British acting powerhouses Toby Jones and Lesley Manville teamed up for their first movie together earlier this year in Mr Burton. You might have missed it at the cinema, but you're getting another chance to check out the "impressive" biopic in November.
The BBC has announced that it will be celebrating the life and times of Welsh icon and global superstar Richard Burton to mark 100 years since his birth in November 1925. Part of this celebration will be the broadcast premiere of Mr Burton on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in November.
Mr Burton marked the first BBC Cymru Wales' funded feature-length movie, and tells the true story of how a wild young schoolboy called Richard Jenkins went on to become Richard Burton, following his connection with Welsh schoolmaster Philip Burton.
Industry star Harry Lawtey took on the formidable task of portraying Richard Burton, with Toby Jones starring as Philip and Lesley Manville as his housekeeper Ma Smith. The cast also includes Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Anuerin Barnard and Steffan Rhodri.
Mr Burton – which was filmed in and around Richard Burton's hometown of Pontrhydyfen and Port Talbot – stands at a strong critical rating of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Related: Toby Jones and Lesley Manville's charming British drama is now available to watch at home
What to Read Next
The Times praised the "impressive" performances of its cast, adding: "It's a bold movie that tries to find a feelgood drama in the life of Richard Burton, but such is the pitch of this tender biopic."
"[Director] Marc Evans's film is a lovely thing... Jones and Manville are predictably excellent," praised the Irish Times, with Little White Lies adding: "Lawtey delivers a dynamic performance considering the big boots of his subject."
If you can't wait until Mr Burton premieres on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in November, you can currently buy or rent the movie from Prime Video, Apple TV and other participating digital retailers.
Related: Lesley Manville hailed as "simply spectacular" in "gripping" new spy thriller
The movie will form part of a series of programmes to mark Richard Burton's centenary, including a brand-new documentary, Richard Burton – Wild Genius, which features never-before-seen home movie recordings and insights from the likes of Michael Sheen, Gabriel Byrne and Claire Bloom.
Final programming and schedules for the Richard Burton Season will be announced soon.
Mr Burton will air on BBC One in November. You can currently buy or rent the movie from Prime Video, Apple TV and more.
The new edition of Living Legends is here! Buy Gaga in newsagents or online, priced at just £8.99.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
