Best: His Mother's Son is a fact-based drama that tells the remarkable but little-known story of George Best's relationship with his alcoholic mother.
It's a poignant tale that foreshadows the very public transformation of one of Britain's most glamorous stars into one of its most notorious alcoholics.

The fascinating film concentrates on the period between 1966 and 1973, when Manchester United went from victory in Europe to relegation to the Second Division, George Best went from superstardom to retirement aged just 26, and his mother went from teetotaller to alcoholic.
The film stars Michelle Fairley as George's mother, Ann and Tom Payne (Waterloo Road) as George. Lorcan Cranitch (Cracker, Omagh, Rome) takes on the role of Dickie Best.

The script is written by one of Northern Ireland's leading dramatists, Terry Cafolla, who was nominated for a Bafta for Holy Cross. It is produced and directed by Colin Barr, who made the Emmy award-winning drama, Maxwell, and 10 Days To War, which recently won an RTS Award.
Michelle, who is currently appearing alongside Andrea Corr, lead singer of The Corrs, in Brian Friel's Dancing At Lughnasa at London's Old Vic, said: "I think this is dominantly the story of a family and how they coped with the decline of their mother.

"This is the tale of how Ann Best coped or, rather, didn't cope with everything that was happening in her life and her son's life. Ann's alcoholism was a by-product. She was a very private woman, very shy and she just couldn't stand the press scrutiny. Drinking was her way of numbing herself and of dealing with all the pressures.
"George was extremely good-looking, he was extremely talented and he was very intelligent. He was the forerunner for everything that the Beckhams or the Rooneys represent today. But he didn't receive any of the guidance.

"Because nobody had ever been there before, they couldn't learn from the mistakes. He was forced to forge ahead. I watched a lot of old footage of him playing and he looked completely different to everybody on the pitch. He was small and wiry – very light and agile."

"His mother was a really good sportswoman," revealed Michelle. "She played hockey very well but the war started and she stopped playing and then she got married and had a family. It is reported that George used to play with her hockey ball constantly. The story goes that, when she played, he used to run up and down the sideline, kicking a hockey ball."
Michelle says that she was intrigued by Ann Best's character and reading the script sent her on a fact-finding mission to discover what made this character tick.

"It's terribly tragic – two wonderful people damaged by alcohol within the one family. I've played characters before with an alcohol problem, but what's interesting with this is that it's not so much just about her drinking, it's about why she drinks – what forces her to go there.
"And, clearly, the drink changed her personality. She was not a nice woman when she had alcohol inside her. Sober, she was a very shy, softly-spoken woman who brought her children up to have manners, respect and a good education. She was an intelligent woman. But alcohol changed her personality – and not for the better."

Filmed during the Belfast based production of the BBC drama, Best: His Mother's Son, Best: Made in Belfast is a short 'making-of' documentary telling the story behind the 90-minute drama and the creative aims of the team involved.
With an intriguing new take on the Best story, the drama presents a view of how an ordinary, loving, close-knit family deals with the extraordinary phenomenon of celebrity in an age where there were no precedents, and crucially how alcohol begins to assert a malign influence on all their lives.

Insightful interviews from Scottish director Colin Barr, Northern Irish writer Terry Cafolla and a largely Northern Irish cast including Michelle Fairley and Lorcan Cranitch, all combine with the wintry Belfast locations to remind us that this a poignant and salutary tale for our times.

Best: Made in Belfast is a Doubleband Films production for BBC Northern Ireland on Sunday, April 26, BBC2 Northern Ireland at 10.30pm, following on from the network screening of Best: His Mother's Son also on BBC2 at 9pm.

STORY: Una Culkin