Hull KR Confirm New Seven-Part Documentary Series “Renaissance”
Hull KR are delighted to confirm a new seven-part documentary series capturing the social and cultural impact of the club will be televised across the world next week.
Renaissance: A Hull KR Story follows the human side of an extraordinary phase in the club’s modern history.It is shown through the eyes of fans, players, Board members and staff who shape its culture, and the East Hull community that has carried the team through decades of highs and lows, but more recently resurgence into a year of unprecedented achievement for the club.
The series will air on Fox Sports in Australia from Sunday February 8 and Sky Sports in the UK from Thursday 12 February, coinciding with the start of the Super League regular season and a big month for the Robins who head out on the world stage in Las Vegas for the Battle of Yorkshire on February 28th, and compete to be World Champions against the Brisbane Broncos on February 19th.
The documentary produced by Eski, a Hull-based team specialising in social impact filmmaking, made in partnership with Hull KR and executive produced by Chairman Paul Sewell and club owner Neil Hudgell, who have collaborated with Eski on a number of documentary projects exploring regional and social issues over the past five years.
Filmmaking began at the close of the 2024 season, during which Rovers finished second in the league and narrowly lost the Playoff Final to Wigan Warriors. Directors Iain Thompson and Harriet Jones, along with filmmakers David Stubbins and Chris Hopkin, immersed themselves inside the club throughout 2025 as Hull KR went on to complete a remarkable treble of major honours with victories at Wembley and Old Trafford, and two open-top bus parades in what supporters have described as the club’s greatest era.
Hull KR Paul Lakin, Chief Executive of Hull KR said: “February 2026 was already set to be an unprecedented month for the global profile of the club, and now we’ve notched it up even further by securing two major broadcast partnerships to share our story with the world.
This is not a typical sports documentary, whilst there’s elements of behind-the-scenes footage of the players, this is more a series about what happens when you have a club as the focal point of the community, and all the human-interest stories that spin off from that.
We have all fallen in love with the club for a variety of reasons, whether it’s the characters we’ve met on the terraces over the years, or following owner Neil Hudgell’s journey. Now it’s time to open the doors of our great club, and show the world what we are all about, and what makes us so special.
We hope the series appeals to a wider audience than just a sports audience, and we are sure new and old fans from around the world will take a greater interest in the club, once they know the stories and characters behind it.
I’d like to thank all the players, staff, the board of directors and supporters who have contributed to the series for being so open and honest in sharing their stores, some of which are very personal. Throughout the series, there’s moments which may make you laugh, and then cry. It’s raw and some people have shown incredible bravery to be so open on film.
We’d also like to thank the Sewell Group and Hudgells Solicitors for their contribution to commission the series.”
For Eski, the documentary reflects a five-year evolution into social impact filmmaking, following work on public health issues and an early documentary about the Horizon Sub Postmasters scandal, produced in partnership with Hudgell Solicitors well before the story became a national drama.
Series Producer and Eski CEO John Gilbert said: “We started Renaissance on a gut feeling that if we stayed close to people, we’d capture what a turnaround really looks like.
Hull KR Chairman Paul Sewell explained how the energy comes from the community, and through the series you see how that energy flows both ways.
We meet the fans, players, coaches, employees, owners and the team off the pitch. What emerges is a love story between a club and a city, and between people who refuse to accept anything other than the best for each other.”
Renaissance: A Hull KR Story begins broadcasting in the UK February 12th on Sky Sports at 10:15pm (GMT), with all episodes immediately available after via Sky on demand. In Australia broadcasting will start from February 8th at 8pm (AEDT).
