Grand Prix - The Killer Years (BBC Documentary 2011) - H.264 - mp4

In the 60s and early 70s it was common for Grand Prix drivers to be killed while racing, often televised for millions to see. Mechanical failure, lethal track design, fire and incompetence snuffed out dozens of young drivers. They had become almost expendable as eager young wannabes queued up at the top teams' gates waiting to take their place.

This is the story of when Grand Prix was out of control.



Featuring many famous drivers including three times world champion Sir Jackie Stewart OBE, twice world champion Emerson Fittipaldi and John Surtees OBE, this exciting but shocking film explores how Grand Prix drivers grew sick of their closest friends being killed and finally took control of their destiny.

After much waste of life, the prestigious Belgian and German Grands Prix would be boycotted, with drivers insisting that safety be put first. But it would be a long and painful time before anything would change, and a lot of talented young men would be cut down in their prime.

This is their story.

'Something was terribly wrong. I loved the sport, but it was wrong. I prayed to God whether or not to continue.' - Emerson Fittipaldi

'It made me angry. The sport was way wrong.' - Sir Jackie Stewart OBE.

Grand Prix: The Killer Years is a television documentary made in 2010 for the BBC by Manchester-based film producers Bigger Picture. It was first aired on 27 March 2011 on BBC Four. Repeat broadcasts followed on BBC Two and BBC Four.

The film tells the story of Grand Prix racing in the 1960s and 70s where mechanical failure, lethal track design, fire and incompetence led to the death of many young drivers. Among the interviewees contributing to the film are Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi, and John Surtees.

The film later went on to be released on DVD.

Distributed by BBC WorldWide by November 2014 the film had been broadcast in 28 countries. The film was shown in the USA on the Discovery network as part of a series with 'Deadliest Crash', 'Madness on Wheels' and 'Madness in the Desert', all made by the same producer. In November 2014 the original producer of the film J L Matthews compiled the interviews into a hardback book of the same name published and distributed by Bigger Picture [projects] Ltd. The managing director of Bigger Picture coined the phrase 'Tinsel Tuesday' to promote the book on social media in the same week as Black Friday.

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