At very short notice and despite having no great interest in sport, he was asked to interview
Brian Clough and
Don Revie a few hours after Leeds United had sacked Clough, who had been their manager for only 44 days, and installed Revie in his place. This interview, in which Mitchell skilfully prompted Clough and Revie into confrontation, features in
The Damned United (2009), though with largely invented dialogue.