Joe Orton: Laid Bare

Joe Orton: Laid Bare celebrates the wit, work, and world of ground-breaking sixties playwright Joe Orton in his own words and those of friends and colleagues. 50 years since his murder at the hands of his lover, Kenneth Halliwell, the film charts Joe’s brief meteoric rise and tragic demise, and celebrates his unique comic voice as well as his significant role in the culture of 60’s swinging London. Antony Sher, Freddie Fox and Jaime Winstone lead an all-star ensemble cast bringing to life excerpts of Orton’s hilarious work for the TV generations, while Bryan Dick plays Orton himself, walking the viewer through the streets Joe inhabited and using his diary to revive the voice of one of Britain’s most controversial comic writers. Meanwhile the film builds to a tense and surprising conclusion as the circumstances of Joe’s death are re-examined and new evidence reveals a sinister and powerful figure at the centre of events that led to his murder. Interviewees include Kenneth Cranham, Sir Michael Codron, Christopher Hampton, Patricia Routledge, Orton biographer John Lahr and Joe’s sister Leonie.

BBC2