Series Histories - Detail

British Sporting Personalities

Dates:  
1959 - 1962
  • History

  • This series of ten films, made between 1959 and 1962, was the first produced by the Central Office of Information to focus on contemporary personalities. Each one of the nine minute film centres on the life of a particularly successful British sportsman or woman. These included the swimmer, Judy Grinham, John Surtees, Pat Smythe, Mary Bignal Rand, Stanley Matthews, Courtney Jones and Doreen Denny, Peter May and Derek Ibbotson. The production company for the first three films was Anvil Films Ltd before the contract passed to Associated British Pathe Ltd. There is no evidence that it was dubbed into any other language, so the distribution, given the sponsors, would have been to the United States and English speaking countries of the Commonwealth and colonies.

  • Provenance

  • The data has been compiled from production documents held at The National Archives, the COI index cards held at the BFI National Archive and the COI catalogue, Films From Britain 1964-1965.

  • Other Information:

  • Copies of this series are held at the BFI National Archive.