Cult comedy returns to the stage to celebrate the 20th anniversary of LFC’s triumph in Istanbul.
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00:00I think looking back now, it's obviously started to pinch myself.
00:04Now, cast your mind back to 2005 for just a second for me.
00:08Where were you when LFC beat AC Milan to Champions League victory in Istanbul?
00:13For Liverpool fans, the 2005 Champions League final remains an unforgettable memory,
00:18celebrated as one of the greatest comebacks in football
00:21and a crowning achievement in the club's storied history.
00:25One Reds fan remembers this night not just for the dramatic win
00:29which saw Liverpool come from 3-0 down at half-time
00:32for them then to go on to win on penalties,
00:34but just who he was stood next to when it all happened.
00:38I think it's the greatest comeback of all time in my opinion.
00:41No-one thought that could happen after half-time, least of all myself.
00:44And then what happened with me on a personal level
00:46just takes it to another level and I still have to pinch myself now.
00:50Despairing at seeing Liverpool down at half-time,
00:52Mark set off in search of a drink,
00:54only to find himself in what turned out to be an exclusive VIP area
00:58with AC Milan president and Italy's then Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
01:02When Mark cheered on the Reds as they drew level in the game's final minutes,
01:06Signor Berlusconi lost it and things got even stranger.
01:11The cult comedy beating Berlusconi,
01:14partly based on the remarkable real-life experience of Mark Bradley,
01:17is set to return to the Liverpool stage.
01:20I thought it would be a fantastic climax to a play about Liverpool
01:24and it's such an interesting city, such a distinctive city,
01:27unlike any other city in our country.
01:29And so I thought I could use it, the journey to the game and the journey as a fan
01:36and the experiences as a child starting to support the club,
01:39the problems, the victories, the tragedies,
01:43with the climax being this bizarre story.
01:47Paul Duckworth reprises his role, or should I say roles,
01:50as he is playing dozens of different characters.
01:53It was just a challenge really.
01:55When I got it, it was like, wow, this is heavy.
01:58This is really, really, it's quite a lot.
02:01There's a lot of words, you know what I mean?
02:03This is a show not just for die-hard football fans,
02:06it is a story of a one-man's attempt to rediscover his belief in himself,
02:10his club, his city and his class.
02:14A lot of people who come to see this realise it's actually about,
02:17it's a human story, it's about a guy who loves things
02:21and he has things that break his heart
02:24and he has things that make him reborn
02:27and have his faith restored in humanity and in football and in his city.
02:32The smash hit show, inspired by a real-life encounter
02:35inside the Ataturk Olympic Stadium,
02:38will play at the Dome at Grand Central Hall
02:40on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th of May.
02:44We did talk with a few people about turning it into a film
02:47because it would make an amazing film,
02:49but how do we create the Istanbul Football Stadium
02:53because there's so much of it in there,
02:55so much of the story happens in there.