BBC Factual has announced Linford , a no-holds barred 90 minute film for BBC One and iPlayer, with unfettered access to athlete Linford Christie, as he talks exclusively about the highs and lows of a glittering athletics career, from the glory of winning Olympic gold to the impact of failing a drugs test after coming out of retirement for one last race.
Simon Young, Head of Commissioning, History, says “In the late 80s and 90s Linford Christie was Britain’s most famous and fêted athlete. His career isn’t just a fascinating window into the pressures of sporting success, but an insight into an era when casual objectification and racism were unbound. That uncomfortable history – and the fact that he has chosen to break his silence after 20 years – makes this documentary a unique exploration of a sporting icon and his legacy.
He won 24 medals in a highly decorated decade of dominance, retired in 1997 and seemed to disappear off our screens. That might be explained by what happened in 1999 – when he briefly came out of retirement to settle a bet with the athletes he was coaching and tested positive for nandrolone.His journey has been far from plain sailing. Linford suffered harrassment by the police and sexual objectification by the media, in an era of unchecked racism and tabloid power.