It is the summer of 1953 and Nurse Appleyard (Romola Garai) is rushed to a secret location where she discovers that her patient is Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Michael Gambon), who has had a stroke, in this Masterpiece drama, which aired on PBS in 2016. As Churchill's devoted wife Clementine (Lindsay Duncan) and family gather at his bedside, long-buried tensions rise to the surface as they contemplate the cost of living in the great man's shadow. London's Daily Mail praised Gambon for taking on "the bravest role of his career," while Matthew Macfadyen is excellent as the venomous Randolph Churchill.
"Michael Gambon triumphs in a picture of hope."—Guardian (London)
"With his drooping face and bleary eyes, Churchill is clearly aware of all that roils around, and within, him but Gambon finds the small, essential flame of his spirit and blows it into a beacon."—Los Angeles Times