Programme Information

A mother's story

Best – His Mother's Son

Day and time to be confirmed BBC TWO

• Programme copy

Michelle Fairley plays Ann Best, the mother of celebrated footballer George Best, in BBC Two's fact-based drama that tells the story of how an ordinary, loving family deals with the impact of their mother's alcoholism, writes Catharine Davey.

The Irish actress is currently appearing alongside Andrea Corr, lead singer of The Corrs, in Brian Friel's Dancing At Lughnasa at London's Old Vic. An accomplished stage performer, Michelle was nominated in 2008 for an Olivier Award for her performance in Othello at London's Donmar Warehouse. She has also appeared in blockbuster feature films including The Others and Hideous Kinky.

Award-winning writer Terry Cafolla has created this fictional account based on the real-life events of Ann Best's descent into alcoholism. Staunchly teetotal until the age of 44, Ann Best died at 54 from heart-related problems, possibly triggered by alcohol abuse.

"I think this is dominantly the story of a family and how they coped with the decline of their mother," says Michelle. "This is the tale of how Ann Best coped or, rather, didn't cope with everything that was happening in her life and her son's life. Ann's alcoholism was a by-product. She was a very private woman, very shy and she just couldn't stand the press scrutiny. Drinking was her way of numbing herself and of dealing with all the pressures."

Michelle, originally from Ballycastle in County Antrim, lives in London but returned to Ireland for filming in Belfast.

"The Sixties and Seventies were really hard in Belfast," she comments. "There was a lot of unemployment. People were losing their homes and the structure of society was changing completely. The Bests were never a wealthy family – even though they had a son who seemed to be the equivalent of a pop star."

As the political Troubles reached a peak, life for the residents of Belfast became increasingly difficult.

"I think it was impossible to live in Belfast at that time and not be influenced by the Troubles," says Michelle. "Despite the fact that they weren't known to be staunch Protestants, the Best family still had to deal with an element of sectarian criticism. They were just a hard-working, normal family whose religion was not Catholic. But they were forced to live in the public spotlight on this most private of matters and it was another intrusion into their lives and another pressure on Ann."

Tom Payne, of Channel 4's Skins, plays George in the drama, while Messiah star Lorcan Cranitch plays Dickie, George's father.

"I'd worked with Lorcan before – we did a BBC drama called Life After Life by Graham Reid," says Michelle. "Lorcan is a wonderful actor. And Tom was a pleasure to have on set."

Michelle admits that her own interest in football begins and ends with the World Cup. When pushed for a favoured team, she volunteers Celtic. But her interest in the young George Best is clear.

"George was extremely good-looking, he was extremely talented and he was very intelligent," she says. "He was the forerunner for everything that the Beckhams or the Rooneys represent today. But he didn't receive any of the guidance. Because nobody had ever been there before, they couldn't learn from the mistakes. He was forced to forge ahead. I watched a lot of old footage of him playing and he looked completely different to everybody on the pitch. He was small and wiry – very light and agile."

Fascinated by the dark journey that Ann Best travels in such a short period of time, Michelle is interested in the amount that Best and his mother had in common.

"His mother was a really good sportswoman," says Michelle. "She played hockey very well but the war started and she stopped playing and then she got married and had a family. It is reported that George used to play with her hockey ball constantly. The story goes that, when she played, he used to run up and down the sideline, kicking a hockey ball."

Admitting that her first love is theatre, Michelle is enthusiastic about her current role as elder sister Kate in Brian Friel's moving, autobiographical play set in Donegal in the summer of 1936.

"It's quite an exhausting play," says Michelle. "It's emotionally tiring. But it's wonderful. The cast are brilliant and we get on fantastically well. There's something exhilarating about it but it's also incredibly sad."

No stranger to gritty parts, Michelle is clear that she would forgo a Hollywood blockbuster any day of the week in favour of working in British film. She speaks enthusiastically of her recent role in Frank McGuinness's drama about euthanasia, A Short Stay In Switzerland.

"The whole point of taking a job is that you connect with a character or with an issue," she says. "The characters were so well-drawn. It's as intense as you want it to be – if you want to get deeply involved in what you are doing then the door is open to you."

Michelle admits that she was intrigued by Ann Best's character and reading the script sent her on a fact-finding mission to discover what made this character tick.

"It's terribly tragic – two wonderful people damaged by alcohol within the one family," says Michelle. "I've played characters before with an alcohol problem, but what's interesting with this is that it's not so much just about her drinking, it's about why she drinks – what forces her to go there. And, clearly, the drink changed her personality. She was not a nice woman when she had alcohol inside her. Sober, she was a very shy, softly-spoken woman who brought her children up to have manners, respect and a good education. She was an intelligent woman. But alcohol changed her personality – and not for the better."