Everything West Ham fans need to know about Clyde Best documentary film: Where to watch it, how to buy tickets and who’s in it
The inspiring yet brutal story of West Ham legend Clyde Best will premiere at Sadler’s Wells East in London in March.
Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story, directed by US filmmaker Dan Egan, chronicles the life of Best, from his humble beginnings in Bermuda to his trailblazing days at Upton Park and beyond.
Best, 74, played for West Ham between 1968 and 1976, becoming the first black superstar of English football and making history alongside Ade Coker and Clive Charles as the first three black players to star together in a top-flight English football match.
It was by no means an easy rise to the top for the pioneering Bermudian striker, who had to deal with vile racist chanting and a threat of having acid thrown in his face if he dared take to the pitch.
Best, described as a “gentle giant” by former West Ham teammate Coker, rose above it all and went on to score 58 goals for the Hammers, before going on to play in the USA for Tampa Bay Rowdies and Portland Timbers, as well as a stint at Feyenoord in the Netherlands.
Ticket details and show times for Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story
West Ham fans are able to watch the full one-hour-and-35-minute-long film at Sadler’s Wells East and Lumiere Cinema Romford in late March.
Those attending the shows at Sadler’s Wells will be treated to a post-film talk and live Q&A session, including Best, Coker and narrator Tony D Head, before encore performances run in Romford.
Dates, times and locations of the screenings are shown below, with tickets now available at Sadler’s Wells or on The Clyde Best Story website.
After premiering in London, those overseas can watch the documentary in Bermuda from 21-26 April at Earl Cameron Theatre & Ruth Seaton James Centre, before a US city tour in May and June.
Best, speaking to West Ham Zone at Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa in Bermuda, said that “the most important thing about this documentary is that I want my country to benefit from it as well”.
Who else is in the film?
As well as Best and his former teammate Coker, who was part of what Best describes as the ‘original Three Degrees’ with him and Charles, audience members will be treated to testimonies and interviews with a host of footballing legends.
Harry Redknapp, Shaka Hislop, Ian Wright, Les Ferdinand, John Barnes, Viv Anderson, Brendon Batson and loads of other familiar faces are set to feature.
Best’s goalscoring prowess and ability to face adversity still resonate at West Ham now, with ex-Hammers star Michail Antonio hailing the influence Best had on his career back in 2023.
“I always think how would I have dealt with the racism side of things and everything that he had to deal with and I’m not sure I could have dealt with it,” Antonio told Sky Sports.
“The way that he dealt with it and just turned up and just constantly played and scoring his goals. This day and age there are so many people that are there, they’ll stick up for you they’ll report it, but back then it wasn’t ready.“
What does Best think about the job Nuno Espirito Santo is doing?
West Ham hired Nuno Espirito Santo to be their first-ever black manager in September.
Although the Irons are currently in the Premier League zone, Best fully supports the job Nuno is doing and is confident that the Portuguese boss can steer his former side away from the bottom three.
Speaking to West Ham Zone in November at Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa, Best said: “I don’t look at the colour of the person’s skin. I just look at the coach and I want him to do a good job for West Ham.
“Luckily enough, I know that Nuno is a good manager because he did good things in Portugal, where he comes from, and he’s done good things in England previously with Wolves and Nottingham Forest.
“I trust that he’s going to do okay for us. I really hope he does, because it’s nice to see him at a club like ours.”
Stay up to date this winter with our West Ham transfer tracker. Click to see every done deal at the London Stadium, plus expert reaction from our team of writers.