A couple of years ago, the swimmer and Paralympic gold medallist Alice Tai was talking to The Last Leg presenter Adam Hills about her recent decision to have her right leg amputated to improve her quality of life. Hills had a question for her: why wasn’t anybody filming her story? The result is Amputating Alice, a charming one-off documentary about Tai’s spectacular career to date, her surgery, recovery and eventual return to competitive sport.
Anyone scrolling through the listings may see the title and expect a certain sort of film. However, they will be pleasantly surprised by its jaunty tone and I suspect that a bit of misdirection is the point. The programme is irreverent from the off, as Hills narrates an atmospheric shot of Tai floating in a pool. “Don’t worry, she hasn’t died. But she has just had her leg cut off.” He waits a fraction of a second. “Ironically, though, that’s jumping ahead.” Hills, who has a prosthetic leg himself, meets Tai about halfway through the film, to offer advice and support, but it’s Tai’s story and she is the one who carries it.
