IT has been estimated that it can require the removal of more than 90 tons of rock to produce just one ounce of gold.
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The same can be said for watching television, particularly of the daytime variety.
But when televisual gold is struck, it should be acknowledged and shared.
Nothing wrong with a bit of shouting from the rooftops in these times of social isolation and working from home.
Purely for the purposes of journalistic research, I have devoted much of my enforced home imprisonment sentence not to learning something constructive like speaking Japanese or how to empty a dishwasher but watching the maximum possible amount of sporting documentaries on Amazon Prime.
It is a selfless pursuit which I make without complaint for the betterment of fellow sport fans' lives.
And after considerable research running concurrently with a total ignorance of my housemates, I have hit upon one particular nugget of golden joy.
However, it has an alternative metal in its title.
Iron Men is the story of English Premier League side West Ham United's move from the Boleyn Ground, their home of 112 years, to the gigantic stadium built for the 2012 London Olympics.
It is a tale of delightful characters from the dodgy East End of London united by a love of the Hammers and an unease about bidding farewell to a ground with such history it was named after a wife of Henry VIII.
Man United, always a bug in my ear they are. They get on my wick.
- Mabel Arnold
The 74-minute documentary stars Ray Winstone as a stereotypical chirpy cockney who has a quip for every situation, loves a smoke and laments the loss of a pub as if it was a close family member ("That's a liber'y, naffin's sacred any more").
After an acting career exploring such mysterious historical figures as Robin Hood, King Arthur, Noah and Indiana Jones, Winstone has found his niche playing himself.
On West Ham's legendary captain Bobby Moore - the only Englishman to lift the World Cup - Winstone states: "When everyone talks abaat this part of East London, they talk abaat thieves and gangsters, but 'e brought an 'onour to being parta this manor."
Winstone's supporting cast may not be as famous, but is just as colourful.
It includes:
- The adorable 100-year-old Mabel, who has been attending games for 82 years, loves to add rum and sugar to her flask of coffee and says things like: "Man United, always a bug in my ear they are. They get on my wick."
- The disillusioned Gary, whose role as fanzine editor is emblazoned across both his T-shirt and neck tattoo and ends a 36-year unbroken run of attending home games when the club moves grounds.
- Mark, the concerned pork roll seller (brand name "Holy F*** sauce") with a West Ham-branded prosthetic leg who says he will die happy provided he can put "The Rib Man of West Ham" on his tombstone.
- Devoted club captain Mark Noble who, among the playing group, has the most appearances and second-largest nose.
- Blind fan Matt, whose lack of sight makes his descriptions of the atmosphere at both venues all the more authentic: "I can sense the expanse of it."
- The multi-millionaire chairman David whose enormous mansion - complete with butlers (note the plural), chandeliers, bowling alleys and framed pictures of those aforementioned gangsters - shows just how much money there is to be made in pornography.
Maybe I'm biased because I've been fortunate to have experienced both venues.
On November 17, 1990, I visited the Boleyn Ground, also known as Upton Park, for a midweek game. Thanks to their Scottish striker Frank McAvennie (whose goals were as beautiful as his hair and numerous high-profile girlfriends), West Ham were flying and the place was packed. The attendance was 23,082 but it felt like twice that. I would struggle to think of a football ground with a better atmosphere.
In contrast, the venue for the Olympic opening ceremony on July 27, 2012, featuring artists as diverse as Duran Duran, Paul McCartney, James Bond and the Queen, seats more than twice that figure but can be as intimidating for the home team as Upton Park used to be for visitors.
West Ham made the move in 2016 and, despite some initial teething problems, continue to blow bubbles in the Premier League - although they are in hot water if this season ever resumes.
Sadly, Mabel Arnold died in 2019, just two months short of her 103rd birthday.
Meanwhile, with 433 appearances, Mark Noble has now played more Premier League games for West Ham than any other player.
And according to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2019, David Sullivan is worth £1.15 billion.
As Winstone concludes: "It ain't the stadium, it's the people that are West 'am."