Byron

Byron is a BBC biography chronicling the life of Lord Byron (Jonny Lee Miller), the British poet and legendary iconoclast from the early 19th century. The production takes up Byron's life from 1811, shortly before the publication of his narrative poem "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" in 1812, which made him famous. Following his meteoric rise to fame, Byron became the toast of London society and he played the part of restless romantic artist to the hilt. He is portrayed as both self-indulgent in drink and romantic pursuits as well as devoted passionately to political causes. His defense in the House of Lords of the Luddites, the textile laborers who protested against the use of mechanized looms, is seen as symbolic of his devotion to lost causes. His scandalous personal life, including affairs with his half-sister, Augusta Leigh (Natasha Little), and the equally infamous Lady Caroline Lamb (Camilla Power) was the tabloid fodder of its day. While Byron's poetry is given less attention than some of the other aspects of his short life in this teleplay, Byron is a worthy biography to the complex man himself. MORE