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\u201cYou\u2019re never content, are you?\u201d Brian O\u2019Driscoll shuffles in his chair, sporting a wide grin and a sparkle in the eye. His smile breaks into a deep laugh. \u201cThat\u2019d be ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Irish rugby legend has evolved following his retirement. His days of bursting through waves of opponents are over, and he\u2019s here to talk about exactly that in a brand new documentary airing on BT Sport.<\/p>\n
After The Roar is a film from a production company co-founded by O\u2019Driscoll himself, 3 Rock Productions, and draws back the curtain on elite sportsmen\u2019s lives after the show is over, after the lights are flicked off and the cameras stop rolling.<\/p>\n
Horse racing icon AP McCoy, England cricket superstar Jonny Bairstow and current England manager Gareth Southgate are among the subjects of this important documentary that aims to dissect the emotions, the reality, the trauma and even the opportunities presented by retirement from a range of perspectives \u2013 from those long-retired and those with careers looking towards the sunset.<\/p>\n
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com<\/a>, O\u2019Driscoll spoke about some of the themes and differences that connect the high-profile stars he interviews in the film.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cEveryone has such high expectations of themselves. They want to push themselves to the limits, extract as much out of their natural talents as they possibly can. Some people are more successful than others.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look at someone like AP, Champion Jockey 20 years in a row. In our lifetime, those records will never be broken. You contrast that with someone like Anthony Ogogo, who had it all taken away from him before his world title shot, something he aspired to be as a kid.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are two extremes. Which is worse? Someone who had it all and doesn\u2019t get to live that anymore, or someone who never quite achieves what they want so the fall hasn\u2019t been as significant but inspires a different emotion.<\/p>\n \u201cYou counter that with the likes of Gareth Southgate who has had more success in his second iteration, as a football manager. And you\u2019ve also got Jonny Bairstow whose retirement isn\u2019t imminent, but it\u2019s coming down the line and he\u2019s dealing with the fact that his father, when he retired from professional cricket, took his own life.\u201d<\/p> O\u2019Driscoll is keen to stress that while many of the stories told and characters observed bear some commonalities, each journey looks very different.<\/p>\n McCoy\u2019s interview is a particular highlight of the documentary. He details how he continues to maintain rigorous early morning routines aboard his horses. He would clearly love nothing more than to roll back his body clock and go again.<\/p>\n The Northern Irish jockey tentatively jokes about others aiming for his records and accolades, but his genuine concerns are thinly veiled. The 48-year-old suggests he hopes he is no longer around to see his achievements bettered \u2013 though McCoy may be able to find peace in the fact that nobody is likely to come close to winning 20 consecutive jump racing Champion Jockey titles any time soon.<\/p>\n There is a clear elite mentality running throughout this crop of sports stars. It may seem alien to you or I, the fan in the stand, the reporter in the box. The hunger to win is insatiable, but a beast accustomed to feasts must now go without. And O\u2019Driscoll does an excellent job exposing both the characters of the men involved, and how they have learned to tame the need for the roar.<\/p>\n “I’m a firm believer that a sportsperson is the only person who does die twice.”