From battling addiction and homelessness to raising over a million pounds for good causes, Mick's journey is now taking center stage – literally.
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00:00For some, wearing a uniform for work is compulsory, but for one local man, he's used his own self-imposed
00:06look to his advantage, becoming easily one of the most recognisable faces in the city.
00:12The speedos, I signed on to swim the English Channel, and nine months into my training,
00:18I read the rule book, and you had one set of goggles, one swimming cap, and one garment
00:27for the men, which was above the groin, and I just went to my wife, what does that mean?
00:33And she just burst out laughing and said, oh my God, you've got to wear a bit of speedos.
00:37Michael Cullen, more popularly known as Speedo Mick, has walked the length and breadth of
00:42the UK wearing little more than his miniscule swimming briefs, raising more than a million
00:47pounds for charity in the process.
00:49The whole city, really, has just got right behind me, and it's them who pushed it to wear
00:56the ta, and now we're at the Royal Court Theatre, you know what I mean, and it's still telling
01:01a positive story about somebody who, you know, who lost everything, man.
01:10Lost absolutely everything, his self-respect, his dignity, his home, his family, but you know,
01:18yeah, and that's not the case today.
01:23Over its illustrious history, Everton Football Club has had many heroes, but perhaps none of
01:30them have been absorbed into the wider public consciousness as much as Speedo Mick.
01:35The die-hard Blues supporter supported himself by thousands across the country and around the world.
01:41Now, a new musical at Liverpool's Royal Court charts his story.
01:45It's been incredible, it's amazing. It was the music, along with the story, obviously it's
01:52about Michael's true story, he's an inspiration, and I know he's standing right there, and it
01:58sounds a bit weird, like me, you know, but it's true, he's an inspiration, and I feel quite honoured,
02:03to be honest, to do a show like this. And it's quite overwhelming as well, at the same time.
02:09John Fay's written a story about one man's rise from the depths to becoming a real-life Liverpool
02:16superhero. The musical celebrates one of the biggest characters to come out of the city,
02:21from being homeless to raising huge amounts of money for disadvantaged young people and the homeless.
02:26Hope lives in the darkest places, and that's what my life's about. It's about, it's about, you know,
02:33passion and living your best life, and giving back as much as you possibly can as well. And they,
02:38they just, it's just coming out with the music as well. It's just booming, and I can just imagine
02:44it all on stage. And it's, and I've already been in floods of tears, and I've been laughing my head off.
02:51Speedo Mick, the musical will be at Liverpool's Royal Court until Saturday, 5th of July.