The life and times of Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is the subject of “Lucky!,” an eight-part documentary series by Manish Pandey, writer/executive producer of BAFTA-winning documentary “Senna.”
Pandey has been given exclusive rights by Ecclestone, who built the Formula 1 franchise, and has also been granted unprecedented access to tens of thousands of hours of archival footage from Formula 1 management.
Ecclestone, now 90, was extensively filmed at his home in Gstaad during the COVID-19 lockdown, revealing his life story and the story of the birth, growth and success of Formula 1.
“Bernie has been able to reflect, not just on his days as one of the greatest sporting impresarios of all time, but also on his life. In his 90 years, he has travelled the world and met everyone who is anyone, yet he remains incredibly personable and immensely funny. It is a joy to tell his extraordinary story, in full, for the first time,” said Pandey.
Ecclestone said: “This is the first time I’ve trusted anyone to tell my story and the story of Formula 1 and Manish is the only storyteller and director who I believe can bring these to the screen. And he isn’t just a great storyteller – he’s also a great fan. He’s been watching Formula 1 since he could walk and his knowledge of the world and its ‘movers and shakers’ is encyclopaedic and his passion unsurpassed.”
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“Formula 1 is a truly global sport with over seventy years of history created by Bernie that has a huge part of making the sport what it is,” added Stefano Domenicali, CEO, Formula 1. “With half a billion global fans and races in 23 countries the interest and excitement around Formula 1 is huge and there will be eager anticipation for this series that will take the viewers on a journey into the life of one of sport’s most interesting characters.”
“Lucky!” will be produced by Pandey’s company Jiva Maya. The series is represented by ICM Partners for sales worldwide.
