Also in Science & Nature Stephen Hawking Biography Find out more about Professor Stephen Hawkings remarkable life. more Scientists and Theories Discover more about the scientists and theories that surrounded Stephen Hawking's career. more Multimedia Tribute Listen to Stephen Hawking. Watch a special episode of The Sky at Night and his 60th Birthday Lecture. more Elsewhere in bbc.co.uk Radio 4: Interview with Stephen Hawking Listen to an exclusive interview with Stephen Hawking online. more BBC Four: Stephen Hawking Profile An exclusive biographical profile following Hawking, on BBC Four. more Health: Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Find out more about MND, the disease affecting Stephen Hawking. more Elsewhere on the Web Stephen Hawking's Official Site Regularly updated page with news, a biography of his life and work, and a space glossary. more Motor Neurone Disease Association Providing care for those with MND and supporting research into causes and treatments. more

The story of Professor Stephen Hawking's early years is told for the first time in a major drama for BBC Two.

It is 1963, and our young cosmologist celebrates his 21st birthday. At the party is a new friend, Jane Wilde - there is a strong attraction between the two. Jane is intrigued by Stephen's talk of stars and the Universe. But she realises that there is something very wrong when Stephen suddenly finds that he is unable to stand up.

Hawking stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the young Stephen Hawking who, as a bright and ambitious 21-year-old PhD student at Cambridge University, is diagnosed with the debilitating motor neurone disease and given two years to live. Against the odds, he goes on to achieve scientific success and worldwide acclaim, in particular with his best-selling book A Brief History Of Time.

Bigger than his illness

Hawking producer Jessica Pope says: "Stephen's is an heroic story of great achievement. It's about the nature of time on both a deeply personal and a universal scale. At the moment when his intellect was striving to grow to its full potential, his physical self was cruelly closing down. The fact that he never spoke about it, but through sheer force of will and personality determined to be bigger than his illness, is inspirational."

Stephen Hawking - Benedict Cumberbatch
Jane Wilde - Lisa Dillon
Roger Penrose - Tom Ward
Arno Penzias - Michael Brandon
Dennis Sciama - John Sessions

Directed by Philip Martin
Produced by Jessica Pope
Written by Peter Moffat

Find out more about Hawking's incredible life in the Hawking biography.

Hawking was filmed on location in Cambridge and London and is a BBC Two collaboration between BBC Drama and Horizon for BBC Science.

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