Beckham is successful in every activity he’s pursued . A sublime footballer, a photo-shoot superstar, trophy wife and businessman. As a result, he’s had intense media scrutiny for most of his life. So, hasn’t planet *Beckham* been gutted of all possible interest? What could be added to the glut of information about him?

I was sceptical about this mini-series thinking it was Beckham brand development. I watched it and was rewarded for my open-mindedness.

David’s father was a nightmare. David was reduced to being a vehicle for his father’s obsessions. He doled out hard school parenting believing it was necessary to ‘make it’ in football. Praise was unknown and David doing well was never enough. Well David did indeed become a superstar and so was his father correct?

Ah!

Let’s consider the counter-factual. Suppose David had his childhood wrecked and didn’t make it as 99% of teenage footballers don’t. Or, he suffered a career ending injury on the cusp of greatness; or, he wasn’t surrounded by a wonderful squad and manager. Many fathers believe David’s childhood is a recipe and don’t stint in their pursuit of the dream. In brief, they don’t understand the difference between correlation and causation.

David came across as a driven intensely focused man prepared to sacrifice his family on the altar of his ambitions. He loved his family but loved triumphant success more. I warmly recommend this mini-series. It’s brilliantly edited and (possibly) unintentionally revealing