S4C Lines Up Two New Sports Docs

The Welsh-language channel S4C has greenlit a pair of new sports documentaries, including one on footballer Gareth Bale.

The indie Barn Media has been commissioned to produce the tentatively titled one-off doc Gareth Bale—Byw’r Freuddwyd (Gareth Bale—Living the Dream). Directed by Rhys Edwards, the hour-long documentary looks at the footballer’s rise to fame with Tottenham and his record-breaking transfer to Real Madrid.

Ffilmiau Twm Twm, an indie company based in Y Felinheli, Gwynedd, has been commissioned to produce Qatar—Cymru Ar Ben y Byd (Wales on Top of The World). The hour-long behind-the-scenes documentary looks at the experiences of the Welsh football team and the dedicated Red Wall of football fans at a momentous moment in Welsh sporting history.

Iwan England, head of unscripted at S4C, said: “Live sports has been a cornerstone of S4C’s broadcasting since its earliest days, and we’re proud to be able to tell emotionally stirring and pride, inducing stories as part of our sports documentaries slate. Football has provided the nation with some of its biggest highs and most memorable collective moments in recent years, as well as a few disappointments along the way, and these documentaries will tell the stories of some of our most dedicated supporters as well as our biggest star.”