Sidebottom film goes ahead after raising £40,000

A tribute documentary about Frank Sidebottom is to go ahead after fans chipped in more than £40,000.

The Kickstarter campaign to raise money from fans closed at £48,575 last night – enough for producers to licence clips from his TV shows to include in the film.

Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story will look at the man beneath the papier mache head, as well as his impact on the alternative comedy scene.

Film-maker Steve Sullivan said: ‘The response from Frank Sidebottom fans has been overwhelming. People have donated in droves but more than that they've also flooded me with amazing rare archive of Frank and Chris, offers from people to give interviews and even dozens of people who went out around Britain putting up posters for the film.

‘Frank would have thought the response was “ace, fantastic and top”, and it proves the point of why this great man's legacy is worth preserving and documenting properly.’

Although the crowd-funding appeal has officially finished, Sullivan is still inviting donations, saying that if he can bring the total to £60,000 he will be able to incorporate some ‘hilarious’ stop-motion animation with a Sidebottom puppet to narrate the story of Sievey’s life.

As with those who contributed to the Kickstarter campaign, fans backing the scheme will get some Frank Sidebottom memorabilia from Sievey’s vast personal archive. Click here to donate.

Sullivan vowed: ‘Every additional pound raised will be used to make the film the very best documentary about Chris Sievey and Frank Sidebottom that it's possible to make. This is a great project to preserve the legacy of one of our greatest comedians and most original performers.

Sievey died of cancer in 2010, at the age of 54.

As well as this documentary, Jon Ronson – who was a keyboardist in The Frank Sidebottom Oh Blimey Big Band – has written a fictionalised version of his time with the character. His film, Frank, with Michael Fassbender in the title role, is due out later this year.

Click here to read Chortle’s original story about this project.

Here is Frank, David Soul and Shaun Ryder taking on The Fall's Hit The North:

Published: 31 May 2013