Hundreds of people packed out a London theatre last night for the red-carpet world premiere of a film about Bermuda sporting icon Clyde Best and how he helped change the face of football in Britain.

Mr Best himself, flanked by family and friends from the island, was among those attending the first official screening of Transforming the Beautiful Game — The Clyde Best Story at Sadler's Wells East in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The feature-length documentary, several years in the making, details Mr Best’s life and career but also casts a wider lens over racism in football in Britain and in the United States.

It describes how he paved the way for the Black players that followed him into the game, showing incredible resilience and calm in the face of horrifying abuse from the terraces.

The film went down a storm in Stratford, at a venue directly opposite the London Stadium, home of West Ham United, the top-flight club where Mr Best started out as a 17-year-old in 1968.

Fans of the Hammers, as the East End club is known, lined up to meet the 75-year-old and loudly cheered and applauded the archive footage of his goalscoring which features in the film.

Mr Best, speaking on the red carpet just before the screening, told The Royal Gazette: “It’s great to be here tonight with all the West Ham fans, family, friends.”

On the movie getting its premiere, he said: “It’s nice to know that we are at the final stage. It’s been a long, long slog. I’m just thrilled to see it come to this position. I’m just glad that we were able to get to the finish line.”

After the screening, during a question-and-answer session on stage, Mr Best was overcome with emotion and had to pause before delivering his verdict.

He said: “It’s an unbelievable story. The more I think about it, the more I realise that … the Lord put me in a position to do what I did and I’m glad he picked me, he could have picked anybody.”

His daughter Kimberley told the Gazette: “It’s amazing. It’s been such a long road and to finally see it done, to come to fruition, to see the support he’s had [with] friends here, family here, people have flown in for it.

“It’s an amazing story, to be a part of it, to realise that this is history, this is a part of his legacy.”

She described the premiere as “amazing”, adding: “It’s evident that this story still gets him, even though it’s his story, because he chokes up when he talks about it.

“So it’s very real, it’s very raw, but I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of people in the world see his story.”

There was a raft of Black football players at last night’s glitzy event, including British household name Les Ferdinand, Bermudian forward Nahki Wells and Ade Coker, who played alongside Mr Best at West Ham in the 1970s.

Mr Ferdinand said: “Clyde has been one of the pioneers. Growing up as a youngster, he was one of the few Black players I saw playing football.”

He added: “He’s one of the pioneers that paved the way, trod that path, before any of us. He needs to be recognised.

“It’s great what’s happening here tonight because, outside of West Ham, I’m not sure there’s too many people who know who Clyde is.”

Mr Ferdinand — who was awarded an MBE, like Mr Best — said he “wouldn’t be upset” to see the Bermudian legend get a knighthood for his trailblazing career.

Luton Town player Mr Wells said he did not know “too much” about Mr Best when he was growing up, other than that he was a “national figure, a hero, someone who opened doors for black players in this country”.

He added: “What’s great about this event, and the Clyde Best Story, is it’s really going to enlighten our nation, the generations that are to come.”

Premier David Burt was on the red carpet, as was Dennis Lister, the Speaker of the House of Assembly and a producer of the film, along with public works and environment minister Jaché Adams.

Mr Burt — a devoted West Ham fan — was in London for business at Westminster and said he was able to make the premiere after a meeting in Cyprus was cancelled.

The Premier said he was pleased for those in Bermuda who wanted Mr Best’s story to be told on film.

Describing the “significant adversity” that Mr Best endured in Britain, he added: “He managed to persevere. It’s something that should be told.”

Mr Lister said he helped get the film made and it was “almost difficult putting into words” how much it meant to see the story of his Somerset friend, Sandys constituent and “childhood hero” make it to the big screen. “It’s long, long overdue,” said Mr Lister.

Mr Best played for Somerset Trojans before leaving the island in 1968 for trials at West Ham in the First Division.

He was soon picked for the first team, playing alongside such English football heroes as 1966 World Cup winners Geoff Hurst and Bobby Moore, and scoring 47 goals over the course of eight years.

He had to endure racist taunts from the stands but he shone on the pitch and was never sent off, following his father’s advice to play for those who were to come after him.

The much-anticipated film was directed by Dan Egan, who played football at school in Maine with Mr Best’s nephew Jerry and later met Clyde during the America’s Cup.

He was inspired to launch the project after reading Mr Best’s 2016 autobiography The Acid Test, which opens with an account of an anonymous letter the player received in 1971 threatening him with an acid attack on the field.

Mr Egan said last night: “It’s amazing to be at the world premiere … here in London, where it all began with a 17-year-old who came on a one-way ticket and did it, he accomplished it, from the tiny island of Bermuda to the world stage.”

Mr Best’s great-nephew Samori Best, 21, travelled from the US for the premiere and was not disappointed.

He said: “Honestly, it was very amazing. I’m really glad they were able to tell that story about him in such an impactful way.

“I’m quite amazed he was able to persevere through the negativity of it. I didn’t know it was to that degree. It’s really eye-opening.”

The documentary was shown to Mr Best and a small group of close friends and family at a closed screening in the Athene Lecture Theatre at the Bermuda College, in January but last night was its first foray into the wider world.

• Transforming the Beautiful Game — The Clyde Best Story runs at Sadler’s Wells East until Saturday and will be shown in Bermuda at the Earl Cameron Theatre, City Hall, on April 21 and 22, and at the Ruth Seaton James Centre for the Performing Arts in Devonshire, from April 23 to 26. Tickets are available at clydebest.shop