Plot:
“Marvellous” is based on the true story of Neil Baldwin.
Baldwin was diagnosed with “learning difficulties” at school, but didn’t allow
the label to discourage him from achieving as much in life as his heart
desired. We meet Neil working as Nello the clown in the circus. He goes on to
get a regular role at Keele University, advising and helping students, and is
employed by his beloved football team, Stoke City. Along the way, his mother
worries profusely whether he will be able to look after himself after she dies.
Review:
Before I begin, I guess I better put in a mild caveat. A TV film
like “Marvellous” is probably not going to get the most unbiased of reviews
from me. It focuses on the life of someone who I never met, but nevertheless I
know plenty of people who do know him. This includes the great Norman Barrett,
a dear friend of my family, who features in a brief cameo at the film’s
conclusion and is also mentioned a few times, including his MBE status. These are
all anachronistic, but that takes nothing away from the nature of the film.
Norman’s budgies are also a plot point. For the most part, the film shows
circus in a good light, which is a refreshing change. Only the ringmaster of
the first circus is presented as something of a villain. This is becoming a bit
of a cliché now along with the assumption that the ringmaster is traditionally the
owner of the show. Nevertheless, many of my circus friends and family were
smiling when the film won the Best Single Drama category of the 2015 BAFTAs.
