The Best of Men

The Best of Men charts one remarkable doctor's transformation of care for paraplegics. An inspirational doctor arrives at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in 1944 and transforms the lives of his patients and staff. The patients are paralysed soldiers, written off and facing death from neglect, but their big breakthrough comes when Doctor Guttmann introduces sport into their rehabilitation. Guttmann rejects the general view that paralysis is a terminal condition and throws out the old care regime and soon establishes a new regime, getting all his patients to live fulfilling lives, using sport to help patients build physical strength as well as self-respect. This heart warming and uplifting true story of the birth of the Paralympic Games, follows Doctor Ludwig Guttmann, an unsung hero, who revolutionised life for paralysed people. (BBC)