Sporting Life
Ronnie O'Sullivan gave film makers fly-on-the-wall access to him during the World Championship
Ronnie O'Sullivan gave film makers fly-on-the-wall access to him during the World Championship

Ronnie O'Sullivan documentary: The Rocket's seventh world title provides a fairytale eagerly-anticipated show about his life a fairytale ending

By Chris Hammer
Snooker
Wed August 31, 2022 · 2y ago

Snooker’s Box Office star Ronnie O’Sullivan may just have helped create one of the great sporting documentaries after his historic seventh world title gave it a fairytale ending.

A fly-on-the-wall film crew have been following the mercurial Rocket around all season and they could hardly believe their luck as their leading man powered through the rounds in blockbuster fashion to reach an eighth Crucible final since 2001.

If anything, the quest to equal Stephen Hendry’s 23-year-old record was arguably a little too easy but what his matches lacked in drama, he made up for with a tear-jerking finale that featured that long, brotherly hug and secret chat with supporting actor Judd Trump.

The joyous scenes of him celebrating the iconic moment with his two youngest children Lily and Ronnie Jnr as well as his father Ronnie Snr, who had watched all of his titles pre-2010 from prison, showed us a further glimpse of his softer side.

Click on the image to watch O'Sullivan's emotional celebrations with his family

Every film also needs a villain so step forward final referee Olivier Marteel with his late cameo to rival Hossein Vafaei, who had hit the headlines before the tournament began by claiming O’Sullivan is ‘bad for snooker’ and should retire from the sport that he still clearly loves so dearly, even if he doesn’t always admit it.

Those comments provided the context for snooker’s leading names past and present to express their feelings on O’Sullivan’s electrifying – yet often controversial - presence in the sport but the verdict is always resoundingly in favour of snooker’s GOAT.

Much of the documentary’s success, of course, will depend on the film-makers ability to capture the magic moments and raw emotion of a rollercoaster year on and off the baize, but O’Sullivan certainly lived up to his billing.

Fly-on-the-wall access

The 46-year-old insists the documentary added no extra pressure or desire to lift the trophy but is confident the access he gave film makers will give fans an incredible insight into his world and mind.

O’Sullivan, who burst onto the scene by winning the UK Championship aged just 17 in 1993 and has now won a record 21 Triple Crowns and 39 ranking titles, said: "I don’t know if it will be the best, you’ll have to wait and see. But what I can tell you is that I’ve given them complete access to everything that’s happened here over the last 17 days, like a fly on the wall.

"They’ve been in my dressing room and hotel room during matches, before sessions, after sessions and I embraced it because whatever I’m involved with I always want to make it the best we possibly can.

"The film makers said they’ve never been granted this kind of access by any other sportsman so I knew we’d be off to a great start.

"Hopefully fans will enjoy it and get to see everything – and it got a good ending."

Filming 'inspired' Rocket

O'Sullivan insisted he wasn't trying to win for the purpose of the documentary but accepted it may have inspired him along the way.

He said: "I accepted that the documentary was being made because of my previous successes and hopefully it would catch me winning some tournaments. But it was mainly about my life and just following me around.

"It was a bit of a challenge that I was up for and sometimes I like a distraction. It was a bit of a buzz.

"I’m good with pressure so having the crew around wasn’t an issue. In some ways, it might have inspired me. And things just seem to work out - so I’m not surprised that it ended like that."

Fairytale ending but not the Last Dance

O’Sullivan’s eagerly-anticipated documentary will no doubt be compared with many others of its genre including 'The Last Dance' that focused on Michael Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls.

The Rocket said: "I loved that documentary, it was fantastic.

"I loved Jordan’s energy, professionalism and his confidence. He knew how to get the best out of people. He let Dennis Rodman go to Las Vegas for a few days because he needed it.

"Then he didn’t come back so he had to get on a plane and go and get him. It was a great insight, he’s a legend and there were so many different characters.

"And this is a bit of a dream ending for me as well, the guys have been following me for a good six or seven months. You couldn’t have envisaged this – so they have had a result really!"

However, O’Sullivan says being an individual sportsman will give his documentary a different feel than one that centres around relationships within a team.

He said: "I said to Steve Peters that I wished I was in a team sport. At least then you can take a week off or be rested for a bit.

"You can have that relationship with your manager where you can kind of pick and choose when to play. In an individual sport you don’t get that option and you’re kind of forced to play even if you feel you don’t want to.

"So it’s tougher to be in an individual sport, but I chose this one and there’s not a lot I can do about it now.

O’Sullivan admits he’s unaware yet as to whether it will be a one-off documentary but he does believe there’s enough content for potentially five hour-long episodes that won’t just be about snooker.

Click on the image to read about O'Sullivan's work with Steve Peters

For example, he said: "And it wasn’t all Sheffield, hopefully a load of it gets in there.

"In Llandudno they asked me what I normally do and I said ‘I go out running at eight in the morning, if it’s p**sing down with rain I’m still going out’.

"They got in the car and followed me, and got me running up the Orme with the camera filming me from out of the back of the car. Whatever I do, they have followed me. Everything has been as it is and they didn’t ask me to do anything."

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