Catch up TV

Episode 11 May 2025

When Bradford City FC met Lincoln City on 11 May 1985 for the final game of the season, what everyone hoped to remember was the carnival atmosphere in the stadium. But what happened at the end of a goalless first half was instead the stuff of nightmares.\n\nA fire, believed to have been started by a discarded cigarette or match, engulfed one of the old wooden stands. 56 lives were lost, and the event made headlines around the world as the city and the nation struggled to confront the enormity of the loss to Bradford. The prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, travelled to the scene of the disaster as the media looked to someone to blame, and a senior judge was appointed to launch an inquiry. The findings would have a long-lasting impact on safety at football matches in Britain and around the world.\n\nWith access to survivors, family members of those lost and emergency service first responders, this film aims to relive a largely forgotten tragedy.

Source: BBC 2