Making WAVES

DAISY RIDLEY on diving into the life of a sporting trailblazer

- TESS LAMACRAFT

YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA

FROM FRIDAY 19 JULY, DISNEY+ DRAMA

A pioneering sportswoman who made a splash in the world of swimming is at the heart of a much-anticipated new film arriving on Disney+ this week.

Inspired by the 2009 book of the same name by Glenn Stout, Young Woman and the Sea charts the true story of American Olympic champion Gertrude ‘Trudy’ Ederle, who, on 6 August 1926, navigated the gender expectations of the time to become the first woman to complete the 21-mile route across the English Channel.

Helmed by Pirates of the Caribbean producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman, the drama sees Star Wars favourite Daisy Ridley portray Trudy, with Sian Clifford (Fleabag) as Charlotte, Trudy’s first coach, Christopher Eccleston (The A Word) as Trudy’s trainer Jabez Wolffe and Stephen Graham (Boiling Point) as Trudy’s swimming hero Bill Burgess.

Meanwhile, Killing Eve’s Kim Bodnia and The Reader star Jeanette Hain are Trudy’s hard-working parents Henry and Gertrude.