P was among those who declined a call to , which tells the complex story of the footballer’s rise to fame.Â
Former England player Gascoigne was considered one of the best footballing talents in the world throughout the 1990s.
But his life became the subject of a media storm amid a volatile relationship with alcohol, as well as his turbulent relationship, marriage, and subsequent divorce, with Sheryl Gascoigne.
The two-parter, which starts tonight, includes never-before-seen archive and personal home videos, as well as contemporary interviews, helping give a unique and personal insight into Paul’s life.
Chatting to and other press at a recent screening, director Samson Collins and executive producer Vaughan Sivell explained the absence of some key figures from the programme.
Samson shared: ‘We were obviously very keen to speak to Sheryl to represent her experience over this period.
‘We did approach her and spoke to her and offered her the chance and she declined, which is a decision we respect.’
But she wasn’t the only person who declined the opportunity, with former editor of The Mirror, Piers, also turning down the request to feature.
In one of the documentary’s closing scenes, a fresh-faced Piers said: ‘I always love the mythical notion that there’s nothing newspapers like more than to build them up and knock ’em down.
‘We build them up, they knock themselves down. And if they make the wrong choices then they pay the price of their fame.’
His tabloid rival Rebekah Brooks (née Wade), who also features prominently in the film, was approached to contribute and declined.
Samson and Vaughan also stated they would have loved to have got Gazza’s long-time pal Jimmy Gardner aka Jimmy Five Belles, but the pair also had a difficult relationship over the years.
Vaughan said: ‘We would love to have spoken to Jimmy again.
‘We tried to get to him, but he and Gazza had their own troubled relationship over a long period again. We respect his decision on that.’Â
At the event, members of the press were told the legendary sporting name had opted at the last minute not to face questions.
After being set to take part in a Q&A, the audience were told Gazza ‘just didn’t feel up to it’ because it was all still ‘too raw for him.’
Gazza begins tonight at 9pm on BBC Two.Â
