Wheelchair Basketball Stars in new CBBC TV drama
Desperados is the new CBBC television drama to hit our screens this year and it is based around a wheelchair basketball team called the ‘Desperados’.
The show follows Charlie who has been recently paralysed, and how he and his team mates progress through the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association’s Junior League.
At a screening in London on the 15th January the show was met with praise and great applause by everyone in the room including celebrities, the hierarchy of the BBC and people from the world of both disability sport and wheelchair basketball.
Chairman of the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association, Joseph Fletcher said, ‘From the two episodes we saw, the show will be a triumph. It shows the sport in a great light and it was brilliant to see how they portrayed the characters in both a humorous and yet human way’.
Charlie Bethel, Chief Executive of the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association commented, ‘We are so proud of everyone that took part in the drama. It was great to see how well our athletes seem to have adapted to acting. From the two episodes shown at the screening it was great to see the sport being portrayed in such a positive and dynamic way. It shows wheelchair basketball as a sport and one that can be played by everyone.’
The first episode is scheduled to be shown on Wednesday 31st January at 5.30pm on the CBBC digital channel , with the episodes being repeated on BBC 1 in the near future.
Joseph Fletcher added, ‘Our congratulations go to all the actors involved; not solely the Desperados but to all the teams they played, to the production team and a big thank you to the BBC for commissioning the drama and having the faith to put such a great and inspirational script on the television .’
The Deperados are: David Proud, Reece Pantry, Sarah Newport, Ben Warren, Richard Sargent,
Cole Edwards, Zoe Giannasi, and Laurie Williams . Desperados were coached on screen by former GB Star and television presenter, Ade Adepitan MBE .
For further information on wheelchair basketball go to: www.gbwba.org.uk
COMING SOON - For further information on Desperados visit: www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc