How we made Ben Stokes: Phoenix From The Ashes

England Test cricket captain Ben Stokes tells all in upcoming documentary Ben Stokes: Phoenix From The Ashes, which will be released on Prime Video on 26 August. 

Announced in May and produced by Whisper and executive produced by Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, the film follows the highs and lows of Stokes’ career, from inspiring England to the World Cup to having to take time away from the game due to mental health struggles. Mark Cole and Sunil Patel also executive produced.

Directors Chris Grubb and Luke Mellows spoke to Broadcast Sport about how they created a documentary which doesn’t shy away from speaking about tough subjects.

That ability to speak about aspects of Stokes’ life which haven’t been made public before came from the cricketer himself, Grubb said: “You probably get the impression with Ben that he doesn’t do things by half. If he’s going to do a documentary, it’s going to be all in and that was important to him to be honest.

“From the start, I think we had a good connection with Whisper and himself, and that belief in honesty and not sugar-coating stories was very much led by him from the start.”

Mellows added: “Ben actually told everyone, be as open as you can.

“I think there were a couple of people that were surprised. Normally in these situations they’re like, ‘I don’t know what I can and can’t say,’ but he actually guided everyone with a little word beforehand to say just tell them everything you want.”

This included speaking to Stokes’ father, who was terminally ill at the time, with Grubb saying: “That is a testament to Ben that he wanted to show people the full story, because it was obviously a very traumatic time for him.”

Plenty of big names from the cricketing world took part, including teammates such as Joe Root, Stuart Broad and Jos Buttler, as well as Stokes’ family. Mellows believes that it allowed them to speak on topics that they otherwise may not have: “Everyone was very keen to be involved, and I think that extends worldwide, among his peers. That’s what we got to understand during this process. I think, for some of them, it was a chance to talk about Ben in a way that they don’t talk with him, so they could say stuff that maybe wouldn’t normally be able to.”

Mental health was already a theme for the documantary from its start, but when Stokes announced he would be taking a break from cricket just weeks before Mendes was scheduled to interview him, it took the production by surprise, revealed Mellows. “The specific subject of mental health relating to last year and his break, that really only started happening once he actually had announced that he was taking time out.

“That really caught us by surprise, probably as much as anyone else. So from that moment, it became something that was much more integral to the story.”

The interview still went ahead as scheduled, despite the tough time that Stokes was going through, and Grubb revealed that the production decided not to push Stokes too hard. Afterwards it took him and Mellows some time to decide how they were going to put it together. Grubb also said: “Some months after, he talked about how he actually didn’t remember many of the things he had said at the time, and he surprised himself by how he looks. He spoke about himself looking glazed over sometimes when he was talking. I think it’s a really important part of the film that he first got to watch his whole interview, and he didn’t ask for anything to be changed. He wasn’t trying to influence it.”

In the end, the interview has taken a central role in the narrative, with Mellows explaining: “I think because the master interview with Sam and Ben was so powerful, it really had to be central to the whole thing. You needed to see them there.” Both praised Mendes for his handling of the interview. 

In addition to the emotional aspects, filming was also complicated by Covid restrictions. Early plans to film while England played India were abandoned, and a lot of the production was then done during England’s tour of the West Indies earlier this year - with some restrictions still in place across the Caribbean.

At the end of it, the pair hope the film can help others going through similar periods. Mellows said: “Everyone goes through tough times, and to see someone in that situation, and then to see the reasons why and how they’re dealing with it. Maybe that could help other people.”

Grubb added: “When somebody as incredible as Ben can say this and still be captain of England, it can inspire people.

“I think the more people who are at the top who are honest and can share, and are prepared to do it at the time when they really are going through it, I hope it has a wider impact across society.”