Thanks to his globe-trotting two-wheeled exploits with pal Ewan McGregor on TV’s long-running Long Way series, adventure-loving Charley Boorman is now as synonymous with motorbikes as his Oscar-nominated film director dad John Boorman is with movies.
Thus, he’s the ideal man to front a new documentary about the annual motorcycle road racing institution that is the North West 200 (NW200).
Backed by racewear sponsor Zerofit and filmed throughout the 2026 event last week, Bigger… Better… Faster found Boorman (59) going behind the scenes to speak to competitors, fans and organisers about what makes this internationally renowned event so special.
Set for release later in the year, the Luke Whatley-Bigg-directed film will centre on NW200 veteran Glenn Irwin (36) as the Carrickfergus-born Nitrous Competitions Racing Ducati and Zerofit rider returned to the Co Antrim road race after taking a year out and then sustaining a fractured pelvis following an ‘off’ at a circuit event in England.
He got off to a great start, besting fellow Zerofit rider Dean Harrison (37) and Northern Ireland road racing royal Michael Dunlop (37), son of late legend Robert Dunlop, in the first Superbike race to claim a 12th victory at the event.
Read more: NW 200: Glenn Irwin maintains dominance in Superbike class
Charley Boorman has had a life-long love affair with motorbikes
However, fast-rising young British Superbike Championship star, Storm Stacey (23), spoiled Glenn’s comeback party with a win in the feature Superbike race – described as the NW200’s ‘blue riband event’.
Known for his signature top hat when not in the saddle, Staffordshire-born Bathams AJN Ducati and fellow Zerofit rider Storm was making his road racing debut complete with a jokey ‘L-plate’ on the back of his helmet.
Having already beaten Michael Dunlop in the Superstock race, the youngster claimed his second victory in the final Superbike race when it was red-flagged after three laps due to an oil spill, with Storm in the lead and Glenn in third place.
The behind-the-scenes view of such drama should make for a fascinating watch when Bigger… Better… Faster arrives on our screens.
Zerofit riders (l-r) Storm Stacey, Glenn Irwin and Dean Harrison claimed the top three positions in the final Superbike race
Read more: NW 200: Storm Stacey claims controversial Superbike and ends Irwin supremacy
“It was amazing,” enthuses London-born Charley, who spent a lot of his childhood growing up in Co Wicklow, of his first ever NW200 experience.
“I mean, it really was ‘wow’. I’ve been to the Isle of Man TT and loads of motor GP and world superbikes stuff, and I know a lot of the riders.
“They were all saying, ‘you’ve got to come to the North West – it’s just a super special place’.
“So when Zerofit asked me if I’d like to do a documentary, I jumped at the chance.
“Zerofit got me access to all areas, and the idea was to follow Glenn who had won it 11 times in a row.
Carrickfergus road racer Glenn Irwin (Tim Keeton/Impact Images/Tim Keeton/Impact Images)
“He was the favourite: he missed out last year, and then he sort of had his comeback. So there was a lot of pressure on him.”
Indeed, while things didn’t quite go to plan for the Carrick man, according to Charley, the 11-time winner remained quite philosophical about returning to the event at which he made his road racing name, knowing full well that he was the man to beat.
“Glenn spoke a lot about the expectations that he had, and that sort of ‘target’ he had on his back,” he tells me.
“He won his first race and just missed out on the second. But the lovely part of the story is that we were also talking to Storm about it being his first time there.
“He’s a great character, a super-fast rider and fantastic for the sport. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he’s a really well spoken guy – as is Glenn.
Storm Stacey claimed his first ever road racing victory at this year’s North West 200. PICTURE: Stephen Davison/Pacemaker Press
“And Glenn was saying, ‘You know what? It’s great – I’ve had 12 [wins] on the bounce, what better way to be pipped to 13 than by a newcomer’.
“So he was happy just to get that 12th win, but he also said it’s now made him want to go back even more now to get a 13th win next year.”
As part of the doc, the Sussex-based bike lover got the chance to join Glenn for a parade lap of the event’s iconic ‘triangle circuit’, which utilises the streets and roads in and around Portrush.
“On the Wednesday, when they were doing all their practices, I was able to go out and follow Glenn around – so I had a really fantastic view of what it’s like.
“It’s only nine miles long, so it’s not complicated to learn, but it has these two straights where they’re going 212mph – and it’s not a flat road.
Storm Stacey leads the pack at Black Hill during the Superbike race at the NW200 on Saturday. PICTURE: Rod Neill/Pacemaker Press (Rod Neill/Rod Neill/Pacemaker Press)
“It’s quite undulating and bumpy, and I could really feel that at the 80 or 90mph we were allowed to go.
“Glenn was saying to me, ‘now imagine that at 212mph on a race bike with the stiffer suspension’. And you just think, ‘wow’ – these guys are unbelievable.
“And of course, they have all this stuff which they call ‘furniture’ to deal with. I asked Glenn, ‘what do you mean, ‘furniture’? and he says, ‘Well, you know, postboxes, pavements, telegraph poles, stone walls, houses, that sort of thing’.”
Indeed, the life-and-death stakes of motorcycle road racing were brought home in tragic fashion at this year’s NW200 when Czechia racer Kamil Holan (48) was killed in a crash during Thursday morning’s opening Superbike qualifying session.
“I think that hit everybody really hard,” says Charley.
Kamil Holan, who died on Thursday at the North West 200
“But the racers all know the risks, and they all accept them. They all just get back out and carry on racing.
“But I don’t know what it must be like for the for the families who are just sitting there watching and waiting.”
During the course of filming, Charley visited the Joey Dunlop Memorial Gardens and the late Ballymoney bike legend’s pub, Joey’s Bar, where he spoke to Linda Dunlop about the multiple racing-related tragedies her family have endured over the years with the loss of Joey, his brother Robert and Robert’s son, William, to the sport they loved so much.
“Linda never does interviews, but we managed to catch her on the Friday,” reveals Charley.
“It was a really good, busy day for her, and it was fantastic having a chat and listening to her about everything that went on and how they’ve managed.
Charley at Dunlop Memorial Gardens
“I’d actually forgotten Joey had owned and run the pub, so it was kind of lovely to be able to learn all about that.”
As for why motorbike lovers keep getting back in the saddle even after serious accidents – something Charley knows all about, having suffered serious injuries in the wake of several bike-related accidents himself – it seems that, despite the risks, there’s just no happier place to be for those who have caught the biking bug.
“I grew up in Ireland, in the Wicklow mountains,” he tells me.
“My dad was into horses, so I learned to ride at a very young age. Then my friend, Tommy Rochford from Annamoe, he had a Maico 400, which was really the bees knees in the late-1970s.
Charley Boorman caught the motorcycle bug at an early age
I grew up in the Wicklow mountains, and learned to ride horses. Then I convinced my friend, Tommy, to give me a go on his motorbike – I was instantly hooked
— Charley Boorman
“I convinced him to give me a go and I was just instantly hooked. I thought, ‘My God, this is much better than horses – you can ride all day and there’s no mucking out or feeding or grooming’.
“I just love it, you know? You get on a bike and you’re just watching the road rush underneath you, and all you can think about is being in that moment – everything else takes a back seat.
“I think that’s the reason people love motorbikes.”
Bigger… Better… Faster… will be released later this year. Follow Charley online at Instagram @charleyboorman.
Charley Boorman will present the NW200 documentary Bigger… Better… Faster…