LEGACY - A PERSONAL HISTORY OF BARRY SHEENE

Documentary DVD on a Sporting Icon from EMI

"The coolest motorcycle rider in the story." Valentino Rossi

"A truly great person and personality…..Above all his personality allied to his success and the way he achieved it made him someone who was truly unforgettable."

Murray Walker

"He was just a cheeky bugger." Stephanie Sheene

A hero and inspiration to millions, Barry Sheene has a particularly unique place in the hearts of bike and sports fans the world over. Born in London in 1950, Sheene rose to fame in the 1970s for his sporting prowess, and blessed with good looks and buckets of charisma he became an inspiration to many. Breaking numerous bones and winning countless hearts along the way, he reached the pinnacle of the motor biking world, becoming a celebrity in his own right and endearing himself to the wider public. These achievements together with his personality have left an unrivalled legacy for future sporting generations. Double Jab Productions & EMI Music have produced the definitive documentary of his life and his legacy, which encompasses his childhood, to the heights of his success in the 70s, through to his untimely death in 2003 and looks at what enchanted so many people including the media. Narrated by actor and bike fan Ewan McGregor, LEGACY - A PERSONAL HISTORY OF BARRY SHEENE is a two disc DVD that features unseen footage and extras. Made with the full cooperation of his widow Stephanie Sheene, the DVD features contributions and interviews from family , friends and fellow motorsport legends such as Murray Walker, Sir Henry Cooper, Damon Hill, Valentino Rossi, Carl Fogarty, Mick Doohan and many more. LEGACY - A PERSONAL HISTORY OF BARRY SHEENE will be released in March.

LEGACY - A PERSONAL HISTORY OF BARRY SHEENE offers an intimate and frank look at the life of Sheene as a sportsman as well as the individual, putting together never before seen archive and home movie footage along with in-depth interviews with those who loved, admired and were inspired by Sheene. The DVD looks at how Sheene first became fixated with motorbikes and racing, his first race in 1969 and how in 1970 he really came into his own. Sheene rocketed to fame, winning back to back 500cc World Championships in 1976 and 1977 on his Suzuki bike, and dominated 500cc racing throughout the world for the most of the decade. The 70s was an era when safety standards were still pretty lax in the sport and the risks associated became all too apparent during his career, as Sheene was blighted with serious crashes and injuries - at one stage, he had metal plates in both knees, 28 screws in his legs and a bolt in his left wrist. A serious crash in Daytona, Florida, left him in hospital, but Sheene ever the professional still conducted interviews from his bedside. The DVD also explores Sheene's life away from the racing track, which gripped the public in equal measure and added to his persona.

Sheene enjoyed all the glamorous and lucrative fruits of his labour, and he successfully went on to establish himself as one of the UK's best loved sporting icons of his time. His popularity was in part down to his flamboyant personality and Sheen lapped up all the trappings of the good life that his success brought him; fast cars, big houses and the attention of the opposite sex. A canny operator, Sheene was aware of his marketability, and took advantage of the endorsement deals that were beginning to open up for sportsmen, including a deal with Brut, Texaco, and Faberge, Sheene's position as a household name was solidified. Once he married Stephanie McLean, a former page three girl, they became known as 'Barry and Steph' in the media, one of the most glamorous couples of the late 70s. During the 1982 British Grand Prix, Sheene suffered massive injuries from which he never truly recovered his form. Sheene eventually retired from racing in 1984, and the DVD goes on to look at Sheene's forging of a new life and career in Australia. Racing commentator, Murray Walker, knew Sheene from his childhood years, becoming a close friend and was witness to the highs as well as the lows. Together with contributions from his family and friends, these at times candid interviews, paint a rich picture of the man both on and off the race track.

“LEGACY - A PERSONAL HISTORY OF BARRY SHEENE” is made by Double Jab Productions for EMI DVD, it is produced & directed by Mark Tinkler, Executive Producer Stuart Watts.

Disc one contains the main film and extras while disc two is entirely composed of extras including extended interviews, extended home movie sequences, photo galleries and much more.

Interviews have been conducted with the following for the making of the film: Stephanie Sheene (widow), Sidonie Sheene (daughter) Freddie Sheene (son), Maggie Smart (sister), Paul Smart (brother-in-law and fellow Suzuki team rider), Murray Walker, Damon Hill, Valentino Rossi, Steve Parrish, Kenny Roberts, Mick Doohan, Carl Fogarty, Sir Henry Cooper and many many more.

Disc 2 Extras include:

Additional home movie footage, previously unseen archive material and extended interviews with the likes of Valentino Rossi, Carl Fogarty, Mick Doohan, Murray Walker, Damon Hill and many more.

Home Movies

· “Barry as a boy” commentary by Barry sister's, Maggie - watching her father's early home movies, footage never seen outside of the family before.

· “Early Racing Days” commentary by Paul & Maggie Smart, and Murray Walker & Damon Hill - watch and talk about the home movies of Sheene's early racing career from the mid-1960s to 1971,

· “The Glory Years” commentary with Andrew Marriott, Martyn Ogbourne, Peter Agg & Steve Parrish - including home movies shot by Sheene's father at Grand Prixs in 1976 & '77

Extended Interviews:

· Barry in Three words

· Barry & Steph

· Barry & Brut

· Four World Champions on Barry

Interviewees featured in “Extended Interviews” include Carl Fogarty, Mick Doohan, Kenny Roberts, Valentino Rossi, Damon Hill, Murray Walker, Sir Henry Cooper, Steve Parrish, Andrew Marriott, Maggie Smart and Barry's family of wife Stephanie and children Sidonie & Freddie.