Is This The Real Life?

First broadcast on 4th December 1999 on Channel 4 as part of 'Queen For A Night'.
Length 58 minutes.

Produced and Directed by Bob Smeaton
Executive Producers : Bob Massie and Gillian Greenwood

This is a new documentary, made specially for TV, featuring exclusive interviews and some previously unseen photographs. It contains, with rare footage highlighted in red:

• Excerpt of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and titles
• Footage of 'We Are The Champions' and 'Radio Ga Ga' (both from Wembley, 1986), interviews with Elton John and Bob Geldof, and clips of Queen
• Footage of 'I Want To Break Free', and interview with Paul Gambuccini (music writer), footage of 'Tie Your Mother Down', and interview with Bob Harris (presenter of 'Old Grey Whistle Test')
• Footage of 'Liar' (Rainbow, 1974), early photos of Queen, and interviews with Mick Rock (photographer), Mary Austin (Freddie's former partner), Jer Bulsara (Freddie's mother), Freddie and Roger.
• Footage of Smile at the Royal Albert Hall (with excerpt of 'April Lady') and interviews with Tim Staffell, Roger, Brian and John
• Footage of 'Keep Yourself Alive' and interviews with Brian, Freddie, Norman Sheffield (former manager), excerpt of 'Seven Seas Of Rhye', and footage from backstage at the Rainbow concert
• Interviews with Roy Thomas Baker and Freddie, footage of 'Killer Queen' (from 'Top Of The Pops'), and interviews with Brian, Paul Gambuccini and Elton John
• Footage of 'Son And Daughter' and 'Brighton Rock' (Hammersmith, 1975), interview with Zandra Rhodes, excerpt of 'Lily Of The Valley' with early stage photographs, and interviews with Roger, Tony Stewart (former NME journalist), Mick Rock, Roy Thomas Baker, Mary Austin, Freddie and Peter Freestone
• Footage of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and interviews with Bob Geldof, Brian, Taylor Hawkins (of the Foo Fighters), Bob Harris, Paul Gambuccini, Freddie and Roger

(First advertisement break)

• Footage of 'Somebody To Love', and interviews with Paul Gambuccini, Bob Harris, Brian, Roger, Tony Stewart and Freddie
• Footage of The Sex Pistols, interviews with Tony Stewart, Freddie, Roger, footage of 'Sheer Heart Attack' (Houston 1977), and interviews with Mick Rock and David Wigg (journalist)
• Excerpt of 'We Are The Champions', with footage of Queen travelling, interviews with Peter Freestone, Roger, footage of after-show parties, interviews with Brian and Mick Rock, footage of the 'Living On My Own' and 'We Are The Champions' videos, and interview with Tony Stewart
• Interview with Bob Harris, excerpt of 'Another One Bites The Dust' with footage of America, interviews with Brian, footage of a party, and interviews with Elton John and Roger
• Footage of the 'Body Language' video, and interviews with Paul Gambaccini, Roger, Brian, Freddie, Taylor Hawkins, Mary Austin and Peter Freestone
• Footage of 'Freddie Singalong' and 'Staying Power' (Milton Keynes, 1982), interview with Roger, footage of 'We Will Rock You' (Rio, 1985), interviews with Roy Thomas Baker, Brian, Paul Gambaccini, Freddie and Tony Stewart, and footage of 'Radio Ga Ga' (Live Aid, 1985)

(Second advertisement break)

• Footage of 'Freddie Singalong' (Live Aid, 1985), interviews with Roger and Bob Geldof, footage of 'Radio Ga Ga' (Live Aid, 1985), interviews with Brian, footage of 'We Will Rock You' (Live Aid, 1985) and interviews with Elton John, Freddie and Roger
• Footage of 'One Vision' studio sessions, interviews with Elton John, 'One Vision' (Just For Fun), and interview with Freddie
• Footage of 'One Vision' (Budapest, 1986), interview with Brian, and footage of 'Magic Tour' concerts
• Interviews with Mary Austin, Roger and Brian, about Freddie's illness
• Footage of 'I Want It All', interviews with Brian, Peter Freestone and Paul Gambaccini, and footage of Queen collecting an award for the 'Top Band Of The 80's'.
• Interview with Roger, studio footage from the 'Innuendo' era, excerpt of 'Headlong', and interviews with Brian and Paul Gambaccini
• Footage of 'These Are The Days Of Our Lives', newspaper reports of Freddie's illness, interview with Roger about the press, news coverage of Freddie's death, and interview with Nick Partridge (from the Terrence Higgins Trust)
• Interview with Jer Bulsara, and footage of Brian and Roger at The Brit Awards, 1992, announcing the tribute concert
• Footage of Queen's introductory speech at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, interview with Elton John, and footage of 'The Show Must Go On' from the concert
• Interviews with Paul Gambaccini, Elton John, Bob Geldof, and footage of Freddie over the years
• Excerpt of 'The Show Must Go On', with further footage from over the years, interviews with Roger and Brian, and closing titles

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