Freddie Mercury - The Untold Story
'By Those Who Knew Him Best'
(TV Version)
First broadcast on 8 December 2000 on BBC1.
Length 60 minutes.
Directed by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher
Produced by Rudi Dolezal and Jim Beach
Executive Producer for the BBC : Mark Hagen
Commentary written by Simon Witter
This documentary is a specially edited and adapted version of the full length original DVD documentary. However, some footage has been lost, some added (highlighted in red), some moved, and it also has a different narrator. The content is as follows:
- Footage of 'The Great Pretender' video, and interviews with Phil Collins, Mick Jagger, Ian Hunter, Slash, Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey, Liza Minelli, Dave Clark, Zandra Rhodes, Paul McCartney, Montserrat Caballe, Tim Rice and Elton John
- Introductory dialogue, with excerpt of 'The Great Pretender' (Extended version), with photos of Freddie, and interviews with Jer Bulsara (Freddie's mother), former teacher and school friend, Mary Austin and Jim Hutton
- Narrative details about the family fleeing to England, interviews with Peter Freestone, Jer Bulsara, with piano version of 'Love Of My Life'
- Excerpt of 'Mr Bad Guy', narrative details of Freddie's life at Ealing School of Art, and interview with Jerry Hibbert (college friend and animator)
- Excerpt of 'The Millionaire Waltz', footage of Freddie's drawings and paintings, and interviews with Brian May and Kashmira Cooke
- Excerpt of 'Good Old Fashioned Loverboy', shots of Freddie's fashion designs, and interview with Jerry Hibbert
- Excerpt of 'Keep Passing The Open Windows', early photos of Freddie, and interviews with Brian May, Jerry Hibbert, and Tim Staffell (lead singer of Smile), and excerpt of 'You Take My Breath Away'
- Footage of Smile from the Albert Hall (with excerpt of 'Doing Alright'), and interview with Brian May
- Excerpt of 'My Fairy King', and interviews with Brian May and Tim Staffell
- Footage of the 'Bohemian Rhapsody' video, interview with Brian about Freddie changing his name, and continued excerpt of 'My Fairy King'
- Excerpt of 'Somebody To Love', with early photos of Freddie, and interviews with Brian May, Mary Austin, Mick Rock (photographer), and Freddie himself, about Freddie and Mary's early friendship
- Narration about Freddie's sexuality, piano version of 'Love Of My Life', interview with Mary Austin, and early photos of Freddie
- Interviews with Jer Bulsara and Mike Moran, footage of Zanzibar, and excerpt of 'Going Back'
- Interviews with Kashmira Cooke, with piano versions of 'You Take My Breath Away' and 'Heaven For Everyone', and narration about his trip to boarding school
- Interview with Tim Rice (lyricist), excerpt of 'Let's Turn It On' (1992 Remix), footage of the 'Living On My Own' video, and interviews with James 'Trip' Khalaf (sound engineer), Peter Straker, Mike Moran and Jim Hutton
- Excerpt of 'Get Down, Make Love', footage of Freddie, and interviews with Mick Rock, Brian May, with footage from 'The Great Pretender' video shoot, and interviews with Peter Freestone, Diana Moseley, Freddie, and Peter Straker
- Excerpt of 'Another One Bites The Dust', and interviews with Freddie and Jim Hutton
- Excerpt of 'Your Kind Of Lover', with photographs of Freddie, interviews with Freddie and Jim Hutton, and piano version of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
- Excerpt of 'It's So You', shots of stage costumes, and interviews with Zandra Rhodes and Mary Austin
- Footage of 'Tie Your Mother Down' (from 'Queen Rocks'), interview with Diana Moseley and footage of Wembley
- Interview with Tim Rice, Peter Straker and Kashmira Cooke, footage of Freddie's old school, interview with the current principal, excerpt of 'There Must Be More To Life Than This', and narrative details about his school achievements
- Recreation of a 'Hectics' concert (this was Freddie's first band; they perform Paul Anka's 'Diana'), interview with Freddie's schoolfriend and teacher, and a piano version of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
- Photographs of Montserrat Caballe, interviews with Peter Freestone and Mike Moran, excerpt of 'Ensueno', and interviews with Freddie, Montserrat, and excerpts from tracks from the 'Garden Lodge' tape
- Footage of Freddie & Montserrat miming 'Barcelona' at Ibiza 1987, and interviews with Freddie and Montserrat
- Excerpt of 'New York', footage of New York, excerpt of 'Mr Bad Guy' and interview with Reinhold Mack
- Excerpt of 'Staying Power', interview with Freddie, and footage of Freddie around Munich or New York, footage of Freddie on stage, and interview with Walter Yetnikoff (record boss for the USA), and excerpt of 'Mr Bad Guy'
- Excerpt of 'New York', footage of New York, and interviews with Mick Rock
- Footage of Montreux, piano version of 'Bohemian Rhapsody', and interviews with Mary Austin, Jim Hutton, Kashmira Cooke, Jer Bulsara, Peter Freestone and Diana Moseley, about Freddie's illness, with footage of Garden Lodge
- Piano version of 'Guide Me Home', and interviews with Peter Freestone and Jim Hutton, footage of a 'Queen Photo Gallery', and interviews with Mary Austin
- 'No-One But You' promo video, with additional Freddie clips, and credits
The documentary includes many piano versions of Queen and Freddie tracks, performed by French pianist Thierry Lang or Mike Moran.