THE producer of a new documentary about the Bradford City fire disaster says he hopes to educate a wider and younger audience about the tragedy.

Unforgotten: The Bradford City Fire is set to air next May on BBC2 to mark the 40th anniversary of the disaster, in which 56 people – many from the district – lost their lives.

There was a carnival atmosphere at the final game of the season, on May 11, 1985, after City had secured the Third Division title weeks beforehand.

But that all changed at the end of the first half when a fire, believed to have been started by a discarded cigarette or match, engulfed one of the old wooden stands.

The disaster made headlines around the world as the city, district and nation struggled to confront the enormity of the tragedy.

The documentary includes personal testimony of people who were there, many of whom are speaking about it publicly for the first time, as well as interviews with family members of victims and emergency service first responders.

One of the producers, George Grafton, explained how the idea for the documentary came about some 18 months ago.

"There was a picture agency in Bradford back in the eighties that covered all the major stories in the city at the time," he said.

"They found a bunch of old negatives in a basement in Ilkley and brought them to our company, acme. Many conversations and considerations later, we got to a point where the BBC was interested."

He added: "I was born in 1993 and I admittedly had no grasp about what the Bradford City fire was.

"I had heard about it, but I did not know 56 people lost their lives or what it really meant to the people of Bradford.

"The perception in the rest of the country was it had been forgotten because nobody talks about it. But people in Bradford have not forgotten."

George feels it is important to always remember what happened that day and ensure that the 56 people who lost their lives are never forgotten.

The production team also wanted those who lived through the fire to have the opportunity to tell their stories.

George said: "It is important to pass on this massive chapter in Bradford’s history.

"There is no voiceover or presenter in the documentary, it's told through the voices of the people who experienced it.”