Walter: A Life in Football

Documentary paying tribute to one of the most successful managers in the history of Scottish football, Walter Smith. A winner as manager for Rangers and Scotland, Walter Smith was a man whose character won respect across the hard tribal lines of our national game. Featuring rare archive, and told with interview contributions from the people who knew him best and who worked with him throughout his long and varied career, the programme explores the numerous successes at Rangers, his experiences as a manager when he headed south to Everton in the English Premiership, his leadership of the Scotland national men’s team and his sensational return to Rangers in 2007. Walter: A Life in Football follows the highs and lows of Smith’s career, exploring the characteristics that made players, fellow managers and supporters venerate him. He was genuinely loved and revered by many, including titans of the game such as Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson.

Directed by Martin Conaghan, Walter: A Life in Football leans on a strong ensemble — Walter Smith, Graeme Souness, Wayne Rooney — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2021.