Multi-award-winning drama The Madness of George
III will be broadcast live to cinemas, in National Theatre Live’s first
ever broadcast from Nottingham Playhouse. Written by one of Britain’s
best-loved playwrights Alan Bennett (The History Boys, The Lady in the Van),
this epic play was also adapted into a BAFTA Award-winning film following its
premiere on stage in 1991. The cast of this new production includes Olivier Award-winners
Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Wolf Hall, NT Live Coriolanus) in the title
role, and Adrian Scarborough (Gavin and Stacey, Upstairs
Downstairs, After the Dance). It’s 1786 and King George III is the most
powerful man in the world. But his behaviour is becoming increasingly erratic
as he succumbs to fits of lunacy. With the King’s mind unravelling at a
dramatic pace, ambitious politicians and the scheming Prince of Wales threaten
to undermine the power of the Crown, and expose the fine line between a King and
a man.