Fash: ITV to explore Justin Fashanu story in new drama

The story of Justin Fashanu and his brother John, is being brought to life in the newly announced ITV drama, Fash.

Announced on Friday (2 December) the drama which is said to be “an unflinching, vital and deeply thought-provoking drama series,” will be penned by BAFTA-nominated writer and director Kwame Kwei-Armah.

A synopsis for the series reads: “Fash is the poignant, compelling, and heartbreaking story of two complex and conflicted brothers, Justin and John Fashanu, and a fearlessly uncompromising exploration of the institutional prejudices which tore them apart”

The announcement also features the quote: “There’s only you and me in this world brother. I’ll always be here to protect you.”

The series will cover the brothers’ lives from their upbringing in Dr. Barnado’s care homes in the care of a white foster family, with only each other to rely on, to their tragic and irreconcilable estrangement that played out across the national media.

It will see Justin join Nottingham Forest where he became the first black British footballer to be sold for £1 million, his coming out in 1990, the first professional footballer to do so, and his suicide in 1998.

After Justin came out via The Sun, John disowned Justin in the black newspaper, The Voice. with the headline reading: “John Fashanu: My gay brother is an outcast”. John later admitted to offering Justin £75,000 to stay quiet and keep his sexuality secret.

The series will examine the toxic prejudices and institutionalised behaviours that led to the breakdown of the brothers’ relationship including the racism and homophobia in football and sport generally.

“In Fash, Kwei-Armah has crafted a potent and arresting drama that reveals not just a shameful moment in our national history where to be yourself was to condemn yourself, but also lays bare the continued pain, damage and torment that those self-same prejudices inflict on individuals in the sport to this day,” a statement reads.

Commissioned by ITV’s Head of Drama Polly Hill, Fash also sees John Fashanu serve as consultant alongside LGBTQ rights activist, Peter Tatchell and a number of other contributors. The series will be produced by Happy Prince (part of ITV Studios).

Of the series, John Fashanu says: “I’m so pleased to be working with Kwame and Happy Prince on this project. Much has been said and written about the relationship Justin and I shared over the years, but drama of this type has an ability to delve right to the beating heart and truth of events in a way other media can’t. I feel privileged to play a part in bringing it to the screen.”

Kwame Kwei-Armah explains growing up watching the Fashanu brothers. “I was fascinated by them. Inspired by them. As an adult, my heart breaks for them. ‘The past is a foreign land’, the saying goes, ‘they do things differently there’’ In Fash, I wanted to dive into that past, particularly one that has so many resonances with today.”

Peter Tatchell, who was a friend of Justin Fashanu also says, describes Fash as a “powerful, moving life story that needs to be told.” He adds, “I am very honoured to act as a consultant to the production team, based on my friendship with Justin Fashanu in the 1980s.”

Fash is being produced for ITV by Happy Prince. It will premiere on ITV 1 and then be available as a box set on ITV X after the first episode.