Football's Darkest Secret

Football’s Darkest Secret is a three-part documentary series, that aired on BBC One on 22 March 2021, about historical incidents of child abuse in youth football that happened in England from the 1970s to the 1990s.^[1][2]

Football's Darkest Secret
Official series poster
Genre	Docuseries
Directed by	Daniel Gordon
Starring	David White Andy Woodward Paul Stewart
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	3
Production
Executive producers	John Battsek Steve Boulton Ron McCullagh Jonathan Ossoff
Producer	Hugh Davies
Editors	Kevin Konak and Matt Wyllie
Running time	59 minutes
Production companies	Past Curfew and Insight TWI
Original release
Network	BBC One
Release	22 March 2021 (2021-03-22)

Background

Football’s Darkest Secret scrutinises the historical incidents of child abuse in youth football throughout England from the 1970s to the 1990s, and the prevailing culture of silence that enveloped it. The series includes survivors sharing their experiences of the abuse they endured during their childhood.^[3][4][5]

The series starts with "The End of Silence",^[6] where footballers like David White, Andy Woodward, Ian Ackley, Dean Radford, Dion Raitt, and Paul Stewart speaking out.^[1][7] The second episode, "Missed Opportunities"^[8] probes into how chances were overlooked to stop sexual predators in youth football years ago.^[9] The last episode, "The Reckoning"^[10] follows the court trials of high-profile abusers and questions the form of justice that could be served for the men whose lives have been shattered..^[2]

The series has been highly rated,^[4] with an IMDb rating of 8.7/10.^[11] It was shortlisted for the 2022 British Academy Television Craft Awards for the Best Emerging Talent: Factual category,^[12] and Broadcast Awards for the Best Documentary Series category.^[13]

See also

• United Kingdom football sexual abuse scandal
• Sexual abuse cases at Crewe Alexandra F.C.
• Child abuse in association football

References

1. "Football's Darkest Secret - the survivors' stories". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
2. "BBC One - Football's Darkest Secret". BBC. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
3. Dean, Nicola (2021-03-25). ""Football's Darkest Secret"". Ann Craft Trust. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
4. Mangan, Lucy (2021-03-22). "Football's Darkest Secret review – spare and unrelenting". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
5. The Week Staff (2021-03-26). "Football's Darkest Secret: a dark shadow over the 'beautiful game'". theweek. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
6. "BBC One - Football's Darkest Secret, Series 1, The End of Silence". BBC. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
7. Matthews, Jane (2021-03-23). "BBC documentary 'Football's Darkest Secret' hears from abuse survivors". Jordans Solicitors. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
8. "BBC One - Football's Darkest Secret, Series 1, Missed Opportunities". BBC. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
9. Saker, Ailish (2021-03-29). "Football's Darkest Secret: why many sexual abuse victims' complaints were left off charge sheets". The Conversation. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
10. "BBC One - Football's Darkest Secret, Series 1, The Reckoning". BBC. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
11. Football's Darkest Secret (Documentary, Sport), Barry Bennell, Steve Walters, Dean Radford, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Insight Film, Insight TWI: The World Investigates, 2021-03-22, retrieved 2024-04-01{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
12. Ritman, Alex (2022-03-30). "BAFTA TV Awards: Russell T. Davies' 'It's a Sin' Dominates Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
13. "Shortlist". Broadcast Awards. Retrieved 2024-04-01.

External links

• "Football's Darkest Secret". BBC. 2021-04-23.