Mandela: The Living Legend

Revealing a truly extraordinary man, this is the story of Nelson Mandela as seen through his own eyes and the recollections of both famous and ordinary people who have played a part in his life. This two-part documentary follows Mandela over six months as he goes about his day-to-day duties in Europe, Asia, Africa and America, from filming a television campaign to hippo-watching on safari with close friend Bill Clinton. In a series of exclusive interviews, Mandela talks about his early days in the Transkei, about his five ‘mothers’ and the day he ran away from home to avoid an arranged marriage; about boxing and dancing; and about the decision to use violence to bring down the white government of South Africa. On Robben Island he looks back at the good and bad times: how prison changed him, and how singing and schooling kept him going. He talks about the challenges of the presidency, about his ‘retirement’ and the issues he’s determined not to ignore. This programme is a spellbinding tribute to one of the great men of the twentieth, and the twenty-first century.