Sheffield documentary festival pulls Bill Wyman film after complaints

Renowned documentary festival Sheffield Doc/Fest has pulled a screening of a film about former Rolling Stones guitarist Bill Wyman.

The Quiet One was among the films booked for the 2019 event, along with a Q&A session with Wyman and the film’s director Oliver Murray.

But organisers have pulled both the screening and the Q&A, which was due to take place in June.

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“Sheffield Doc/Fest has decided to cancel screenings of The Quiet One and the associated Q&A with Oliver Murray & Bill Wyman. All purchased tickets will be refunded,” read a post on its Facebook page.

The move came after the page was flooded with complaints at having Wyman on the bill.

All referred to Wyman’s relationship with his second wife, Mandy Smith.

Wyman met Smith when she was 13, and he was 47.

Smith later alleged that she had sex with Wyman for the first time at 14. They married when she was 18, in 1989, when Wyman was 52.

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They separated two years later, and were later divorced. Wyman remarried in 1993 to Suzanne Accosta, and has three daughters.

Many contacted Sheffield Doc/Fest to criticise the choice to have Wyman involved.

“You need to rethink this appalling booking,” said one.

“Disgusting, embarrassing, disappointing. Be better,” added another.

Said another: “Someone that started a sexual relationship with a child and then groomed her enough to get her to marry him? Gross. I’ll pass.”

Wyman has never been arrested or charged with any offences, and said in 2013 that he had volunteered to be interviewed by police, but they declined.

“I went to the police and I went to the public prosecutor and said, ‘Do you want to talk to me? Do you want to meet up with me, or anything like that?’ and I got a message back, ‘No,'” he said.

“I was totally open about it.”

In a message to those contacting Sheffield Doc/Fest, organisers said: “We truly appreciate you alerting us to the issue. It has been passed on to our management who are taking this very seriously.”

Yahoo Movies UK has contacted the festival for further comment.