Mr Burton, the "remarkable" British drama starring Toby Jones and Lesley Manville, is on TV tonight. The must-see film tells the true story of Oscar-nominated actor Richard Burton's formative years.
Released in cinemas in April, the film follows Richard Jenkins (Harry Lawtey), a schoolboy who forms a friendship with his schoolmaster Philip Burton (Jones) in the Welsh town of Port Talbot, taking a look at how the young man transformed into Wales' greatest star Richard Burton.
The synopsis reads: "Richard dreamed of becoming an actor, but his ambitions were in danger of being derailed by a combination of family trouble, the pressure of war, and his own lack of discipline.
"Mr Burton recognised the raw talent in Richard and made it his mission to fight for him, becoming his tutor, strict taskmaster and, eventually, his adoptive father."
Fans of Jones and Manville, who plays Burton's landlady Ma Smith, are in luck Mr Burton airs tonight at 8pm on BBC One, and will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast.
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The film proved popular among critics, with The Morning Star calling it "a remarkable true story" that shows the celebrated actor in "a whole new light".
They wrote: "This is a remarkable true story which shows Burton in a whole new light, not just as a hard drinking film star and legendary thespian who married [Elizabeth] Taylor twice. It also pays homage to the man he considered a father and mentor and, as he tells him, 'I owe you everything'."
On Rotten Tomatoes Mr Burton has a rating of 86% from 26 reviews, with critics praising Lawtey for his performance as a young Richard.
Radio Times said of the film: "Lawtey is the true star of the piece, a mesmerising presence both in early scenes as the rough-around-the-edges pupil and in latter stages of the narrative, when his volatile personality threatens to derail a thespian career before it's barely begun."
"Lawtey delivers a dynamic performance considering the big boots of his subject, although the film suffers the expected issue of casting any actor to represent the singular and iconic star," wrote Little White Lies.
Mr Burton is airing tonight at 8pm on BBC One, and will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer after broadcast.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
