“Freddie Mercury: The Final Act” to air 27 November

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Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert crowd

The date for first airing of this new documentary has now been published as follows:

Freddie Mercury: The Final Act
Saturday, 27 November 2021
BBC TWO: 121:00 (1hour, 29 minutes) – also to be avilable om BBC iPlayer

Credits
Interviewed Guest: Brian May
Director: James Rogan
Actor: Rogan Productions

“James Rogan’s film: Freddie Mercury: The Final Act, is a poignant story of one of music’s most popular and talented musicians, and the legacy he left. Not only does it shine new light on Freddie Mercury’s brave journey through those final five years of his life, it also tells a wider – and hugely important – story of the emergence of AIDS at the time and how the incredible tribute concert after his death, helped to change for the better public opinion about the crisis.”
— Jan Younghusband, Head of Commissioning, BBC Music TV

The story of the extraordinary final chapter of Freddie Mercury’s life and how, after his death from AIDS, Queen staged one of the biggest concerts in history, the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium, to celebrate his life and challenge the prejudices around HIV/AIDS.

The film hears from those who performed at the epic gig, including Gary Cherone (Extreme), Roger Daltrey (The Who), Joe Elliott (Def Leppard), Lisa Stansfield and Paul Young, as well as the concert’s promoter, Harvey Goldsmith.

For the first time, Freddie’s story is told alongside the experiences of those who tested positive for HIV and lost loved ones during the same period. Medical practitioners, survivors and human rights campaigners, including Peter Tatchell, recount the intensity of living through the AIDS pandemic and the moral panic it brought about.