"When Rob Daley gate-crashed a press conference given by his champion-diver son Tom and asked, "Tom, can you come and give me a cuddle please", teens around the globe cringed in empathy with a clearly embarrassed Tom while grannies went "Aaah". In a good-natured, poignant film, Jane Treays explores the relationship between father and son. The pair are extremely close; they have fun, make daft jokes and enjoy each other's company... Treays films Rob ferrying his son to and from school, and to competitions, where the handsome young swimmer is a big hit with hordes of teenage girls - and grannies, of course."Radio Times previews Tom Daley: The Diver and His Dad on BBC1 tonight.
Sounds unmissable, doesn't it?
This morning Tom Daley won a gold medal in something called the men's 10m synchro platform at the Commonwealth Games.
Well done, Tom.
He also now has his own all-singing, all-diving website tomdaley.tv - Tom says he'd like to be a TV presenter.
And tomorrow, in what looks like a match made in heaven, Tom is up against Matthew Mitcham in Delhi.
Mitcham - a friend of Dorothy and a friend of Tom Daley - won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, thus proving that gay men can do sport, even if gay men are only any good at one sport - diving.
Can't wait.
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Tom Daley talks about Matthew Mitcham and homophobia in sport in this Guardian interview...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/apr/18/tom-daley-interview
The programme about Tom and his dad was sweet.
ReplyDeleteHe beat Matthew Mitcham in the Mens 10m today - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/commonwealth_games/delhi_2010/9086401.stm
Wish they both could have won. :(
There's a really sweet interview with Tom in today's Guardian Weekend.
ReplyDeleteHis regime of training and education is incredibly impressive.
He seems so mature.
Apparently, his dad opens all his fan mail.
I can just imagine some of the letters he must receive...
Aww, he's so sweet, though.
I thought the Guardian interview with Tom was very revealing by what wasn't revealed - the PR sitting in like that, interrupting; you normally only get that when you're interviewing pop stars where there is an obvious subject that can not be brought up...
ReplyDeleteInteresting that last time The Guardian ran an interview with him, there was no minder and he talked about Matthew Mitcham, as his friend and Mitcham being gay and out, and about homophobia in sport.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/apr/18/tom-daley-interview
The PR was also incredibly rude to his dad when he said that Tom's last school did not support him when he was bullied, and the PR told him the interview wasn't with him.
ReplyDeleteThe nerve!
I didn't realise that PR only really sit in on interviews like that when they want the questions to go a certain way, but looking back at it now it does seem that way.
It'll be interesting to see how the issue will play out over the next two years...
A PR usually sits in to guide the conversation, usually to steer it away from certain things either directly or more subtly.
ReplyDeleteYou usually get it with young/new pop stars cause they're not "schooled" properly yet, or there's some secret, or they're just naive or not very bright or haven't been told that saying all immigrants should be shot - or whatever - is a bit controversial and will kill their career.
It so looks like Tom has been given a line to say about being bullied out of school ("and then you smile and move on...") and his dad hasn't.
The PR clearly doesn't want anyone to ask why he was bullied, it wasn't just his success or choice of sport...
Ah, yes, I see now.
ReplyDeleteBit slow on the uptake, unfortunately :(
well, does anyone know why he was bullied? I mean, i can't imagine anyone bullying Tom daley! He's such a sweetheart!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why anyone would bully him or why he would just take it. The kids ripped, he should be able to handle himself. Hiding at school is just dumb.
ReplyDeleteYou know what Tom went through, do you?
ReplyDeleteWalk a mile in his shoes, Matt.
Please...