Football drama a poor substitute for truth about paedophile coach

THe tagline ‘Based on the best-selling novel’ holds an irresistible promise. if the book was good, we can be sure the television series will be too.

But the phrase ‘as seen in a recent documentary’ is less alluring. there’s a trend for dramatised retellings of stories that have already been thoroughly investigated.

Sometimes, the results can be compelling. Maxine Peake was superb in the Hillsborough drama anne, on BBC1 earlier this year.

Other shows disappear into a spiralling rabbit hole, such as the Staircase starring toni Collette and Colin Firth currently on Sky atlantic — revealing how a suspected murderer became the subject of a major documentary.

that production has sparked a furious war of words, with the european factual team accusing the american dramatists of ‘betrayal’ and ‘inaccuracy’, and demanding a disclaimer before the next episode airs tomorrow.

the latest in this new genre of dramas-following-documentaries is Floodlights (BBC2), a one-off starring Gerard Kearns as footballer andy Woodward, who was sexually abused for years as a schoolboy by his coach.

Powerfully written and performed, this upsetting story featured a brave performance by Max Fletcher, as the teenage Woodward. But the grim implications are complex, because many people at several football clubs in the 1990s must have been aware of what paedophile Barry Bennell was doing — or at least strongly suspected it.

and Woodward himself is a mottled character, who joined the police after his sporting career was over and was dismissed for gross misconduct.

there was too much here to be unpicked in 80 minutes, less than the duration of a single football match. the case was better covered last year in a three-part BBC1 documentary, Football’s Darkest Secret.

it revealed that, since Woodward spoke out about Bennell’s abuse, nearly 1,000 men have come forward, resulting in investigations into more than 300 suspects.

the sheer scale of the abuse was glossed over in Floodlights. its strongest scenes showed how Bennell, played by Jonas armstrong, used an arsenal of tactics to manipulate Woodward and his parents — cheesy charm, matey conspiracy, humiliation, threats, coercion and flattery.

But other aspects of this messy situation, such as the way mental health problems are dismissed within the football world, and the emphasis on hard drinking, were too easily side-lined.

if Floodlights left you despairing at the cruelty and seediness inflicted on young people, Nick Knowles was back to lift our spirits in a particularly moving edition of DIY SOS: The Big Build (BBC1).

So many carpenters, electricians, plasterers and other tradespeople turned out in Corby, Northamptonshire, to give their services for free that a wholescale house renovation was completed ahead of schedule.

the semi-d was the home of 16-year-old Jordan Hutchison and his family. Jordan, who has severe cerebral palsy, is a local star for his charity fundraising and the community was only too happy and proud to help him out in return.

all the larks and banter on the site can wear a little thin, and the absence of problems during the rebuild meant there were more japes than usual.

But this show has to be commended for its readiness to talk about how tough it is for desperate families with disabled children, struggling to provide round-the-clock care.

Mum Jackie and dad Colin were both in tears of exhaustion. this show has given them muchneeded help and support.

FASHION SHOW OF THE NIGHT: Jay Blades visited a vintage clothing shop, on No Place Like Home (C5), to catch up with owner Jidousha Shines. They once trod the catwalk together. ‘You had swagger,’ she said. ‘You haven’t changed . . . but you’ve bulked out a bit.’ That compliment

must have stung a bit.