Dinner at the Sporting Club on DVD

Description

John Thaw (The Sweeney; Inspector Morse) stars as Dinny Mathews, a small time boxing manager in this powerful and heartfelt BBC drama by Leon Griffiths, creator of Minder. Struggling to maintain his integrity in the seedy depths of the professional boxing world, Mathews is persuaded to provide a fighter to compete at the Sporting Club, where the local elite can wine and dine while fights rage. He knows his boy John Duncan (Billy McColl) isn t fit for the fight. He knows that his opponent, Benham, is out of his league - but John wants to earn enough money for a new stereo and Mathews is eager to make contact at the club and gain some corporate sponsorship. As the filet mignon is served and dreams lie shattered in blood and pulp on the canvas, Mathews begins to see behind the facade of the sporting club and must make some stark decisions about his - and his fighter's - futures... Supported by a first-rate cast including Liam Neeson in an early role and Maureen Lipman, John Thaw gives one of his finest-ever performances as the flawed but ultimately courageous boxing manager.