‘The Fastest Bicycle’ is a new feature length documentary directed by double BAFTA winner Michael B.Clifford. It tells the remarkable story of Sir Roger Bannister’s grandson Barney Townsend and his team’s attempts to break the world human powered vehicle land speed record at Battle Mountain in Nevada, USA. Bannister famously ran the first ever sub-four minute mile on May 6th 1954 in Oxford and Townsend is inspired by his grandfather’s incredible achievement.
The film celebrates this wonderful sporting heritage and it is touring cinemas in the UK in 2026, with upcoming dates at Southampton Picture House – Wednesday 25th March at 8pm, and Oxford Phoenix Picture House – Wednesday 6th May at 8pm. To see the full schedule of film showings and to book tickets please click below:
The producer of the film Sam Lockyer runs a West Midlands based company called ICONIC Productions who love to tell sporting heritage stories on film. Sam and his team at ICONIC have made several short films and longer form documentaries on rugby union, cycling, gymnastics and cricket. You can check out their features here: www.iconictv.co.uk
Sam loves to work in collaboration with sporting heritage professionals and groups. If your project could benefit from the creation of a short film to celebrate your work and/or communicate your story to funders then he would love to hear from you. Sam’s team also provides training in the basics of film production should you wish to make your own short film.
