My poignant birthday gift to a little big man

I was especially pleased because it was his birthday and I looked forward to sending the award and a copy of the film to Jocky, who hadn’t seen it. Now I feel sad and guilty for not having sent the film earlier.

My graduate film from Edinburgh College of Art was inspired by a fascination with darts, which isn’t popular in my native Germany, and the stories I had heard about its greatest Scottish player.

I went in search of him in his home town of Kirkcaldy and built up a picture of him from the people I met. Jocky wouldn’t take part. In fact, the closest I got was talking to his wife, Malvina.

He was, she explained, too ill. He could hardly talk and was in no condition to speak to strangers. I asked her why she and Jocky had come back to Kirkcaldy after living in England. It was, she said, “home”. He came back to his roots.

For me, what made him so special was his humour and originality as a man. He didn’t play up to the camera, he was always authentic and true to himself, and he told great stories.

The film showed what the people of Kirkcaldy thought of him and many – the majority – were proud.

• Julian Schwanitz is the director of Kirkcaldy Man.