Trophy strife...
DOCUMENTARY TELLS THE COMPELLING TALE OF WHEN THE WORLD CUP WAS STOLEN AND REMARKABLY RECOVERED
1966: WHO STOLE THE WORLD CUP?
Channel 4, 10pm
IN A caper worthy of a classic British crime flick, this documentary tells the audacious story of the theft of the World Cup trophy.
Delving lock, stock and barrel into the surprising and quintessentially English crime, it even reveals the identity of the thieves whodunnit.
As the host nation, 1966 is the only time the Three Lions have ever got their hands on the famous trophy.
Back then it was England captain Bobby Moore who raised the Jules Rimet cup aloft – but he almost never got the chance to.
Just weeks ahead of the tournament, the trophy was stolen in London. The FA, the government and the police became an international laughing stock.
That is until a dog named Pickles retrieved it – and became a national hero…
There’s even a chat here with Pickles’ proud owner Dave Corbett, who says: “He was sniffing around and I saw the parcel, a newspaper-wrapped package. I thought ‘What the hell is that?’”
The truth of who stole the World Cup and what happened to the statuette in the days it was missing has remained a mystery for decades.
But this film, ahead of the 2022 World Cup – which kicks off on Sunday – reveals an extraordinary story that took place entirely away from the pitch. It’s a story of spivs and wide boys, ransomers and criminals from south London to the highest levels of politics and the FA.
Mirror crime editor Tom Pettifor says: “It’s like Lassie meets The Italian Job meets an Ealing comedy.”
A compelling tale so ridiculous you couldn’t make it up.