The King’s Speech, the “amazing” period drama starring Colin Firth and Timothy Spall, is now streaming on the BBC. Based on a true story, the film stars Firth as King George VI, following him as he attempts to overcome his stammer.
When the King’s wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) hires Australian actor and speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), the pair form a lasting friendship.
The synopsis reads: “Following the scandalous abdication of his brother King Edward VIII, Bertie, who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life, is suddenly crowned King George VI of the United Kingdom.
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“With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a leader, his wife Elizabeth seeks out the help of eccentric speech therapist Lionel Logue.”
After airing on BBC Two last night, The King’s Speech is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer, where UK viewers with a TV license can access the film for free for the next 29 days.
Directed by Tom Hooper, the supporting cast includes Guy Pearce as King Edward VIII, Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill, Derek Jacobi as Cosmo Gordon Lang, Jennifer Ehle as Myrtle Logue and Michael Gambon as King George V.
The film proved popular among critics and currently has a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes from 301 reviews, with many praising Firth’s performance.
Critic Robbie Collin said: “Colin Firth’s made an amazing film by being a stuttering, upper-class English gent? Hugh Grant must be bloody kicking himself.”
“Firth strikes a perfect balance between his abrasive traits and the vulnerability that coaxes our empathy,” penned The Times.
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The Hollywood Reporter said: “The King’s Speech has been crafted to serve as an actors’ showcase first and foremost and Firth and Rush don’t disappoint.”
“It’s an uplifting audience pleaser that also showcases film-making arts and crafts at an exalted level,” wrote The Telegraph.
While the film garnered a mostly positive response, The Boston Globe described it as “complacent middlebrow tosh engineered for maximum awards bling and catering to a nostalgia for the royalty we’ve never actually had to live with”.
The King’s Speech is now streaming on BBC iPlayer.
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Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.Â
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.Â
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.