Legends of Welsh Sport
Looking back on some of the greatest and most inspiring stories in Welsh sport – from the underdogs who defied the odds to the game changers who changed their sports and their country.
Seasons
1. John Dawes
Air Date: 2022-02-09
An emotive portrait of Welsh rugby icon John Dawes. The man who revolutionised the game as both player and coach led Wales to multiple Grand Slams, inspired the Lions to their only tour victory on New Zealand soil, and was also at the centre of the ‘greatest try of all time’ with the Barbarians. For the first time, John Dawes’s son and grandsons, along with a star-studded host of rugby players, including Gareth Edwards, John Taylor and Gerald Davies, look back at the life of a legend and learn how his legacy lives on to this day.
2. Norton’s Coin
Air Date: 2022-02-16
In 1990, Carmarthenshire-based dairy farmer Sirrell Griffiths, who kept horses for a hobby, entered a horse into one of racing's most prestigious competitions, the Cheltenham Gold Cup... by mistake. Sirrell had his eye set on another race at the festival but missed the deadline, and the only race left to enter was the Gold Cup. Trained in the mountains and beaches of west Wales through unorthodox methods, Sirrell's horse, Norton’s Coin, was gearing up to shock the racing world. Sirrell was a permit holder, which meant he could only train his own horses, so whilst professionals were training with 60 horses at a time, Sirrell had just three horses in his stable. We retell this true underdog story of the 100 to 1 shot that won the 1990 Cheltenham Gold Cup. With interviews from Sirrell and the Griffiths family, the winning jockey, Graham McCourt and renowned rider Richard Dunwoody.
3. Alan 'The Arrow' Evans
Air Date: 2022-02-23
Alan Evans was the hell-raising darter from South Wales, who blazed a trail for modern-era arrows. The Arrow started life throwing tungsten for a few quid at exhibition matches in the smoked-filled pubs of the 1970s. He would go on to become the original oche entertainer. A British Open and World Masters champion, it was his short fuse and flamboyant style that made him a star. Dressed in the white flares of a Welsh Elvis, Evans dragged darts from working men’s clubs to TV audiences and international arenas the world over.
4. Steve Robinson
Air Date: 2022-03-14
In 1993, a boxer and part-time warehouse worker from a Cardiff Debenhams store was given the chance of a lifetime – to fight for the world featherweight title with just 48 hours’ notice after the reigning champ pulled out. He had no preparation and no hope of success. Yet when the bell rang at the end of the final round, Wales had a world champion.
5. Jayne Ludlow
Air Date: 2022-03-16
A trailblazer from humble beginnings in the south Wales valleys, Jayne Ludlow would overcome adversity to become the first British woman to captain a side to Champions League glory. This is the story of how she transformed Welsh women's football.
1. John Toshack
Air Date: 2022-10-31
A unique and nostalgic film celebrating the remarkable career of Welsh football legend John Toshack. From a decade at the top as a player with Bill Shankly’s iconic Liverpool team, to unprecedented success as a manager both here and abroad, this is a fitting and warm tribute to the man known to many simply as ‘Tosh’.
2. Neville Southall
Air Date: 2022-11-07
Documentary following Neville Southall's unconventional rise to the top of professional football, and the events that shaped him into the idiosyncratic icon who famously once sat down next to the goalpost during half-time rather than leave the pitch with his team. Using rare and never-before-seen archive footage from his childhood, this documentary highlights the remarkable symmetry between his time playing senior men's football as a 12-year-old boy in Llandudno, and the twilight of his career in goal for Wales. Deep and revealing interviews with allies and close friends help Neville tell his own funny, surprising and emotional story.
3. Rob Page
Air Date: 2022-11-14
The definitive story of the boy from Tylorstown who would transform the fortunes of Welsh football by smashing six decades of hurt and frustration and leading his team to Qatar 2022. Page is the first Welsh manager to qualify for a World Cup since 1958, and while that achievement may have cemented his place in Welsh folklore, little is known about 'Pagey', the quiet man now catapulted on to the biggest stage in world sport. Boasting unparalleled access to Page as he enjoys rare time out from his World Cup preparations, we discover how this valley boy battled his way from a Rhondda terraced house to become the unexpected Wales World Cup manager.
4. Doug Mountjoy
Air Date: 2023-02-15
An intimate portrait of a former miner from the South Wales valleys who swapped life underground for the snooker club and became one of Britain’s most successful players.
5. Glenn Webbe
Air Date: 2023-02-22
Welsh rugby rebel Glenn Webbe broke all the rules. Young, gifted and black, he dispensed with the status quo and fought his way into a unique place in sporting history.
6. Tanni Grey-Thompson
Air Date: 2023-03-08
After she lost her strongest event at her final Paralympics in 2004, how did Tanni Grey-Thompson redeem herself and show everybody what a true champion she was?
7. Delyth Prothero
Air Date: 2023-03-15
Celebrating the career of Wales’s most successful athletics manager through the eyes of some of our greatest athletes, including Colin Jackson, Iwan Thomas, Jamie Baulch and Matt Elias.
8. Gareth Bale
Air Date: 2023-03-24
A moving and insightful film celebrating the remarkable story of one of football's most talented players, Gareth Bale.
9. Carwyn Williams
Air Date: 2023-03-27
An intimate portrait of Welsh surfer Carwyn Williams, who surfed his way to respect amongst the best in the world, and who overcame a devastating car crash injury to keep his surfing dreams alive.
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Rating
0.0/10
Release Date
2022-02-09
Episodes
14 (2 seasons)
Status
Returning Series
Cast
Production Companies
BBC Cymru Wales
Nimbus Productions
One Tribe TV