is not the documentary you expect. You\u2019d be forgiven for doubting the existence of fresh paths left to tread on the Paul Gascoigne trail, but this two-part BBC dive into the maverick superstar\u2019s life away from the field is a compelling watch. This…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/13674"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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