Bert Trautmann Story to Be Told by Yesterday

LONDON: Testimony Films has been tapped to produce a new documentary for Yesterday that looks at the story of the Nazi soldier Bert Trautmann, who went on to become a British football legend.

The one-off doc will be part of the channel’s Spirit of the 1940s season. Over the hour-long program, viewers will learn the story of Trautmann, who came to the U.K. as a Prisoner of War in 1945 and signed with Manchester City. He broke his neck during the 1956 FA Cup Final, but played until the final whistle and was then hospitalized. He made a miraculous recovery and kept goal for his team until 1964.

The program is schedule for the first quarter of 2011 on Yesterday. It marks the first time that Trautmann has spoken on television in-depth about his story.

UKTV commissioning editor Catherine Whelton said: “Following the success of Dunkirk: The Forgotten Heroes and The First Night of the Blitz, we’re delighted to be working with Testimony Films once more, this time to bring such a unique and courageous story to the wider attention of British TV viewers.”

Yesterday’s channel head, Richard Kingsbury, commented: “Bert Trautmann’s FA Cup heroics are the stuff of legend but his wartime experiences are equally remarkable and less well known. When I read about his autobiography, I knew that it was a story that would enthral Yesterday viewers.”

Steve Humphries, the managing director of Testimony Films: “This is one of the great untold stories from the Second World War, and is all the more special because it features Bert Trautmann himself.  Who better to tell his remarkable life story—from his wartime experiences to the impact he had on Manchester City as a club, and English football as a game.”