Nat Bromhead
The long-awaited feature documentary ‘Phil Liggett: The Voice of Cycling’ made its world premiere at the 2020 Adelaide Film Festival and is set for major release across Australia in March.
An amateur racer turned global broadcaster, Phil Liggett has covered forty-eight Tours de France and fifteen Olympic Games, calling every triumph, tragedy and scandal with his inimitable wit and ‘Liggetism’ style of poetry.
Created by the filmmakers behind MAMIL (Middle Aged Men In Lycra), the 110-minute feature documentary tracks Phil Liggett’s life story and offers an insight into his dedication to his much-loved sport of cycling and passion for wildlife conservation.
“The film explores in detail, the life story of a very complex individual,” says co-creator Eleanor Sharpe.
“Apart from the fame and adulation of his many followers, this is a humble, dedicated man, passionate about so many issues. He is a great raconteur, with a dry wit. Phil gives of his time unstintingly and his interests range far more widely than the cycling enthusiast might know.”
Phil Liggett MBE is 77 years young and says he has witnessed every heroic triumph and harrowing tragedy over his 53-year career.
“I feel incredibly lucky and grateful, that I turned my hobby into a way of life,” said Liggett. “It wasn’t until we started scanning the archives that I was really aware how full my life has been and how privileged I have been to be a part of this wonderful sport and pastime of cycling. I knew that both Nick and Eleanor could be trusted to handle my story and share it with the world.”
The documentary was filmed over the last 18 months across three continents synonymous with Phil’s life, starting at his homes in South Africa and the UK, over to the Tour de France and finishing in Australia with filming in Melbourne and Adelaide.
