Jonnie Peacock's day in Burscough
Wed 22nd August 2018 | Burscough | By Ian Templeman
Earlier in the week, we ran a story surrounding Monday night's episode of 'Who Do You Think You Are' on BBC1, a show that features celebrities tracing their ancestry, and digging into family secrets and surprises that were hitherto unknown to them..
Monday's programme, the last in the present series, featured Paralympic athlete Jonnie Peacock, who traced the story of his maternal grandfather, an amateur footballer scouted by a professional team but who bowed to parental pressure to take a proper job as a painter and decorator.
During the programme Jonnie, who was named after his grandfather, uncovers the legacy of poverty and unexpected disease that led the family to value job security over football, and anyone who saw the programme may well have recognised a sequence in the programme that was filmed at Victoria Park, home of Burscough FC.
There was, of course, a fair amount of organisation that was involved in arranging the filming, and as Burscough Chairman Mike Swift explained, the club were dealt an unexpected "curved ball" when the filming date was changed at short notice.
"The call and request from a TV production company came into us in late April, with the vague concept of a need to film at a football ground", said Mike.
"We explored with the production company just what they needed and completed a 'non disclosure' arrangement to create a closed set at Victoria Park for the BBC work and a date was agreed.
"Later, during the series schedule, the filming date had to come forward to the morning of May 16th with an interesting challenge, as the director thought that having some players on the field would assist the content".
A date in the football close season may seem an ideal time to film a staged game at a football ground, but there was a bit of a problem - the new date was on the morning after the Macron Cup Final, in which Burscough faced Widnes at Fleetwood Town's Highbury Stadium.
An additional issue was that due to the confidentiality around the filming, the club were unable to give out much in the way of details when asking for volunteers to turn up on the day - but Mike says they had plenty of volunteers who were up for day.
"Getting our players involved the day after the Macron Cup Final, and on trust as we did not know the subject being filmed, was an interesting dressing room conversation.
"We also brought into our circle of confidence senior management at our neighbouring High School to provide the 'other side' for a non competitive game.
"So on the day two cameras, a sound operator, a unit director and production staff arrived and we were all set. Jonnie Peacock arrived at Victoria Park, ,and was filmed from his walk up to the gates.
"Three hours later it's a wrap, our part of the footballing heritage is 'in the can' and then the commissioned stills photographer with an assistant arrived.
"After filming, Jonnie posed for selfies with Burscough first teamers, colleagues and young players kindly supplied by permission of our neighbouring high school, on the understanding we don't publish until BBC TV aired the programme, and then there was just one more request and this time from Jonnie - where's a ball?"
"A ball was found, and off he goes onto the pitch for his kick around and nets a couple at the town end ! A double gold Paralympian and good fun to work with".
So, all was in the can and the programme was finally aired on BBC1 on Monday, and for those who missed it, it can still be viewed on the BBC iplayer for the next month. Mike for one believes it is well worth watching.
"It was a moving and powerful story with many stimulating moments", he said.
"I was particularly struck with Jonnie's observation that his acquired disease was successfully treated, and his Bootle based grandfather's sadly not, and telling us of tough times before the NHS when many could not afford to call the doctor. Now that's in my opinion 'poverty'...... and not any comment on character!
"By another quirk of fate, on Saturday last the Premier League fixtures had Burscough hosting Bootle, and as the broadcast tragically confirmed, Jonnie's footballing and family heritage took us to social issues in Bootle, a graveyard in Bootle and The Liverpool City region's tough maritime history.
"Contemporary non league football provides many opportunities both on and off the field. They are all well worth taking and for our village, there was an economic contribution from the day, as the media team using internet technology picked the Blue Mallard locally for lunch after viewing the menu.
"It was a pleasure and footballing privilege to host Jonnie and the BBC film crew working at Victoria Park in May.
"Burscough's heritage has many a good story and as we saw on Monday night, well worth sharing with millions".
Jonnie is pictured below being filmed for the programme while sitting in the stand at Victoria Park.
Jonnie Peacock's day in Burscough
Wed 22nd August 2018 | Burscough
By Ian Templeman
Earlier in the week, we ran a story surrounding Monday night's episode of 'Who Do You Think You Are' on BBC1, a show that features celebrities tracing their ancestry, and digging into family secrets and surprises that were hitherto unknown to them..
Monday's programme, the last in the present series, featured Paralympic athlete Jonnie Peacock, who traced the story of his maternal grandfather, an amateur footballer scouted by a professional team but who bowed to parental pressure to take a proper job as a painter and decorator.
During the programme Jonnie, who was named after his grandfather, uncovers the legacy of poverty and unexpected disease that led the family to value job security over football, and anyone who saw the programme may well have recognised a sequence in the programme that was filmed at Victoria Park, home of Burscough FC.
There was, of course, a fair amount of organisation that was involved in arranging the filming, and as Burscough Chairman Mike Swift explained, the club were dealt an unexpected "curved ball" when the filming date was changed at short notice.
"The call and request from a TV production company came into us in late April, with the vague concept of a need to film at a football ground", said Mike.
"We explored with the production company just what they needed and completed a 'non disclosure' arrangement to create a closed set at Victoria Park for the BBC work and a date was agreed.
"Later, during the series schedule, the filming date had to come forward to the morning of May 16th with an interesting challenge, as the director thought that having some players on the field would assist the content".
A date in the football close season may seem an ideal time to film a staged game at a football ground, but there was a bit of a problem - the new date was on the morning after the Macron Cup Final, in which Burscough faced Widnes at Fleetwood Town's Highbury Stadium.
An additional issue was that due to the confidentiality around the filming, the club were unable to give out much in the way of details when asking for volunteers to turn up on the day - but Mike says they had plenty of volunteers who were up for day.
"Getting our players involved the day after the Macron Cup Final, and on trust as we did not know the subject being filmed, was an interesting dressing room conversation.
"We also brought into our circle of confidence senior management at our neighbouring High School to provide the 'other side' for a non competitive game.
"So on the day two cameras, a sound operator, a unit director and production staff arrived and we were all set. Jonnie Peacock arrived at Victoria Park, ,and was filmed from his walk up to the gates.
"Three hours later it's a wrap, our part of the footballing heritage is 'in the can' and then the commissioned stills photographer with an assistant arrived.
"After filming, Jonnie posed for selfies with Burscough first teamers, colleagues and young players kindly supplied by permission of our neighbouring high school, on the understanding we don't publish until BBC TV aired the programme, and then there was just one more request and this time from Jonnie - where's a ball?"
"A ball was found, and off he goes onto the pitch for his kick around and nets a couple at the town end ! A double gold Paralympian and good fun to work with".
So, all was in the can and the programme was finally aired on BBC1 on Monday, and for those who missed it, it can still be viewed on the BBC iplayer for the next month. Mike for one believes it is well worth watching.
"It was a moving and powerful story with many stimulating moments", he said.
"I was particularly struck with Jonnie's observation that his acquired disease was successfully treated, and his Bootle based grandfather's sadly not, and telling us of tough times before the NHS when many could not afford to call the doctor. Now that's in my opinion 'poverty'...... and not any comment on character!
"By another quirk of fate, on Saturday last the Premier League fixtures had Burscough hosting Bootle, and as the broadcast tragically confirmed, Jonnie's footballing and family heritage took us to social issues in Bootle, a graveyard in Bootle and The Liverpool City region's tough maritime history.
"Contemporary non league football provides many opportunities both on and off the field. They are all well worth taking and for our village, there was an economic contribution from the day, as the media team using internet technology picked the Blue Mallard locally for lunch after viewing the menu.
"It was a pleasure and footballing privilege to host Jonnie and the BBC film crew working at Victoria Park in May.
"Burscough's heritage has many a good story and as we saw on Monday night, well worth sharing with millions".
Jonnie is pictured below being filmed for the programme while sitting in the stand at Victoria Park.
