Fulwell 73

With the awards season in full swing, it’s always fun to spot unlikely combinations in the bar after the ceremony. Whether it’s GB News hacks in gossipy conversation with their Channel 4 counterparts at the RTS Television Journalism Awards or, in the case of the RTS North East and the Border Awards, the founding partners of super-indie Fulwell 73 swapping stories with Brenda Blethyn of ITV’s Vera fame and super-influencer Charlotte Crosby (who has 14 million followers on social media).

It is a dream come true for Leo Pearlman and his cousins Gabe and Ben Turner to be opening a production base in Sunderland. After all, they named their company in memory of the Fulwell stand at the old Roker Park, where they first fell in love with Sunder­land AFC. The 73 reference is a homage to their team’s glorious FA Cup win against Leeds almost half a century ago. 

Produced by Fulwell 73 (Sunderland ‘Til I Die), the feature-length documentary will chart the rapid rise and fall of the European Super League (ESL), one of the most extraordinary sagas in recent footballing history.  

The film will offer an exclusive inside look at the events and decisions that saw 12 founding member teams from the English Premier League, Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A propose a new annual international competition, and the 72-hour period between the announcement and its swift collapse.