It's Showtime | Preview (ITV1)

ITV and Echo Velvet are pleased to announce the commission of a 90-minute documentary It’s Showtime, a powerful true story about a group of working-class men from Darlington in the North East of England who one night, while having a few beers, decided to club together to buy a racehorse. 

A decision that would change their lives forever when their bargain basement horse, Showtime Mahomes, started winning…In May 2022, Showtime Mahomes (named after Patrick ‘Showtime’ Mahomes, the NFL quarterback with 2024 Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs) ran the race of his life, as he defeated a field of high pedigree favourites to win at York – the Ascot of the North.

An astonishing feat for a three-year old sprinter with no proven pedigree, owned by a group of men looking to have some fun.

This film gallops out of the gate with Showtime's return to the racing season in 2023, starting with his first race at Ripon we follow Showtime’s owners, who named themselves The Muffed Punt Partnership, and their horse's nail-biting bid to return to York to recapture his former glory. Showtime Mahomes is now a four-year old and, in his racing prime, but is he able to win again? It’s an almighty ask.  

Whatever the outcome, these men know they have an unbreakable bond with their horse and each other proving that with friendship, love and a huge number of laughs, anything is possible.

Lucy Whelan, Executive Producer, says: “Through Showtime’s journey we see the classic British underdog come to life, and see a group of men learning to work together. As filming went on, we saw an unexpectedly strong bond between the men, and the shared experience giving them a safe space to support each other through life’s ups and downs as the racing year progressed.”

Nicola Lloyd, Commissioning Editor, Factual for ITV, says: "This is a very moving and heartwarming story about male friendship, mental health and solidarity, all told through the prism of one incredible and unlikely hero - Showtime! To see this group of largely under-represented working class men open up to each other whilst following a nail biting racing season for Showtime, this film will have you laughing, cheering and sobbing right until the last frame."

It’s Showtime airs Tuesday 16th April on ITV1.