Lucky!

A high-end show which combines compelling use of archive with exceptional music and the interesting single talking head of Bernie Ecclestone throughout. The series is a must-watch for any F1 fan, but also offers insight on a man whom, whether you like him or not, has made history. With insights on political, economical and business stories, Lucky! Narrates the story of Formula 1 from its creation as an amateur sport to the broadcasted colossus that it is now. Simply, without Bernie, Formula 1 wouldn't be the same and Lucky! Is full of stories that tell how the sport's growth came about. 8 episodes are not enough to tell all the anecdotes, and inevitably a lot of the story gets lost, particularly towards the end of the show. As Bernie gets older, F1 stories give space to his personal life, including some nail biting court cases where Bernie's hidden humour shines. The archive included has a lot of unseen Formula 1 behind the scenes, which is pure gold for anyone that likes the history of the sport, in which you can see in remastered pictures the stars of the 1950s. Bernie has lived it all and the show successfully deals with such a powerful story by keeping you stuck to the screen and watching parts over and over again.

No doubt Bernie Ecclestone was paramount in the F1 product we see now. He was certainly powerful enough so few people dares/dared to speak against him. But all those who had enough power or nothing to lose or gain that actually could speak up against are all dead.

That aside, the 8 episodes are a unique look into the entire history of the F1, greatly told and certainly super produced

Ferrari: Race to Immortality (2017) McLaren (2017) Stewart (2022) Williams (2017)

These four titles should be watched to get a bit more nuance. I recommend in this order...

This series gets more in to the politics of the sport, something most never understood, but only got the jist of.

The FISA, FICA, F1CA, FOCA and the FIA. What and who did the represent? How come could a party be in both groups but argue against on of them. Some of the muddiness gets cleared up a bit here - I look forward to a documentary that goes through that quagmire.

Absolutely loved this series, despite being no major fan of motor racing. Incredible to get Bernie Ecclestone's take on the evolution and revolution of F1 in his own words.

The series charts the growth of the sport from its inception, with truly breathtaking historical footage dating back to the very early days of Ferrari and emergence of the newer teams (giants of today).

Having BE staring down the barrel for the majority of each episode really draws in the viewer, supplemented by his take on the major events that have impacted the sport of the years.

My only wish is that they'd extended it out to two seasons instead of just a single one! Hats off to the production team on a really stellar series. What's next?!

It's not easy to present the story of a titanic and controversial figure like Bernie Ecclestone, in a documentary that is basically his side of the whole story, and make the viewer care and even sympathize with him. In this, the director of the amazing documentary movie Senna has managed to get Bernie to dial down his ability to fire away hot takes seemingly for the sake of it, and gets him to narrate his story very effectively while supported by the amazing visual delight of absolutely fantastic archive footage, much of it never before seen) with a surprising amount of grounded maturity and heartfelt emotional moments, but never failing to sneak in his dry, very British humor.

Even if the viewer doesn't care for the personal, political and sporting achievements of Ecclestone, the documentary is still a must watch for fans of the sport, I'd only because it manages to blend that aspect in seamlessly with the amazing archive footage of Formula 1 in its very different forms and eras, very detailed footage of the legendary cars like the Lotus 49, Ferrari 312, racing in tracks both eternal(Monaco) and completely forgotten and obscure circuits that never made it to the big leagues, money driven F1. It's also packed with never before seen interviews of figures like Colin Chapman, Frank Williams, Enzo Ferrari, Jochen Rindt, Teddy Mayer,etc.

If you like Formula 1 and it's history, do yourself a favor and watch this. You won't regret it.

'Lucky' combines rarely-seen footage from the sport's earliest days with insights from the founder. The curtains are drawn back, revealing a multi-dimensional glimpse into the people, the races, the cars, the danger. Bernie's own words are amplified by drivers who challenged the courses and championed the races. And, in too many cases early on, paid the ultimate price. This documentary shouts quality entertainment. Highly recommended.

The arguments for and against Ecclestone are in no way glossed over. Instead, the viewer is offered an unblemished glimpse into the man, his nature, and why it may have been necessary for this larger-than-life individual to play the role he did.

I personally would love to see other global sports and the people who shaped them into today's billion-dollar industries, be put under a similar spotlight.