Richard Burton: Wild Genius
BBC 2 - 60’ (2025)The centrepiece of the BBC’s season celebrating the centenary of the Welsh actor’s birth, this documentary traces Burton’s epic journey from Valleys mining village to Hollywood, and from poverty and pain to riches, acclaim and - thanks to his romance with Elizabeth Taylor - unprecedented fame. Fellow actors Claire Bloom, Gabriel Byrne, Dame Sian Phillips and Michael Sheen shed light on this brilliant and complicated Welshman. Also appearing are his daughter Kate, widow Sally Burton and Matthew Rhys who reads from The Richard Burton Diaries.
A Bright Yellow Films & Yeti Media co-production for BBC Wales & BBC Arts
"A deft job of including all the highlights, from the early death of his mother and his upbringing in a mining town, to the affair and marriage to Elizabeth Taylor that made him a global celebrity, and the alcoholism that destroyed him."
**** The Daily Mail
"This fascinating documentary charts the journey of the Welsh miner's son who became one of the greatest actors of his generation."
**** Heat
"The film doesn't shy away from his relationship with alcohol, his complicated feelings about acting and masculinity, and his plunge into celebrity's destructive glare alongside Elizabeth Taylor."
Critics' Choice - The Times
Nominated: Single Documentary, BAFTA Cymru 2026
Nominated: Editing, BAFTA Cymru 2026
Winner: Documentary - Biography, New York Festivals 2026
Credits:
Director: Adrian Sibley
Executive Producer: Sian Price
Camera: Aled Jones with Joe Cooper & Sam Shinn
Editor: Jules Cornell