BBC to air 'United', dramatization of Manchester United Munich tragedy

By Ian Cullen Apr 22, 2011, 5:31 GMT

The drama, which is titled ‘United,’ covers events leading to and after the famous Munich air disaster of 1958 when seven Manchester United players, half of the team, lost their lives when their plane crashed when attempting to take off.

This weekend, BBC 2 in the UK will take a look at one of the most tragic events to ever happen in English football.

Heading up the cast of "United" will be Dougray Scott, former "Doctor Who" actor David Tennant and a fresh-faced Jack O’Connell.

The drama covers events leading to and after the famous Munich air disaster of 1958 when seven Manchester United players, half of the team, lost their lives when their plane crashed when attempting to take off.

All in all, 21 people died, but the loss of half of Sir Matt Busby’s championship Manchester United Football team made the event that much bigger from a historical view point.

This drama tells the poignant story through the eyes Bobby Charlton, one of the surviving players who would go on to be a legendary part of the team, and was one of the 11 English players to lift the world cup in 1966.

The story follows Charlton, who is played by Jack O’Connell, as he joins Manchester United as a 19 year-old in 1956, where he’d become a champion footballer under the guidence of manager Matt Busby (Dougray Scott) and assistant manager Jimmy Murphy (David Tennant).

"Camelot" writer and producer Chris Chibnall wrote the script. Julia Stannard served as producer and James Strong is the director. 

To those in America not familiar with the history of Manchester United, this team of players from 1956 to 1958 were affectionately known as The Busby Babes due to their young age for professional footballers, and because the late Sir Matt Busby was very much looked up to by them as a father figure.

“The Babes came right at the start of the celebrity culture phenomenon just before The Beatles,’ says O’Connell. “Bobby’s goal tally was epic even when he was in the reserves, and he gradually gained a voice in the group.”

The drama draws on first-hand accounts from the Munich

survivors and their families and goes onto explore a devastated Charlton as he struggles to recover from the loss of his seven team mates.

It also follows assistant manager Jimmy Murphy’s determined efforts to rebuild the team while Matt Busby was recovering from horrific injuries sustained in the crash.

As a Manchester lad myself, I’ll definitely make an effort to watch this on Sunday night. Often, I remember my late father talking about Munich, and it was a disaster that was felt at a gut level by all of Manchester United supporters around the world. The fact that Manchester United with a diminished side managed to get to the FA Cup Final in 1958 makes this a story worth seeing dramatized.

"United" premieres on Sunday 24 April 2011 @ 9.00pm on BBC2

DOUGRAY SCOTT as Matt Busby
DAVID TENNANT as Jimmy Murphy
SAM CLAFLIN as Duncan Edwards
JACK O’CONNELL as Bobby Charlton