The King of South Shields: A Conversation with Tina Gharavi

The King of South Shields is a documentary released in 2008 about Muhammad Ali's trip to Tyneside in 1977. Directed by the BAFTA nominated Tina Gharavi, the film combined footage from the trip, talk show interviews, and contemporary interviews, from the time of filming, with the Yemeni community and Muhammad's daughter, Hana Ali. It was an honour to interview Tina for the project. We spoke about Tina's love of Ali, the South Shields Yemeni community, and the filming of the documentary. The interview touched on religion, race and class and ideas around identity and belonging. Check out the conversation below. You can also purchase the King of South Shields DVD, and the book, The Last of the Dictionary Men, at Bridge and Tunnel Productions here.