Renaissance: A Hull KR Story to air on Sky Sports and Fox Sports, Australia in Major International Broadcast
A new seven‑part documentary series capturing the social and cultural impact of Hull Kingston Rovers will be televised in the UK and Australia next week, marking an unlikely rise for a project that began life without a broadcaster, yet has grown into a major international release.
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. It shines a light on the East Hull community that has carried the team through decades of highs and lows and its more recent resurgence in 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.
Produced by Eski, a Hull-based team specialising in social‑impact filmmaking, the series was made in partnership with Hull Kingston Rovers and executive produced by Chairman Paul Sewell and club owner Neil Hudgell, who have collaborated with Eski on several 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 Play‑off 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. 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 modern era.
Hull KR had not lifted a major trophy since 1985. In the decades since, the club endured administration, relegation and the long road back to success. Renaissance traces that journey while exploring the role the club plays in its East Hull heartland: as an anchor institution, a community hub and a shared source of hope and identity.
All seven episodes will also be available in the UK via Sky Red Button from 12 February.
In Australia, Fox Sports will screen dedicated 8pm slots from 8 February and showcase material inside its coverage of the Rugby League Las Vegas event at the Allegiant Stadium on 28 February.
Hull Kingston Rovers Chairman Paul Sewell said: “The reason we made the film was to show how when you have elite sport, a disadvantaged community and business leadership on top of that it opens up opportunities. Our energy comes from our community.”
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. Paul explains how the energy comes from the community, and through the series you see how that energy flows both ways.
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.”
What began as an uncommissioned, speculative project became a 16‑month undertaking as the filmmakers embedded themselves within Hull KR’s environment and documented not only a generational sporting season but also a wider civic resurgence from the club’s treble trophy run to Coldplay’s two‑night residency at Sewell Group Craven Park, the biggest music event ever hosted in Hull.
Renaissance: A Hull KR Story begins broadcasting in the UK on 12 February, with international coverage through Sky Sports and Fox Sports and all episodes immediately available via the Red Button.
Broadcast schedule:
In the UK, episodes 1 and 2 air on Thursday 12 February immediately after Rovers’ opening Super League fixture away at York, at 10:15pm and 10:45pm.
Episodes 3 and 4 follow on Thursday 19 February, after the club’s World Club Challenge match against NRL champions Brisbane Broncos.
Episodes 5 to 7 broadcast on Saturday 28 February, following the Leeds United vs Manchester City Premier League fixture, building into the club’s Las Vegas showcase match against Leeds Rhinos later that night.
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