The mann attraction

Late night channel-hoppers might just have spotted a familiar location while perusing the film options on offer last night.

‘The Keeper’ – a movie about the career of legendary German goalkeeper Bert Trautmann – was screened on BBC2 and told viewers the story of how the former Nazi paratrooper overcame post-war opposition to his presence in England and rose to become a hero of the British game, famously helping Manchester City to FA Cup Final glory in 1956 by not letting the trivial matter of a broken neck prevent him from completing the game at Wembley Stadium.

A joint production by Munich-based Lieblingsfilm and Pistachio Pictures of London, the film – which sees actor David Kross in the lead role – includes action at Stoke City’s old Victoria Ground, which is represented by Solitude.

The streets around our famous and historic home also feature in scenes that were filmed in the summer of 2017, traces of which remain courtesy of the chalked admission fees at our turnstiles.

If you didn’t catch it last night, you needn’t miss out entirely because ‘The Keeper’ is now available to watch on the BBC iPlayer.