Burton and Taylor
Sunday 3 January at 20:00
Starring Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West, this tempestuous, nostalgic drama tells the tale of Hollywood’s most glamourous couple in the twilight of their star-crossed relationship.
A bittersweet tale of Hollywood’s most glamorous couple.
When Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton met on the set of Cleopatra, the attraction was immediate. The public were enthralled by their illicit romance, two tempestuous marriages, frequent break-ups and extravagant reunions. They were the original fabulous stars, conspicuous in their consumption of clothes, houses, yachts, diamonds, and, more damagingly, alcohol.
Years later, during their stage tour of Noel Coward's play Private Lives, public speculation grew about the possibility of another marriage, but in private old frictions played out once again.
Beyond the alcohol, pills and the trappings of fame, was love the ultimate crutch that allowed them to escape the realities of their extraordinary lives?
Tempestuous, funny, glamorous and dripping with diamonds, this is the story of the world's first celebrity ‘it’ couple.
BBC First is available in Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.