The Duke - Film - British Comedy Guide (original) (raw)
Genre
Released
Stars
Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead, Anna Maxwell Martin, Matthew Goode, Jack Bandeira, Aimée Kelly, Charlotte Spencer and more
Writers
Richard Bean and Clive Coleman
Director
Producers
Nicky Bentham, Jenny Borgars, Hugo Heppell, Cameron McCracken, Peter Scarf, Andrea Scarso, Christopher Bunton and Michael Constable
Company
The Duke is a moving true story that celebrates a man who was determined to live a meaningful life. Set in 1961, it follows the story of Kempton Bunton, a 60-year old taxi driver, who stole Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. It was the first, and remains the only, theft in the Gallery's history. Kempton proceeded to send ransom notes declaring that he would only return the painting on the condition that the government invest more in care for the elderly, specifically bringing attention to his long running campaign for pensioners to receive free television.
What happened next is the stuff of legends... only 50 years later did the full story emerge and it was revealed that Kempton had spun a web of lies. The only truth was that he was a good man, determined to change the world and save his marriage - how and why he used the Duke to achieve this, is a wonderfully uplifting tale that will be seen on film for the first time.
Trailer
Stream and download
Additional details
UK certificate
12A
Duration
95 minutes
UK release
Friday 25th February 2022
Distributors
Production
Location
Camera set-up
Single camera
Picture
Colour
Website links
Broadcast details
All previous repeats
- Saturday 22nd June 2024 at 10:35pm on BBC4
- Sunday 16th June 2024 at 9:00pm on BBC2