Mary Earps: Queen of Stops first arrived on iPlayer at the end of May. Even then, it was unfortunate timing, appearing just three days after the goalkeeper’s shock announcement that she would be retiring from international football with immediate effect. It comes to terrestrial television a month later, and does feel like a documentary made for an England Euros campaign with Earps in the squad. Nevertheless, it channels her ambition, drive and amazing achievements into a pleasant hour that should spark memories, or premonitions, of the tensions to come over the next few weeks.
Sportspeople are not always the most absorbing of subjects. To me, this seems a fair exchange, in the great cosmic talent pool: you can either be superhumanly athletic, or you can be charismatic. To be both is borderline greedy. This balancing act does mean that great documentaries about sporting stars are few and far between.
