Richard Burton: Wild Genius

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2025

Arts and culture
Documentary

Summary

Charting the highs and lows of Richard Burton's life and times. The son of a Welsh miner, Richard Burton would become a Hollywood star and is considered one of the greatest British actors ever. This programme tells his story, from the village of Pontrhydyfen to global icon, and reveals his ongoing struggle with drink, fame, love and his own talent

Review

David Butcher

Richard Burton packed a lot into 58 years, and this splendid bio-doc packs a lot into its hour. You may feel Burton’s story — the Welsh miner’s son who became an acting giant then self-destructed — could have filled a three-parter like last year’s series on Elizabeth Taylor. But if a one-off leaves us wanting more, fine, so did Burton himself.

Along with stills and cool interview clips, we’re flooded with a sense of what Burton was really like – topped off with extracts from his diaries, read by Matthew Rhys. We get a sense of Burton’s physicality, “this incredible masculine grandeur” as his co-star Claire Bloom describes it. Siân Phillips recalls how “it was a beautiful noise when he spoke”.

But we also hear how drinking hollowed him out, so his lines had to be written on cards around a movie set. Michael Sheen wonders whether Burton is an inspirational story or a cautionary tale.

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BBC iPlayer

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rolenameExecutive producerSian PriceDirectorAdrian SibleyEditorJules Cornell

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