Independent production company Marbella Productions are currently finishing work on ‘Brendan Bracken – Churchill’s Secret Son..?’ The history documentary co-produced by RTÉ examines the life of Irish man Brendan Bracken, Winston Churchill’s right hand man and explores the possibility of a biological connection between the two men.
IFTN spoke with producer Adrian Bracken about making his production debut at 60, casting the young Winston Churchill and his own possible links to the documentary’s subject matter.
Due to be broadcast on RTÉ One in November 2010, the 60 minute HD documentary, ‘Brendan Bracken – Churchill’s Secret Son..?’ is currently in post production at Marbella Productions in Spain. Produced and presented by Adrian Bracken (actor, In Sickness and in Health, Tom’s Midnight Garden), the documentary is a personal journey to uncover the story of a man who went to great lengths to hide his tracks, including having all of his personal papers incinerated when he died.
The documentary traces Brendan Bracken’s life from his birth in Ireland in 1901, via Australia where his mother exiled him at the age of 14, to his life in England from 1920 onwards whereupon he reinvented himself as an Australian and began his journey to become a pillar of the English establishment – MP, Privy Councillor, First Lord of the Admiralty and ultimately Lord Bracken - to his lonely death from cancer at the age of 57. Following comments on the surname he shares with the documentary’s subject, Adrian Bracken explains that he very possibly is a relative: “My great grandfather and Brendan’s family all have Wexford roots and my Grandfather always referred to him as his cousin so there very definitely is a link there.”
As to the question of Bracken being Churchill’s son, Adrian explains the investigation commenting: “On meeting Winston Churchill for the first time, Bracken and he became such close companions, tongues wagged in 1920’s London that Bracken was Churchill’s illegitimate son, a rumour that never really went away, and one which neither Bracken nor Churchill ever denied.” The doc features dramatic re-enactments of Bracken’s interaction with Churchill which begs many questions as to the casting of the actor who plays the iconic British leader, Rob Trutt: “There are classic look-alikes of Churchill, jowels and all,” he explains, “but if you look at photos of him in the period between 1923 and 1935 he obviously looks very different – he’s thinner and has a lot more hair. So we had this one particular photograph that we used for reference when we were casting and, at one point, we go from a shot of Rob to an archive photo of the young Churchill and the resemblance is uncanny.”
Work on the documentary started in April 2009 and RTÉ became involved with the project, as co-producers in January of this year. Adrian tells IFTN he was delighted to welcome the broadcaster on board. “RTÉ’s involvement gives us gravitas,“ he says, ”Julian Vignoles [Assistant Commissioning Editor, Factual] in particular was great to have in that he came along with a fresh pair of eyes and is firm too – he’ll say to us ‘You can’t do that!’, which is wonderful to have.”
Vignoles says of the project: “Bracken was a fascinating Irish man when alive, but what is perhaps even more interesting is how he has slipped off the pages of the history books since. He was arguably one of the most powerful Irishmen of the 20th century, yet his story has never been told on television. It‘s great that Adrian and Marbella Productions have instigated this production; we are excited about the content and to see the response when it hits TV screens later this year in Ireland and around the world.”
The documentary, which carried a budget of just over €100,000 and was filmed in Limerick, Dublin and England features reconstructions, photographs and archive material from around the world, some of which has never previously been seen, as well as interviews with amongst others; Lord William Rees-Mogg, a trainee on the Financial Times in 1952 and past Editor of The Times; Lord Asa Briggs, Historian of the BBC; Charles Edward Lysaght, biographer ‘Brendan Bracken’ 1978 and Michael Thornley, Headmaster at Sedbergh 1952 – 1975.
’Brendan Bracken – Churchill’s Secret Son..?’ is directed by Darren Richardson who is also the project’s editor. The director of photography is Dan Wilson.
Adrian is to travel to England in the coming weeks to shoot some final shots for the doc which will be completed in May. Producers will screen the final version for RTÉ in late May with a view for broadcasting this November. Interest was also shown by broadcasters from the Middle East, Australia, Africa, Germany and France amongst others at the recent MIPTV market.
