Freddie Mercury - The
Untold Story
'By Those Who Knew Him
Best'
(TV Version)
First broadcast on 8th December 2000 on BBC1
Running Time 60 mins
Directed by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher
Produced by Rudi Dolezal and Jim Beach
Executive Producer for the BBC : Mark Hagen
Commentary written by Simon Witter
This documentary is a specially edited
and adapted version of the full length original DVD documentary. However, some sections have been
lost, some are added (these are listed in Red), whilst some are
moved. It also has a different narrator. The
content is as follows:
- Footage of 'The
Great Pretender' video, and interviews with Phil Collins,
Mick Jagger, Ian Hunter, Slash, Robert Plant, Roger
Daltrey, Liza Minelli, Dave Clarke, Zandra Rhodes, Paul
McCartney, Montserrat Caballe, Tim Rice and Elton John
- Introductory dialogue, with
excerpt of 'The Great Pretender' (Extended version), with
photos of Freddie, and interviews with Jer Bulsara
(Freddie's mother), former teacher and school friend,
Mary Austin, Jim Hutton,
- Narrative details about the family
fleeing to England, interviews with Peter Freestone, Jer
Bulsara, with piano version of 'Love Of My Life'
- Excerpt of 'Mr Bad Guy', narrative
details of Freddie's life at Ealing School of Art, and
interview with Jerry Hibbert (college friend and
animator)
- Excerpt of 'The Millionaire
Waltz', footage of Freddie's drawings and paintings, and
interviews with Brian May and Kashmira Cooke
- Excerpt of 'Good Old Fashioned
Loverboy', shots of Freddie's fashion designs, and
interview with Jerry Hibbert
- Excerpt of 'Keep Passing The Open
Windows', early photos of Freddie, and interviews with
Brian May, Jerry Hibbert, and Tim Staffell (lead singer
of Smile), and excerpt of 'You Take My Breath Away'
- Footage of Smile from the Albert
Hall (with excerpt of 'Doing Alright'), and interview
with Brian May
- Excerpt of 'My Fairy King', and
interviews with Brian May and Tim Staffell
- Footage of the
'Bohemian Rhapsody' video, interview
with Brian about Freddie changing his name, and continued
excerpt of 'My Fairy King'
- Excerpt of 'Somebody To Love',
with early photos of Freddie, and interviews with Brian
May, Mary Austin, Mick Rock (photographer), and Freddie
himself, about Freddie and Mary's early friendship
- Narration about Freddie's
sexuality, piano version of 'Love Of My Life', interview
with Mary Austin, and early photos of Freddie
- Interviews with Jer Bulsara and
Mike Moran, footage of Zanzibar, and excerpt of 'Going
Back'
- Interviews with Kashmira Cooke,
with piano versions of 'You Take My Breath Away' and
'Heaven For Everyone', and narration about his trip to
boarding school
- Interview with Tim Rice
(lyricist), excerpt of 'Let's Turn It On' (1992 Remix),
footage of the 'Living On My Own' video, and interviews
with James 'Trip' Khalaf (sound engineer), Peter Straker,
Mike Moran and Jim Hutton
- Excerpt of 'Get Down Make Love',
footage of Freddie, and interviews with Mick Rock, Brian
May, with footage from 'The Great Pretender' video shoot,
and interviews with Peter Freestone, Diana Moseley,
Freddie, and Peter Straker
- Excerpt of
'Another One Bites The Dust', and interviews with Freddie and Jim
Hutton
- Excerpt of 'Your Kind Of Lover',
with photographs of Freddie, interviews with Freddie and
Jim Hutton, and piano version of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
- Excerpt of 'It's So You', shots of
stage costumes, and interviews with Zandra Rhodes and
Mary Austin
- Footage of 'Tie
Your Mother Down' (from 'Queen Rocks'), interview with Diana Moseley and
footage of Wembley
- Interview with Tim Rice, Peter
Straker and Kashmira Cooke, footage of Freddie's old
school, interview with the current principal, excerpt of
'There Must Be More To Life Than This', and narrative
details about his school achievements
- Recreation of a 'Hectics' concert
(this was Freddie's first band; they perform Paul Anka's
'Diana'), interview with Freddie's schoolfriend and
teacher, and a piano version of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
- Photographs of Montserrat Caballe,
interviews with Peter Freestone and Mike Moran, excerpt
of 'Ensueno', and interviews with Freddie, Montserrat,
and excerpts from tracks from the 'Garden Lodge' tape
- Footage of Freddie &
Montserrat miming 'Barcelona' at Ibiza 1987, and
interviews with Freddie and Montserrat
- Excerpt of 'New York', footage of
New York, excerpt of 'Mr Bad Guy' and interview with
Reinhardt Mack
- Excerpt of 'Staying Power',
interview with Freddie, and footage of Freddie around
Munich or New York, footage of Freddie on stage, and
interview with Walter Yetnikoff (record boss for the
USA), and excerpt of 'Mr Bad Guy'
- Excerpt of 'New York', footage of
New York, and interviews with Mick Rock
- Footage of Montreux, piano version
of 'Bohemian Rhapsody', and interviews with Mary Austin,
Jim Hutton, Kashmira Cooke, Jer Bulsara, Peter Freestone
and Diana Moseley, about Freddie's illness, with footage
of Garden Lodge
- Piano version of 'Guide Me Home',
and interviews with Peter Freestone and Jim Hutton,
footage of a 'Queen Photo Gallery', and interviews with
Mary Austin
- 'No One But You'
promo video, with additional Freddie clips, and credits
The documentary includes many piano versions of Queen
and Freddie tracks, performed by French pianist Thierry Lang or
Mike Moran.