Clough family 'should see film'

Michael Sheen stars as Brian Clough in The Damned United

Actor Michael Sheen says he hopes Brian Clough's family will watch his latest film about the late football manager.

The Damned United follows the doomed 44 days Clough spent managing Leeds United in 1974 before he was sacked.

But Clough's family have said they will boycott the film as they were unhappy with the book upon which it is based.

"It's a much more affectionate and respectful look at Brian," Sheen said ahead of the film's world premiere in London's Leicester Square later.

"I hope they get to see it because I can understand their fears," he added.

"I know they weren't happy with the book but I think the film is a very different animal.

"We felt that any film that was going to be about Brian Clough would have to be something that showed why people had so much affection and admiration for him.

"I think the film does service to that and I hope that if any of the family get to watch it they can make their minds up after that."

Family snub

Michael Sheen on playing Brian Clough

Clough, a former England player who died in 2004, found success managing Derby County and Nottingham Forrest either side of his unhappy tenure at Leeds.

His son Nigel told BBC Radio Derby that the family would snub the film because the book - which portrayed Brian as the victim of his own ambition - had upset his mother, and Brian's wife, Barbara.

"I'll go with the principle that if the film is based on the book, we won't be going down the road of seeing it," he said.

Tom Hooper, the director of The Damned United, said that he and screenwriter Peter Morgan had made efforts to get Clough's family involved with the project.

"We invited them to read the script and see an early cut of the movie and the finished film," he said.

"I would have loved to speak to them because what better [way is there to do] research? We definitely wanted to involve them.

"Peter and I were affected by what they felt about the book so it did inspire us to make as rounded a portrait of Brian Clough as we could," he added.

The film goes on general release on 27 March.