Laurence Olivier: Melvyn Bragg

Bragg met Laurence Olivier hoping to make a full-length television profile of him. Olivier was elderly and unwell. Together, they watched clips of his great roles. At the end, his eyes wet from tears, he said, "OK, old boy. Let's give it a go.' For the next eighteen months, Bragg took notes, watched films, archive footage and out-takes. He spoke to John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft, Ralph Richardson, Lady Olivier (Joan Plowright) and dozens more. But above all, he spoke to the man himself. A portrait of the art and mind of one of the greatest actors of the times.