0:00:02 > 0:00:06'David Sullivan is one of the UK's most successful entrepreneurs,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09'but can he save the newspaper he created 25 years ago?'
0:00:09 > 0:00:12I'm not a dictator and I will listen to other people,
0:00:12 > 0:00:16but at this moment in time, we have a paper in intensive care.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20'Last year, the Sport newspaper was close to folding,
0:00:20 > 0:00:24'but at the eleventh hour, Sullivan stepped in to save the day.'
0:00:24 > 0:00:27'I just had the belief that it could survive as a Sunday newspaper,
0:00:27 > 0:00:31'it might just survive as a Sunday and a midweek paper.'
0:00:31 > 0:00:35'It's not the first time he's tried to steer the Sport from disaster.'
0:00:35 > 0:00:39'13 years ago, the paper's circulation was falling fast.'
0:00:39 > 0:00:43'To boost sales, Sullivan took part in BBC series Back To The Floor.'
0:00:43 > 0:00:48There it is, yeah. Smiles and teeth for me. There you go.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51'It would mean working as a roving reporter on his own newspaper.'
0:00:51 > 0:00:54"Gas man at blind-date sex orgy."
0:00:54 > 0:00:59- Needs some quotes. Was he well hung? - I should've asked that.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02'Over the course of one week, the cameras followed Sullivan
0:01:02 > 0:01:05'as he tried his hand at the tabloid trade.'
0:01:05 > 0:01:08No, I'm doing something wrong. Oh, I've buggered it up.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11'Now, as the Sport relaunches,
0:01:11 > 0:01:13'the boss is back and more determined than ever
0:01:13 > 0:01:16'to keep the business on track.'
0:01:16 > 0:01:19You've got to be involved. When I wasn't, the paper went bust.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41'Birch Hall in Essex,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44'home to one of the country's most successful businessmen -
0:01:44 > 0:01:46'David Sullivan.'
0:01:46 > 0:01:48'It's very small.'
0:01:48 > 0:01:50'It's about 25,000 square feet.'
0:01:50 > 0:01:55Back then, it was the biggest house under construction in the country
0:01:55 > 0:01:58and it was the biggest house in Essex built since the War.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01'As well as being Sullivan's home and office,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05'the mansion also houses his collection of sports memorabilia.'
0:02:05 > 0:02:07This is my main dining room
0:02:07 > 0:02:11and I collect Victorian racing trophies
0:02:11 > 0:02:14and they're wonderful pieces of silver design really.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18I like football, racing, boxing - the very masculine sports.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22'25 years ago, Sullivan spotted an opportunity
0:02:22 > 0:02:25'to combine his love of sport with his main business -
0:02:25 > 0:02:27'publishing pornographic magazines.'
0:02:27 > 0:02:31I honestly thought if The Sun was selling...
0:02:31 > 0:02:36..erm... three or four million papers a day with one topless girl,
0:02:36 > 0:02:42if you had ten topless girls, you'd sell two million as easy as that.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45'The result was Britain's most downmarket tabloid newspaper -
0:02:45 > 0:02:47'the Sunday Sport.'
0:02:47 > 0:02:50'The formula's simple. As one of the paper's staff put it -
0:02:50 > 0:02:54'"tits, bums, QPR and roll-your-own fags."'
0:02:54 > 0:02:56It's an absolute disgrace, isn't it?
0:02:56 > 0:03:01'Within a year, the Sunday Sport was selling half a million copies a week
0:03:01 > 0:03:04'and the porn king had become a press baron.'
0:03:04 > 0:03:08We were different. If anything's different, people give it a try,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12but I think it's that combination of humour and girls.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15We weren't trying to take readers from other newspapers,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19we were trying to add readers to the whole Sunday market.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21'By the late '90s, however,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25'the Sport, like many papers, was suffering from falling circulation.'
0:03:25 > 0:03:28'To boost sales, Sullivan decided
0:03:28 > 0:03:31'to take part in the BBC documentary series Back To The Floor.'
0:03:31 > 0:03:36'I gave up a week of my life to go and live in Manchester in a hotel
0:03:36 > 0:03:39'in the hope that I'd sell newspapers.'
0:03:39 > 0:03:42I thought, when the episode came out, we would sell extra papers
0:03:42 > 0:03:45and I'd do anything to sell newspapers.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50'Sullivan spent a week under the spotlight as a cub reporter
0:03:50 > 0:03:52'for his own paper.'
0:03:52 > 0:03:55David Sullivan here. Is that the copy taker?
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Prior to being reduced to ten men...
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- What's the first word? - "Prior. P-R-I-O-R."
0:04:02 > 0:04:07'13 years on from the Back To The Floor programme, the paper's formula
0:04:07 > 0:04:09'of sport and sex hasn't changed.'
0:04:09 > 0:04:14'Photographer Paul is working on a feature called Factory Visit.'
0:04:14 > 0:04:17We send our girls round to the lads around the country
0:04:17 > 0:04:19to cheer them up and stuff.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21But with health-and-safety laws now,
0:04:21 > 0:04:25it's dead hard to get people to agree to it nowadays.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29In the old days, before health and safety, human rights and that crap,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32we used to... people used to send loads of visits,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35you know, requests for visits.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39We sent one of our girls to a football team -
0:04:39 > 0:04:42the lads all loved the girls coming down.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44These guys will dine out on that
0:04:44 > 0:04:46for the next 10, 15 years.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50"Oh, wow! Guess what happened to us last Sunday!"
0:04:50 > 0:04:53And they'll all be able to tell their grandkids.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56Won't be able to show 'em the pictures!
0:04:56 > 0:04:58'However, in the spring of 2011,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02'the Sport's 25-year history almost came to an end.'
0:05:02 > 0:05:07'After years of falling sales, the business went into administration.'
0:05:07 > 0:05:11'The paper's decline coincided with Sullivan's decision
0:05:11 > 0:05:13'to sell the Sport in 2007.'
0:05:13 > 0:05:18I did it with great sadness, but I thought there was no future in it.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21I thought the Internet
0:05:21 > 0:05:24and technologies were replacing print
0:05:24 > 0:05:26and it was a declining market.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29All the print market is declining.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32'Under new management, the Sport struggled.'
0:05:32 > 0:05:37The Sunday Sport's always held a special place in David's heart.
0:05:37 > 0:05:43When it was launched in '86, it was very much his brainchild, his baby -
0:05:43 > 0:05:46once out of his control, it went downhill quickly.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49'The Sport's owners decided to sell the paper
0:05:49 > 0:05:52'and the staff sent Sullivan an SOS.'
0:05:52 > 0:05:57I felt that the paper was still a very, very viable proposition,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01that we'd got a well-known brand and we could make it work.
0:06:01 > 0:06:07I spoke to David about various options and we decided that,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10run as a tight ship, as a small business, the company would work
0:06:10 > 0:06:13and could be profitable again.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17'Sullivan decided to back a joint venture to buy the Sport.'
0:06:17 > 0:06:19I took a complete gamble
0:06:19 > 0:06:22and I was impressed that several members of the Sport's staff
0:06:22 > 0:06:26wanted to relaunch the paper and they put their own money in it.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28I owned 90 per cent, they owned 10.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31'The former boss is now back at the Sport
0:06:31 > 0:06:34'and is casting a keen eye on the paper's front page.'
0:06:34 > 0:06:36I'm not a dictator
0:06:36 > 0:06:41and I'll listen to other people, but we have a paper in intensive care
0:06:41 > 0:06:45that is growing and shortly will come out of intensive care,
0:06:45 > 0:06:47expand and take on more staff.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Mark Harris.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Mark, I've got the cover down.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56When we discuss the paper, David's a great believer
0:06:56 > 0:06:59in the strength of the front page -
0:06:59 > 0:07:01it's our shop window
0:07:01 > 0:07:03and he takes a very keen interest.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07He doesn't tell us what to put on the front page,
0:07:07 > 0:07:10but he'll tell us what NOT to put on the front page.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14If he doesn't like a front page, he'll be very quick to tell us.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19A couple of things - on mine, the bikini in the big shot
0:07:19 > 0:07:22is very orange.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26It was the same colour as the small shot, a vibrant red.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28Looking at my version, you're right,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32there's a definite orange tinge as opposed to the full red.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34The cover's vitally important.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37When I'm selling 30, 40 places in the UK,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40whether they're newsagents or service stations,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43that is our advertisement in those outlets.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47- Yes, that's what we're looking for - solid red.- "I'm not worried
0:07:47 > 0:07:50"about the shade on her face, but the bikini is important."
0:07:50 > 0:07:55It's almost the same colour as our masthead. Anyway, leave it to you.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59- "Speak to you soon." - All right, David, bye now.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04David's happy with what we've got and he's just questioning
0:08:04 > 0:08:08the colouring on the bikini on the front page.
0:08:08 > 0:08:14So a bit of touch-up work in Photoshop and we'll be ready to go.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20- Good morning.- Morning, Mr Sullivan, how are you?- Fine, thank you.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24'For Sullivan, the front cover has been a long-standing obsession.'
0:08:24 > 0:08:27'During his week on the shop floor,
0:08:27 > 0:08:31'he was tasked with directing the cover photo shoot.'
0:08:31 > 0:08:33We've got a problem.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Erm... Two weeks ago,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Sunday Sport went up five per cent.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Last week, it dropped two per cent.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44So it's down to the pin-up.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49Now, I've booked two girls into a studio this morning
0:08:49 > 0:08:53and you occasionally bore me about the choice of covers,
0:08:53 > 0:08:55so I want you to try and put sales up.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Well done. Yeah, yeah, whatever.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Two of each...
0:09:05 > 0:09:09'The models were expensive for the Sport.'
0:09:09 > 0:09:13- How much do you get paid for a shoot? - 150, 200, something like that.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16'Normally, they would only get £50.'
0:09:16 > 0:09:18As long as you wear the same colour.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20'The people who are exploited
0:09:20 > 0:09:24'are the people working on the tills at Sainsbury's for £3 an hour.'
0:09:24 > 0:09:27'We live in a very liberal society now
0:09:27 > 0:09:29'and they get a buzz out of it.'
0:09:29 > 0:09:33TV: "'They don't do it for money, they do it for fame.'"
0:09:33 > 0:09:37"That's it, there it is. There."
0:09:37 > 0:09:39"'Every week, 50-100 women write to us
0:09:39 > 0:09:42"'to pose in our newspaper.'"
0:09:43 > 0:09:47- Good, that's the one. - Plenty of smiles and teeth for me.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51Yeah, that's fine. That's excellent.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56We analyse sales figures based on covers all the time,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59so... it's a matter of opinion what sells,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01but I know what works for me
0:10:01 > 0:10:04and my judgment is based on actual sales,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07not personal opinions.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10I think the danger is you start picking what YOU like
0:10:10 > 0:10:14rather than what sells and the key is what sells.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19'His next task meant travelling 100 miles to cover a football match.'
0:10:19 > 0:10:22'Today, Sullivan is chairman of West Ham,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25'but back then, he owned Birmingham City.'
0:10:25 > 0:10:29'As reporter, he'd have to leave his mother in the directors' box.'
0:10:29 > 0:10:32- Ooh, I am missing you. - Well, I've got to go over there.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- How long for?- The whole match.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Here we go. Excuse me. How's it going?
0:10:39 > 0:10:43- Hello there.- David. - Am I sitting here? Very cramped.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47'Sullivan headed for the press box to file his story.'
0:10:47 > 0:10:50CROWD CHEERS
0:10:53 > 0:10:56'He then called in the half-time report.'
0:10:56 > 0:10:58"Is that the copy taker?"
0:10:58 > 0:11:01David Sullivan here.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03- Can you hear me?- "Yep."
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Prior to being reduced to ten men...
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Did you hear that?
0:11:08 > 0:11:12- What's the first word? - "Prior. P-R-I-O-R."
0:11:12 > 0:11:15- Yep. Is that your intro? - "What's the intro?"
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Hello?
0:11:17 > 0:11:21'He lost the call and couldn't get the mobile working again.'
0:11:24 > 0:11:25It's off.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29'Luckily, a rival reporter took pity on him.'
0:11:32 > 0:11:35'Sullivan had to cope
0:11:35 > 0:11:38'with writing his report,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41'watching the match...
0:11:41 > 0:11:44'..and being heard on the phone.'
0:11:44 > 0:11:47It's Dave Sullivan here from St Andrew's.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50The last report with five minutes to go...
0:11:50 > 0:11:53'Eventually, he managed to phone over a match report.'
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Yeah, final score from Birmingham - 0-0.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58"CROWD BOOS"
0:11:59 > 0:12:02With all the noise, you're trying to speak
0:12:02 > 0:12:07and they're struggling to hear you, but you're also watching the action
0:12:07 > 0:12:10and putting your report through. It's very difficult.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13'The football I found stressful
0:12:13 > 0:12:17'because I got up at six o'clock, 18 hours without stopping -
0:12:17 > 0:12:19'it's quite a hard day.'
0:12:21 > 0:12:25'13 years on from Sullivan's week on the shop floor,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28'the Sport has recruited a new trainee reporter.'
0:12:28 > 0:12:32'Jess Haworth normally covers the paper's celebrity beat,
0:12:32 > 0:12:37'but today she's going to be assigned a different kind of story.'
0:12:37 > 0:12:40The readers expect that the papers are going to present to them
0:12:40 > 0:12:43stories that will entertain them.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48They know there's a tongue-in-cheek element to what we produce
0:12:48 > 0:12:52and that's why people like us and why people will always smile.
0:12:52 > 0:12:57'It's about a dwarf who claims he's banned from riding his motorbike.'
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Your mission, should you choose to accept it...
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Got a story we want you to look at.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Dwarf. He's called Dave Henderson.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08He's playing the discrimination card
0:13:08 > 0:13:12on the basis that he's not allowed to ride his motorbike
0:13:12 > 0:13:15on the roads because it's too small,
0:13:15 > 0:13:19it's not road-legal. He hangs around at a bike shop during the day.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Go down with Paul, he'll do the pics.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Find out what the story is. Anything else you can get -
0:13:25 > 0:13:30he might've been in panto or whatever. See what you can find out
0:13:30 > 0:13:33and come back and run through it with me.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35'It's a story that follows
0:13:35 > 0:13:38'in the Sport's long tradition of bizarre reporting.'
0:13:38 > 0:13:42I think we always run one story on a Sunday that's a wacky, fun story.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45It's one made-up story a week
0:13:45 > 0:13:48and people see it like they see a newspaper cartoon -
0:13:48 > 0:13:51they see it as a bit of fun and no more
0:13:51 > 0:13:55and they're intrigued by how inventive we can be -
0:13:55 > 0:13:58I don't think any of them really believes it,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01but there's that one-per-cent doubt, maybe it is true.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Hi, Dave. Hi, I'm Jess.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07- Hi, Jess.- Nice to meet you.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10'Jess and photographer Paul head off to a local garage
0:14:10 > 0:14:12'to interview the dwarf biker.'
0:14:12 > 0:14:18You've had a bit of trouble with riding your bike on the roads.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Yeah, have I had trouble?!
0:14:20 > 0:14:25- The Ministry are now refusing to let me ride on the road.- OK.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28They're saying the bike's not road-legal,
0:14:28 > 0:14:32- but I can't see why.- Have you experienced any prejudice before?
0:14:32 > 0:14:36Erm, not to this extent, no.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- Mm. How does it make you feel? - It makes me feel angry.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44Just cos I'm short, I'm not allowed to use a mode of transport
0:14:44 > 0:14:48that is actually safe, easy and has got low emissions.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51I could do with some stuff of you getting on the bike,
0:14:51 > 0:14:53just roaring off into the sunset.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57- MUSIC: "Wanted Dead Or Alive" by Bon Jovi - Dave, this way.
0:14:57 > 0:14:58# On a steel horse I ride...
0:14:58 > 0:15:00'Dave may look the part,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03'but he seems to be confused with the chopper's controls.'
0:15:03 > 0:15:08# .. dead or alive...
0:15:08 > 0:15:13'Finally, Dave gets his chopper started and Paul gets his photo.'
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Oh, smashing.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20'As Dave rides off into the sunset, it's time to go back to the office.'
0:15:20 > 0:15:24'At first, I was worried about what he'd be like, but he's a character.'
0:15:24 > 0:15:28# Dead or alive... #
0:15:28 > 0:15:31I'm gonna go back to the office, talk to my editor Nick,
0:15:31 > 0:15:35have a bit of a chat about what I've found out,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39erm... and just let him know what the story is,
0:15:39 > 0:15:43get some guidance on writing it up, then I'll write it into copy.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- What's the story? - We've got Dave Henderson,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51he is a dwarf biker...
0:15:51 > 0:15:55- OK, I like it. - But he's not being allowed
0:15:55 > 0:15:57to ride his bike on the road.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01- The Government have banned him. - A Hells Angel biker without a bike.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05Well, he has a bike, but he can't ride it on the road.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08He says there's nothing wrong with his bike, it's because he's a dwarf.
0:16:08 > 0:16:14Go to the Department of Transport and ask why he isn't allowed
0:16:14 > 0:16:16to ride his bike, are you discriminating
0:16:16 > 0:16:20- and we need to know what they have to say about it.- OK.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25We need a celebrity biker as well, somebody who'll have an opinion,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27like... < Ewan McGregor.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Ewan McGregor or his mate who isn't the famous one.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34< Charley Boorman. Charley Boorman. Or Eddie Kidd.
0:16:34 > 0:16:39Or the guy from Top Gear. The little feller. Richard Hammond.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43- See what he says.- He's probably got something interesting to say.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48'Jess follows up the story with a call to the DVLA.'
0:16:48 > 0:16:52He's been told he can't register his vehicle with you
0:16:52 > 0:16:55and he says this is because, obviously, he is a dwarf.
0:16:55 > 0:17:00The bike in question is a quite small-scale bike.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04It's a proper chopper, there's nothing wrong with the bike,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08so I just wanted to know is there anything against dwarfs
0:17:08 > 0:17:11riding on the road on motorbikes?
0:17:11 > 0:17:15'Jess's story appears to have caught the authorities by surprise.'
0:17:15 > 0:17:20OK, thank you very much, David. Thank you. Bye. Bye.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Basically, the press officer has said
0:17:23 > 0:17:27that he's never heard of them refusing anyone
0:17:27 > 0:17:30for being too small for riding any vehicle.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34He said it's more likely to be a problem with the bike,
0:17:34 > 0:17:38but he's never heard of any dwarf bikers being refused
0:17:38 > 0:17:43and he said for me to drop him an e-mail with the details
0:17:43 > 0:17:45and he'll take it up further.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50'Armed with her quotes, Jess sends her story to the subs.'
0:17:50 > 0:17:53'The Sport's editor Nick decides the headline.'
0:17:53 > 0:17:58We've gone for "Leave my little chopper alone". It might imply
0:17:58 > 0:18:02we're talking about his privates, but I don't think he'd mind.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06- How did Jess get on? - Great. Fantastic job.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08- They got on quite well.- Right.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12It's the first time Jess has had her picture in the paper.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14It'd be good to get her face on it.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18She's got her pad in her hand. You can tell she's a reporter.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22'With the photos added, the dwarf-biker story is transformed
0:18:22 > 0:18:25'into classic Sunday Sport material.'
0:18:25 > 0:18:29People think stories are made up or not and vice versa,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32so we have some weird stories that are true
0:18:32 > 0:18:36and sometimes people are not sure which is the made-up story -
0:18:36 > 0:18:39it's find the made-up story -
0:18:39 > 0:18:42and that's the fascinating one, it's quite unique.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44It's very Sunday Sport.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48'13 years ago, during his week as a trainee reporter,
0:18:48 > 0:18:53'Sullivan hoped his photo shoot would boost sales.'
0:18:53 > 0:18:56'But that morning, there was some bad news -
0:18:56 > 0:18:59'tens of thousands of copies with his cover photo
0:18:59 > 0:19:01'failed to reach the newsagents.'
0:19:01 > 0:19:05We've lost a lot of sales through no fault of our own,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08through the printer's mistake.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10'Sullivan called in the printers.'
0:19:10 > 0:19:15You're the ones who ought to be serious. What's your position?
0:19:15 > 0:19:21- Managing Director.- And I spoke to the Chairman.- Yes, Jack Greystone.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23We're at our wits' end.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26We've lost tens of thousands of copies last night,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28it's the fourth time in three weeks.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Last night's run...
0:19:30 > 0:19:34On the run at high speed, the newspaper web broke.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36It cost damage to the press
0:19:36 > 0:19:39and cost us over an hour's production.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41No, I wanted Monday.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45- That was just some I could find. - Yeah, but look at Monday's.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50- We had it out there. The big girl. - The one on the left's West Ferry.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Those instances are rare. We've had later than normal finishes,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57later than perfect finishes...
0:19:57 > 0:20:01What guts me more than anything is today I did the cover myself
0:20:01 > 0:20:06and I hoped to show Tony I can do it better than him and lift the sales
0:20:06 > 0:20:08and we've lost 70,000
0:20:08 > 0:20:10- distributed copies. - It is a complete disaster.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15'Sullivan's stint on the shop floor involved one last scoop.'
0:20:15 > 0:20:18The important thing for these
0:20:18 > 0:20:23- is to have the one-per-cent believability factor.- That's right.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27- You all right there, David? - I'm short of a pen.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Ah, here we go. Yeah.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34Tell us about when Elvis came to you - Elvis's ghost presumably -
0:20:34 > 0:20:37and impregnated you with his, er...
0:20:37 > 0:20:42Well, it wasn't really like that. I'd been out with some friends,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45I came home... Elvis?
0:20:45 > 0:20:48- Yes?- Do you want to sit in there and be quiet?
0:20:48 > 0:20:52No? I'd been out with some friends, I came home,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54I woke up to a really strange smell,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58like a strong whisky kind of smell or something.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01There was a bright light and some music playing -
0:21:01 > 0:21:04"Are You Lonesome Tonight?" was on.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Erm... The bed started to shake,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10it felt really bright
0:21:10 > 0:21:12and that was it, about ten seconds,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15and then a voice said "Thank you very much."
0:21:15 > 0:21:18And then when young Elvis was born,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22obviously... erm... did you know instantly
0:21:22 > 0:21:24it was Elvis's son?
0:21:24 > 0:21:27I realised I was pregnant about two months after it happened
0:21:27 > 0:21:32and my partner was working away, so I knew it wasn't from there
0:21:32 > 0:21:35and when he was born, he's always been theatrical,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38he's always singing and dancing
0:21:38 > 0:21:41and he says certain things. I've never been a big Elvis fan...
0:21:41 > 0:21:46- What does your partner think? - Oh, bit of a touchy subject really.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48We're not together now, no.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52- Do you think it split you up?- It's probably got a lot to do with it.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Elvis, can I ask you a question?
0:21:55 > 0:22:00- Yeah.- Do you know who Elvis Presley is?
0:22:00 > 0:22:03- Yeah.- You do? Who is he?
0:22:03 > 0:22:07Daddy, uh... Daddy, the king Elvis.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Daddy, the king Elvis.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11- Isn't that amazing?- Yeah.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16- So he's your daddy? - Yeah, cos he fix airplanes.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19- He fixes aeroplanes? - No, we're going on an aeroplane.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Oh, bless...
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Doesn't like the wig. I wouldn't put the wig on.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28- It's too curly. - Too curly?! - SHE LAUGHS
0:22:28 > 0:22:31We'll get one there. OK.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33SHUTTER SNAPS
0:22:33 > 0:22:35- Keep smiling.- That's a lovely shot.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39- Does he look like Elvis? - Except he's got blond hair.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42That might've come off his mum. Er...
0:22:42 > 0:22:46- But he wears his sunglasses all the time.- That's a good sign.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48- He did say...- Does he eat burgers?
0:22:48 > 0:22:50He said... I wrote it down,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54I thought it was very profound. He said "Do you know who Elvis is?"
0:22:54 > 0:22:58and he said "Daddy's the king Elvis."
0:22:58 > 0:23:01- That's proof. - He said "Daddy's the king Elvis."
0:23:01 > 0:23:05'Alison told the boss how he SHOULD'VE done the interview.'
0:23:05 > 0:23:10I made a few notes and I think the most important thing you need to do
0:23:10 > 0:23:13is structure your interview.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17It was an interesting tale and we wanted to get loads of information
0:23:17 > 0:23:19and ideas were coming to us all the time,
0:23:19 > 0:23:24but you have to be more disciplined, you have to have a structure...
0:23:24 > 0:23:28I found it hard because there was a young boy involved.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31- But you've got no direct quotes... - "Daddy's the king Elvis" -
0:23:31 > 0:23:33I think that's the key quote,
0:23:33 > 0:23:38when the little boy said "Daddy's the king Elvis."
0:23:38 > 0:23:42'Alison decided it would be quicker if she operated the word processor.'
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Is that the correct spelling?
0:23:44 > 0:23:45Yep.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48The Sport,...
0:23:48 > 0:23:52..after extensive enquiries,...
0:23:54 > 0:23:57..can officially confirm...
0:23:59 > 0:24:04..that the legendary pop singer Elvis Presley...
0:24:06 > 0:24:08..is the father...
0:24:11 > 0:24:14..of a four-year-old boy...
0:24:14 > 0:24:17..living in Oldham.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24We should have a headshot of Elvis.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31'After his week at the Sport,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34'Sullivan discussed his findings with the directors.'
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Overall, I was so impressed by the job they're doing.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42It's a real tight unit, there's no wastage,
0:24:42 > 0:24:45- but...- What's the problem, then?
0:24:45 > 0:24:48What I've underestimated is the sheer effort
0:24:48 > 0:24:50in getting the paper out every day.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53I think I gained from the experience
0:24:53 > 0:24:55that, erm...
0:24:55 > 0:24:58..people worked harder than I thought
0:24:58 > 0:25:01and the job was tougher than I thought.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08But it's all about selling newspapers and staying in business.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12Erm, and that's the key to any business.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17I think it was an eye-opener for him, seeing what it actually meant
0:25:17 > 0:25:23to come up with ideas and get the necessary goods to fill a paper.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25I'm an entrepreneur, a businessman,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28an economist and a statistician
0:25:28 > 0:25:30and they're my skills.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34Er, but they're not good skills to be a reporter.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37Emma. Dave Sullivan, pleased to meet you.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40'Sullivan's reporting career may have been brief,
0:25:40 > 0:25:44'but, 13 years on, he's back as the boss of the Sport.'
0:25:44 > 0:25:48You've got to be involved because when I wasn't, it went bust -
0:25:48 > 0:25:50the proof of the pudding's in the eating -
0:25:50 > 0:25:54it's like any salesman - unless he's reporting to somebody,
0:25:54 > 0:25:59it all becomes a bit too laid-back and we're in the sales business,
0:25:59 > 0:26:03we have to sell a certain number of copies to keep people employed.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05'After the tabloid's recent troubles,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09'Sullivan's determined to get the paper back on track.'
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Mark Harris.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14What's the main story - Jacko Chimp Fingers Killer Doc?
0:26:14 > 0:26:18We've had word that Jacko's chimp Bubbles
0:26:18 > 0:26:22is going to say something or indicate something
0:26:22 > 0:26:26that says that Michael Jackson's former doctor Conrad Murray
0:26:26 > 0:26:29is more guilty than he confessed.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34- What is the motor-box story you've been doing?- Dave Henderson,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37this dwarf who's been thrown out of the Hells Angels.
0:26:37 > 0:26:43- A dwarf Hells Angel, that's good. - He's got a fabulous miniature bike.
0:26:43 > 0:26:48- With the Channel 4 series, they're popular, dwarfs, at the moment.- Yes.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52I might have six inches cut off and go on the show myself.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54HE LAUGHS
0:26:54 > 0:26:58- But I won't say which part of my body!- There'll be plenty left!
0:26:58 > 0:27:02- I'm glad things are back on the up and up.- All right, David. Bye.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Cheers.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07'After years of falling sales,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10'the Sport's owners are confident it can hold its own
0:27:10 > 0:27:13'on the nation's newsstands.'
0:27:13 > 0:27:15I like to think after a year,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18we'll be able to think "Job well done" -
0:27:18 > 0:27:20it's the dream we had
0:27:20 > 0:27:25of bringing back Sunday Sport as part of the fabric of the nation
0:27:25 > 0:27:27as so far appears to be coming true.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32'Thanks to Sullivan, the Sport has bounced back and is in rude health.'
0:27:32 > 0:27:37It is very, very successful and very, very profitable
0:27:37 > 0:27:41and I'm very pleased for the several members of staff who invested in it
0:27:41 > 0:27:44because it can make a difference to their lives -
0:27:44 > 0:27:47not to my life, but to their lives.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49'Sullivan may have saved the Sport,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52'but he has no plans to head back up north.'
0:27:52 > 0:27:54No. HE LAUGHS
0:27:54 > 0:27:56No, I'll not be going back.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Whether I'll go for a day sometime, I don't know.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03I've not seen the new offices or any of the staff,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06but I do speak to Mark and Nick all the time,
0:28:06 > 0:28:10we do exchange e-mails - I'm a great e-mail person -
0:28:10 > 0:28:15but, er, I will not be going back to the floor again!
0:28:37 > 0:28:41Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd