SBX Studios-produced documentary sees former racing driver attempt to break world record for a double leg amputee at the Ironman World Championships

Billy Monger doc BBC SBX

BBC1 will air Billy Monger: The Race Is On on at 9pm 19 March, with the film becoming available at the same time on iPlayer. 

The SBX Studios-produced documentary followed Monger as he attempted to break the world record for a double leg amputee at the Ironman World Championships last year. The 60-minute programme will air as part of Comic Relief’s 40th anniversary programming. 

SBX Studios, which was set up by sport agency Soapbox and former heavyweight boxing world champion Anthony Joshua, worked closely with Comic Relief’s broadcast team, led by Ilya Colak-Antic, to develop and produce the film. It was directed by Jake Churchill, exec produced by Dan Dewsbury, and the commissoning editor for the BBC was Ricky Cooper. 

The production was given access to Monger and his family from his initial attempts at running on prosthetic blades in October 2023, to his final, nail-biting race at the Ironman World Championships in October 2024.

Churchill said: “It was an honour to be asked to make this film on Comic Relief’s 40th anniversary but it was also a big responsibility, not just for the film to raise as much money as possible for Comic Relief but to tell the story of an ordinary son, brother and friend attempting something truly extraordinary in order to give something back. It was important to me that the film captured who Billy is as well as the scale of what he was attempting.”

Colak-Antic added, “Jake and Claire and all the team at SBX have been absolute superstars throughout the entire production period – it’s been a hugely complicated project across a long period of time with numerous moving parts and important stakeholders to keep happy. The end result is a beautiful, moving, comprehensive and textured film which we hope will drive donations and get viewers even closer to the phenomenon that is Billy Monger.”