Lennon Naked

John Lennon is one of the most enduring figures in musical and cultural history. One quarter of 'The Fab Four', peace activist, visual artist and author, he was a man whose personal life was never short on drama, intrigue and eventually, conspiracy. Thirty years after his death, Christopher Eccleston stars as the enigmatic musician in a defining period of his life, as he moved from 'Beatle John' to an icon. It covers a period of wildly fluctuating fortunes from 1967 to 1971, a time of worldwide adulation at one extreme, a combination of frustration and despair at the other. From the death of father-figure and manager Brian Epstein, his break-up with first wife Cynthia, his fascinating love affair with Yoko Ono through to his spiralling drug use and decision to leave England for New York, this is the story of an artist destroying everything to find himself.

Thirty years after the death of John Lennon, Christopher Eccleston stars as the enigmatic musician in a defining period of his life - a time of disillusion, self destruction, transformation and ultimately, hope. John Lennon is one of the most enduring figures in musical and cultural history. One quarter of ‘The Fab Four', peace activist, visual artist and author, he was a man whose personal life was characterised by drama, intrigue and eventually, conspiracy.
A biopic with a stellar lead cast, Lennon: Naked charts Lennon's transition from ‘Beatle John' to an enduring and enigmatic icon. It covers a period of wildly fluctuating fortunes from 1967 to 1971, from the death of father-figure and manager Brian Epstein through to the break-up of the Beatles to John's decision to leave England for New York; a time of worldwide adulation at one extreme, a combination of frustration and despair at the other. It's the story of an artist destroying everything to find himself - through drugs, break-ups and therapy - as he attempts to free himself from the shackles of material wealth and celebrity and discover himself as a solo recording artist.
After Epstein died, the Beatles were left rudderless - and Lennon felt trapped, personally as well as creatively. It was a turning point in his life and the events that followed led John to shed everything he knew about himself. Yoko Ono was his muse and the catalyst for change - meeting her altered everything, and led to the acrimonious breakup of his marriage to first wife Cynthia and his decision to start a new life. Less well known is the story of how Lennon's father Freddie, a homeless dishwasher, came back into his life after an 18 year absence during this period. John seized on the hope of re-establishing their relationship after Epstein died - only to attack and reject Freddie when he became involved in his ‘primal scream' pschoanalytical therapy.
Driven by the need to become naked on the inside as well as the outside (for this was the period when Lennon famously photographed Yoko and himself naked for the front cover of an album), Lennon's growing disillusionment with life in Britain caused him to abandon his home country and start a new life in America. He was never to return... These pivotal moments of Lennon's life are played out by one of Britain's best-loved actors, capturing all the zeitgeist of the time, in a film which journeys into the often anguished and troubled mind of one of the 20th century's most influential figures.

Directed by Edmund Coulthard
Written by Robert Jones
Produced by Edmund Coulthard, Katherine Lannon
Executive Produced by Kate Evans
Original Music by Dickon Hinchliffe
Cinematography by Matt Gray
Film Editing by Philip Kloss
Costume Design by Lucinda Wright

"This is an object lesson in how to make good television docudrama. Watch it" Observer

"A brilliant performance, in a brilliant film" Guardian

Lennon: Naked marks the latest in a strand of biopics of well-known icons commissioned by BBC Four, which seek to explore the space between artists' public works and private lives.

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Lennon number 38 on its list of "The Immortals: The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time" (The Beatles being number one).