Epic story of record-breaking football club Manchester United launches on Sky Documentaries and NOW in May

Thursday 8 April 2021
  • The United Way premieres on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW on 24th May 2021
  • Exclusive interviews with French maverick Eric Cantona and other United stars provide a fresh perspective to the iconic club

    Sky today announces highly cinematic one-off feature documentary The United Way, will launch on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW on 24th May. The Sky Original film is the epic story of a football club, a city and a man who did more than most to bring success to both. As told by, co-written by and featuring Eric Cantona.

    The film shares his unique insights into this iconic club with a fresh perspective on the “United Way”, taking audiences on a compelling ride through the history and evolution of the world’s biggest football club, and the social and cultural environment that shaped it. Exclusive interviews and stunning archive interweave Eric’s story with that of the club.

    Viewers will hear from a galaxy of United stars and stalwarts- such as David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Bryan Robson, Brian Kidd, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Teddy Sheringham, Nicky Butt, Peter Schmeichel, the late Tommy Docherty and many more, as well as era-defining figures from the realms of music and politics.

    The United Way is at heart a story of the people. It is set against a background of four dynamic decades of change on and off the pitch. Lords Heseltine and Kinnock add socio-political context. Musicians Peter Hook and Shaun Ryder recall the ground-breaking sounds and styles, which, along with the football club, helped make Manchester a pioneering, swashbuckling cultural capital.

    Set to the stirring score of five-time Oscar nominated, BAFTA-winning composer George Fenton, this is a cinematic journey to discover the soul of a football club, of a city, of a people.

    The Sky Original documentary has been commissioned for Sky Documentaries by Zai Bennett, Managing Director of Content, Jaime Morris, Director of Programme Strategy and negotiated and executive produced by Jack Oliver, Head of Co-Productions, Sky Entertainment. The film is directed by Mat Hodgson and produced by Matthew Lorenzo, Daniel Glynn, Andrew Baker and Patrick Nathanson. The film is presented by Ingenious Media in association with Ad Hoc Films, Embankment Films and Cantilever Media and with participation of Canto Bros Productions.

    Sky Documentaries is the home of world-class, real life stories from award-winning and emerging film makers, including new Sky Original documentaries, as well as acquisitions from HBO, SHOWTIME® and beyond. With a mix of feature length documentaries and limited series that challenge, provoke and entertain, the channel explores a broad range of topics from sport and real-world controversies through to biographies of some of the world’s most famous and infamous people.

    For press information, reviews and interview requests please contact:

    Callum.Clark@premiercomms.com
    sj.peyton@premiercomms.com

    About Sky

    Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of the Comcast group. Across six countries, we connect our 24 million customers to the best entertainment, sports, news and arts including our own award-winning original content.

    Our technology, including the market leading Sky Q, connects people to everything they love – with entertainment from Sky TV, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer, and apps like Spotify, YouTube, BBC Sounds, Highbrow, Fiit, and more, in one place, easy. Our streaming service NOW, brings viewers all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract-free service.

    Building on the success of Sky Originals like Chernobyl, Bulletproof and Brassic, we are doubling our investment in original content by 2024 through Sky Studios. Sky News provides impartial and trustworthy journalism for free, Sky Arts is the UK’s only dedicated free-to-air arts channel making the arts accessible for everyone and Sky Sports, our leading sports broadcasting service brings customers some of the biggest and best global sporting events from the Premier League to Formula 1 and everything in between. Our new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, which will open in 2022, is expected to create over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in the UK over the first five years.

    We believe that we can be a force for good in the communities in which we operate. We’re committed to being Europe’s first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030 and we’re proud to be a Principal Partner and Media Partner of COP26. We take pride in our approach to diversity and inclusion: we’ve been recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity and we’ve set ambitious 2025 targets to continue to increase diversity and representation. We’re also committed to investing £30million across our markets over three years to improve our approach to diversity and inclusion, and to tackle racial injustice.

    About NOW

    NOW is the home of brilliant entertainment. We’re one of the UK’s leading streaming platforms with critically acclaimed shows, new and exclusive movies, unmissable sport and epic kids TV – all with no contract. Join in with an Entertainment, Cinema, Sports, Kids or hayu Membership to stream instantly across TV, mobile, desktop and over 60 other devices. Watch on the go and even offline with our app by downloading shows and movies.

    Entertainment Members can enjoy critically acclaimed dramas, documentaries and comedies, Emmy award-winning shows, the best of HBO and exclusive Sky Originals. Cinema Members can discover over 1000 brilliant movies, from the latest blockbusters and classic favourites and a new premiere every day. Sports Members cheer on unmissable Premier League, international cricket, F1, golf and more – all live, across 11 Sky Sports channels.

    Plus, members can enhance their experience with NOW Boost – that’s full 1080p HD, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and streaming on up to 3 devices at once, for an extra £3 a month.

    For super-fast broadband, members can enjoy a contract-free connection with a NOW Brilliant Broadband, Fab Fibre or Super Fibre Membership.

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