BBC to air special James Hunt and Nikki Lauda documentary

The BBC are to screen a special documentary looking at the rivalry between James Hunt and Nikki Lauda, it has been confirmed today. The documentary will air on Sunday 14th July at 21:00 on BBC Two, straight after Top Gear.

It is the second documentary to be aired by the corporation this year ahead of the Rush movie later this year, but the first to be aired on TV. The first aired on BBC Radio earlier this year.

The programme synopsis is as follows: “The victory duel for the 1976 Formula 1 Championship has become the stuff of legend. The spectacular battle for supremacy that raged all season between Austrian Niki Lauda and ‘True Brit’ James Hunt has never been equalled. Could swashbuckling Hunt catch the scientific Lauda? Could Niki overcome an appalling crash to come back from the dead and fight James all the way to the last race of the season? This powerful story captures the heart of the 1970s – told through unseen footage and exclusive interviews with the people who were really there – the team managers, families, journalists and friends who were in the front row of the season that changed Formula 1 forever.”

Update on July 12th – Motor sport historian Simon Taylor posted this on AUTOSPORT Forum earlier today: “This is indeed a completely new documentary, setting out to cover the whole 1976 Hunt/Lauda battle. It includes fresh interviews with Daniele Audetto, Alistair Caldwell, Niki himself, even James’ sister (who has never appeared talking about her brother before, apparently). I have only been allowed to see a few snatches of it, but they were enough to indicate that the researchers have managed to find some remarkable bits of footage from 1976 that were new to me, as well as the old familiar stuff.”