Lenton has leading role on hit show

Lenton, pictured, will be on Monday night's Who Do You Think You Are after being brought in as a researcher by the BBC for the final episode of the 15th series on gold medal-winning Paralympian Jonnie Peacock.

Wall to Wall, the production company behind the Bafta-award winning genealogy show on BBC 1, turned to Lenton after learning that he was writing a book about next year's 125th anniversary of the Mariners and could have some key information on the sprinter's maternal grandfather Jonnie Roberts. Known to be an excellent local Non-League footballer, he'd missed out on a chance to play for Leeds United after his own father sent a scout who'd turned up on their doorstep offering an immediate trial packing!

Lenton, a former Non-League Paper William Hill Fan of the Year in 2012 whose story was featured in Sunday's paper, soon discovered from his painstaking research and notes for his book that Peacock's granddad had actually turned out for former Northern Premier League club Burscough in the 1960s and was filmed telling the track star all about his playing career for the hit show with the Linnets training in the background at Victoria Park.

Lenton said: "I was delighted to be invited and it was a great experience. I couldn’t find any connection with Marine but did find a reference to the player having played for Burscough.

"Johnny was a very friendly bloke with a genuine interest in his grandad’s connection with Burscough. The production team, too, couldn’t have been more patient and friendly with me. They even invited me to have a meal with them at Burscough Wharf after it was all over.

"It took five hours with several “takes” for some of the scenes and although it wasn’t acting, I had to use my memory to remember facts and keep the conversation going with Johnny at the same time which was all new to me."

Lenton, who was sworn to secrecy by the hit show after the filming back in April, also hailed the role of the Linnets in the production.

He added: "I also was surprised and impressed to see most of the Burscough players training on the pitch so as to give the filming some authenticity because the previous evening they had lost in the final of their League Cup."

Images courtesy of Barry Lenton and the BBC

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