Drama to be made by BBC about 2018 World Cup bid

The failed bid by England to host the World Cup in 2018 is set to become the subject of a BBC Radio drama. The programme, which will be broadcast in December on Radio Four, will focus on the final few days before the FIFA voting, when the team of David Beckham, Prince William and David Cameron invited public expectations of a successful campaign; only for the bid to end in ignominy with a first round defeat in the voting and a subsequent war of words between members of the England party and FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

The drama, entitled The Bid, is a jointly commissioned project between Radio Four and the BBC World Service and may reignite the controversy sparked at the time of the failed attempt when representatives for England accused FIFA of voting corruption. Some of those directly involved in the England bid have been consulted throughout the writing process, but have already expressed disapproval of the draft version, with one insider dismissing the quality and accuracy of the script.

Matthew Solon, whose previous track record includes the award winning BBC play about the Lehman Brothers financial collapse, is writing the drama and remains in consultation with members of the England 2018 party in regard to the issues of factual accuracy. However, the BBC has maintained that it will make the final decision abut what material ends up on screen, with a spokesman for the corporation stating:

”Any final edit will be under the control of the BBC.”

The drama may also lead to further tensions between the BBC and the present government, as they are unlikely to be keen on David Cameron’s role in the embarrassing farce of the failed bid and corruption scandal being revived in the minds of the public.