Directed by the Succession actor Fisher Stevens, who won an Oscar for the documentary The Cove, the four-part limited series BECKHAM delves into David Beckham’s illustrious football career while also lifting the lid on his 24-year marriage to the former Spice Girl, Victoria Beckham.
The Beckhams have often been considered akin to UK royalty. From being successful legends in different cultural arenas to being tabloid sensations, David and Victoria Beckham have been in the spotlight for nearly three decades, and for the very first time, they have shared their side of the story in the Netflix documentary BECKHAM.
The couple opened up about everything—from the struggles in their marriage to David’s oddest (and most human) pet peeves and hobbies. He also spoke up about the infamous red card incident as well as the deep fear he had of Brooklyn getting kidnapped after he was born.
The seven biggest revelations from BECKHAM
Beckham, the beekeeper
The docuseries opens with a shot of the former England football star tending to his beehive and collecting honey, aka the “DBee’z sticky stuff” if you ask Victoria. The documentary’s first episode offers plenty of intimate glimpses of the Beckhams at home, particularly in their garden, where David pursues beekeeping and honey production, a passion he shares with his wife. Additionally, David mentions his interest in Lego as another unexpected hobby.
First kiss in a car park
Early in their relationship, Posh and Becks faced opposition from their managers, who had advised them to keep things low-profile. This led the lovebirds, who met at a football match, to seek out clandestine spots to meet. The two revealed that their first kiss took place in David’s BMW at a car park to avoid paparazzi. Victoria also revealed how David would often drive for hours to meet her and how much time they spent talking to each other on their phones.
Coping with cheating allegations
But it was not always smooth sailing for the duo. The documentary delves into the allegations of an affair between David Beckham and his former personal assistant, Rebecca Loos, during his time at Real Madrid. While the claims were never substantiated, both David and Victoria faced immense public scrutiny. Victoria opened up about how this was the most challenging period in their relationship, “It was the hardest period for us because it felt like the world was against us. And here’s the thing, we were against each other if I’m being completely honest.”
She continued, “Up until Madrid, sometimes it felt like us against everybody else, but we were together, we were connected, we had each other. But when we were in Spain, it didn’t really feel like we had each other either. And that’s sad. I can’t even begin to tell you how hard it was. And how it affected me.”
Victoria told David about being pregnant the night before he got that red card
One of the darkest moments in David’s football career was the infamous red card he received during the 1998 World Cup match against Argentina. What the documentary reveals is that Victoria informed David about being pregnant with Brooklyn the night before the game.
“Victoria phoned me and told me she was pregnant,” David went on, adding that he “could not have been happier”. He explained the effect hearing the news had on him, “It’s the first thing I wanted to do. Get out there and see Victoria,”. At the time, David was at the World Cup, and Victoria was busy with the Spice Girls world tour. They had been apart for more than seven weeks.
When asked if Victoria thought it was a good idea to break the news that night, she said: “I don’t know. I didn’t think about it, I just wanted to tell him.” Ted Beckham, David’s dad, had a more definitive reaction, “Oh blimey, you couldn’t have picked a worse time.”
The red card backlash took a toll on David Beckham’s mental health
The incessant vitriol from both the media and the public took a toll on David, in the documentary he states that he felt “clinically depressed”. He remembered, “Wherever I went, I got abused every single day. To walk down the street and to see people look at you in a certain way, spit at you, abuse you, come up to your face and say some of the things they said; that is difficult. I wasn’t eating, I wasn’t sleeping. I was a mess.”
Victoria and David’s mother, Sandra, still hold a grudge against Glenn Hoddle
Victoria, as well as David’s mother, Sandra, blamed Former England manager Glenn Hoddle for fuelling the national anger towards David. They still have not forgiven Hoddle for blaming David for England’s loss against Argentina.
Victoria lambasted Hoddle, “Glenn Hoddle didn’t come out and try and protect David. And how old was David, 23? You’re a kid at 23. And Glenn Hoddle was a man. Well, I wouldn’t even call him a man actually… he was an older person.”
David was terrified of kidnapping threats
In March 1999, their first son, Brooklyn, was born at London’s Portland Hospital. Amid ongoing backlash from David’s World Cup red card, they received chilling threats of kidnapping. Victoria said, “We were getting kidnapping threats, right from when we had Brooklyn. I mean, you can’t even explain how that feels, because we couldn’t hide.”
Their joy over Brooklyn’s arrival was tinged with fear. David, deeply concerned for their son’s safety, slept by the hospital room door, wary of the threats. He remembered how anxious he felt, “The moment he came out, I all of sudden thought, ‘How am I going to protect him?’ That night, Brooklyn slept next to Victoria. Victoria was like, ‘Come on, squeeze on the bed with me,’ and I was like, ‘Absolutely not, I’m sleeping with my head against the door’. Because I was paranoid that someone was gonna steal him.”
BECKHAM is currently streaming on Netflix.
