Darkest Hour


8:00 pm - 10:00 pm, Sunday, August 23 on BBC One London (1)

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About this Broadcast

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May 1940. As the Nazis advance against Britain's European allies, newly elected prime minister Winston Churchill must decide whether to leave neighbouring countries to their fate, by striking a peace deal with Hitler, or fight on against terrifying odds for the greater good. Double Oscar and Bafta-winning period drama, starring Gary Oldman, Lily James and Kristin Scott Thomas


2017 HD subtitles 16x9 audio-description
Historical/Period Drama Movie/Drama

Cast & Crew

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Gary Oldman (Actor) .. Winston Churchill
Kristin Scott Thomas (Actor) .. Clemmie
Ben Mendelsohn (Actor) .. King George VI
Lily James (Actor) .. Elizabeth Layton
Ronald Pickup (Actor) .. Neville Chamberlain
Stephen Dillane (Actor) .. Viscount Halifax
Samuel West (Actor) .. Sir Anthony Eden
Joe Wright (Director)

More Information

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Did You Know..

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Gary Oldman (Actor) .. Winston Churchill
Born: March 21, 1958 in London
Best Known For: Being able to tackle any role.
Early-life: Gary Leonard Oldman was born on March 21, 1958, in New Cross, London. He was raised by his mother and two sisters (one of whom is EastEnders' Laila Morse) after his alcoholic father left home when Gary was aged seven. A young Oldman toyed with becoming a musician, but was inspired to take up acting after watching Malcolm McDowell in the movie The Raging Moon. He was turned down by Rada, but gained a place at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, before honing his skills with Greenwich Young People's Theatre.
Career: Following a successful spell on stage he turned to movies, making a massive impact as Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy in 1986, and Prick Up Your Ears a year later. Alcoholism threatened his career, but he has now quit booze. His roles include playing Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK, the title role in Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Mason Verger in Hannibal. Other projects include Lost in Space, Leon, and The Fifth Element. His directorial debut, the acclaimed Nil By Mouth, was a heart-breaking, semi-autobiographical movie about his childhood. Oldman suffered a career slump around the Millennium, when he concentrated more on raising his young family than he did on acting. But he came back stronger than ever with roles in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy (for which he was Oscar nominated) and the Batman franchise.
Quote: 'I don't think Hollywood knows what to do with me. I would imagine that when it comes to romantic comedies, my name would be pretty low down on the list.'
Trivia: In 2001, he described himself as a recovering alcoholic.
Kristin Scott Thomas (Actor) .. Clemmie
Born: May 24, 1960 in Redruth, Cornwall
Best Known For: Four Weddings and a Funeral, and The English Patient.
Early-life: Born in Redruth, Cornwall, on May 24, 1960, Kristin is the elder sister of actress Serena Scott Thomas. On leaving school, Kristin moved to London and worked in a department store. At the age of 19 she went to Paris to work as an au pair. She went on to study acting at the Ecole nationale superieure des arts et techniques du theatre in Paris. After graduating at the age of 25, she was cast opposite Prince in Under the Cherry Moon (1986).
Career: Her big break came when she was cast in A Handful of Dust (1988), a role that won her an Evening Standard British Film Award for most promising newcomer. She went on to star in Bitter Moon (1992), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996), The English Patient (1996), The Horse Whisperer (1998), Random Hearts (1999), Gosford Park (2001), The Golden Compass (2007) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008). Thomas has also acted in a number of French films, including Ne le dis à personne (2006), Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (2008), Partir (2009) and Elle s'appelait Sarah (2010).
Quote: 'I've always really wanted to be onstage but movies kind of carry you along. You get swept away by them. And there's this feeling sometimes of being a bit of a pawn and of other people channelling their ambition through you.'
Trivia: She was awarded an OBE in 2003. She won a 2008 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for her performance in Seagull.
Ben Mendelsohn (Actor) .. King George VI
Lily James (Actor) .. Elizabeth Layton
Born: April 05, 1989 in Esher, Surrey
Best Known For: Playing Lady Rose MacClare in the period drama Downton Abbey and the title role in Disney's Cinderella (2015).
Early-life: Born Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson in Esher, Surrey, on April 5, 1989, but better known by her stage name Lily James. She studied at the Arts Educational School in Tring and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. In 2011, she starred in a stage version of the novel Vernon God Little at the Young Vic Theatre.
Career: James made her TV debut in the 2010 children's series Just William. The following year, she had a recurring role in the adult drama Secret Diary of a Call Girl. In 2012, she starred in the movies Fast Girls and Wrath of the Titans, and landed the role of Lady Rose MacClare in ITV's period drama Downton Abbey. More recently, she played the title role in Disney's Cinderella (2015).
Quote: 'I really want to play interesting roles, but you want to work, so it's a balancing game.'
Trivia: James' paternal grandmother was American actress Helen Horton.
Ronald Pickup (Actor) .. Neville Chamberlain
Born: June 07, 1940 in Chester
Best Known For: A string of film and TV roles.
Early-life: Ronald Alfred Pickup was born in Chester on June 7, 1940 to Daisy and Eric. Ronald went on to train to become an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He made his TV debut in a 1964 edition of Doctor Who. Since then, Ronald has been a regular fixture on the stage, in the cinema and on TV screens.
Career: During his long and prolific career, Pickup has made guest appearances in the likes of Crown Court, Matlock, Bergerac, Boon, Lovejoy, Silent Witness, Casualty, The Bill, Hustle, and New Tricks. He had recurring roles in Wagner, Moving, Fortunes of War, The Rector's Wife, Ivanhoe, and Holby City. His film credits include The Day of the Jackal (1973), The Thirty-Nine Steps (1978), Nijinsky (1980), Never Say Never Again (1983), The Mission (1986), The Fourth Protocol (1987), Lolita (1997), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and its 2015 sequel. Pickup is also an established stage actor with roles in a number of productions, including Three Sisters, Amy's View, and Waiting for Godot.
Quote: 'Working with Laurence Olivier was like the culmination of an ambition from when I was about nine-years-old.'
Trivia: Pickup was nominated for an Olivier award for his role in Amy's View.
Stephen Dillane (Actor) .. Viscount Halifax
Samuel West (Actor) .. Sir Anthony Eden
Born: June 19, 1966 in London
Best Known For: His roles in Howards End and Hornblower.
Early-life: Samuel Alexander Joseph West was born in south London on June 19, 1966, to thespians Prunella Scales and Timothy West. He has a younger brother, Joe, and an older half-sister, Juliet, from his father's first marriage. His childhood was spent either at home with his mother or visiting his father on location around the globe. His parents discouraged him from becoming an actor, and at first it seemed their ploy worked when he concentrated on studying science at school. He planned to study physics at Oxford University, but switched to English.
Career: West had a small part in TV series Nanny when he was 13, but didn't become hooked on acting until appearing with Oxford University's theatre group. He went on to appear in a TV adaptation of the Chronicles of Narnia as Prince Caspian, but 1992's Howards End was his big break, earning him a Bafta nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Since then he's appeared in A Feast at Midnight, Carrington, Persuasion, Jane Eyre, Stiff Upper Lips, Hornblower, Iris, and Van Helsing. He also starred in the critically acclaimed play ENRON in 2009 and alongside his father in Caryl Churchill's two-hander A Number, in 2011. In 2012 he appeared as grumpy angel Zac Gist in ITV1's fantasy drama Eternal Law. More recently he featured in Hyde Park on Hudson and Mr Selfridge.
Quote: 'The problem with being fashionable is you become unfashionable.'
Trivia: In 2005 West became the artistic director of Sheffield Theatres, eventually leaving two years later when the city's Crucible was closed for refurbishment. He's also directed a number of plays.
Joe Wright (Director)

Before / After

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