BBC iPlayer adds 'suspenseful and moving' war film about real-life hero
BBC iPlayer has just welcomed a gripping film rooted in real events, which first hit screens in 2020.
This captivating historical espionage thriller is now available to watch at no cost, featuring Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of Greville Wynne, a British tradesman enlisted by the Secret Intelligence Service.
His mission involved acting as a go-between with Russian intelligence asset Oleg Penkovsky (portrayed by Merab Ninidze) during the 1960s.
The Courier, formerly known as Ironbark, made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020 before reaching American and British cinemas in 2021.
Critics showered the production with praise on Rotten Tomatoes, earning an impressive 85% critics' score and a remarkable 95% audience approval rating, reports the Express.
The narrative centres on ordinary British merchant Greville Wynne, who finds himself drawn into one of history's most significant global tensions.
The plot description elaborates: "At the behest of the UK's MI-6 and a CIA operative (Rachel Brosnahan), he forms a covert, dangerous partnership with Soviet officer Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) in an effort to provide crucial intelligence needed to prevent a nuclear confrontation and defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis."
Reviewers praised the production as a "rousingly effective old-school spy adventure elevated by a thrilling fact-based story and Benedict Cumberbatch's nervy central performance".
One viewer gushed: "Thrilling and heartbreaking. Benedict Cumberbatch really doesn't disappoint."
Ready Steady Cut declared: "The Courier has everything you want in a Cold War spy thriller. It's solidly paced and strikes a nice balance of suspense and moving human drama."
Zach Pope reviews noted: "What could have easily been a boring slog of a film is turned into a daring, intense drama."
Cumberbatch received particular praise for his outstanding performance, with iNews among other outlets commenting: "The brilliance of Cumberbatch's performance lies in the way he conveys both Wynne's venality and his idealism."
The real-life espionage work of Wynne and Penkovsky was uncovered by the KGB, leading to both men being detained in November 1962.
Wynne received an eight-year prison sentence but was freed in April 1964 in a prisoner swap for Soviet agent Konon Molody, following British worries about his declining health.
Following his release, Wynne resumed his business activities.
The Courier is available on BBC iPlayer.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
10 minutes ago
- Daily Record
BBC Antiques Roadshow guest refuses to sell Titanic letter worth incredible fortune
Antiques Roadshow expert Hilary Kay met a guest whose father worked on the Titanic and survived the sinking of the vessel Antiques Roadshow's Hilary Kay had an eye-opening encounter with guests whose father, Sidney Daniels, was employed as a plate washer on the Titanic at the age of just 18. Sidney was one of the survivors of the tragic sinking and his offspring brought along a letter he penned to the beloved BBC programme. Recalling the fateful night, his daughter stated: "It was a Sunday, he was sound asleep, there was a banging and shouting and it was the night watchman. They were all a bit bleary-eyed because at first they thought it was a drill. "It wasn't until he got up on deck, there were hardly any people around at first and then officers came and turned to him and said, 'Go to these cabins'." She then explained how Sidney had been tasked with waking sleeping guests on the ship, as she went on: "Of course it was hard to wake people, they were asleep. Some reacted in different ways. One or two said 'What does this young man know? He's 18, the boat is unsinkable, we're not going up on deck'. "Others were saying, 'We've got children, they're going to get a chill if they go up on deck'. So he helped the children with the lifejackets and ushered them up on deck." Hilary chimed in on the episode which was re-aired on Sunday night: "You can imagine the scene of chaos and despair because people realised there weren't enough lifeboats." Sidney's son replied: "That was his job, to try and get people into the lifeboats and the water was rising all of the time. When all the lifeboats had gone, the water was up around his knees and he thought, 'It's time to go'. "So he dived off the side of the boat, swam away from it, came to a lifebelt and to my Dad's mind, it was too close to the boat, he was afraid when the boat went down, the suction would take them down so he said to this chap, 'It's no good here, let's swim away'. "Apparently this chap followed him and they just kept swimming. He said he saw a star in the sky which he thought was his mother and swam towards this star and eventually came to this life raft which was upside down and managed to cling onto that." "When he was on there, he said, 'I'm tired, I want to go to sleep,' and the chap next to him said, 'Don't go to sleep lad, if you do, it will be your last'. "So they sat there singing hymns trying to pass the time away." The duo had brought along a letter which had remained tucked inside Sidney's uniform pocket when he leapt from the Titanic, the Express reports. Hillary, clearly stunned by the letter, began to speak about the artefact's significance and value: "It's an extraordinary item and anything related to Titanic has this extraordinary effect on people. It is an extraordinary moment to behold something which is so linked into an extraordinary moment in history." She estimated its worth, saying: "We're talking about around £10,000, is the realistic value."
Daily Record
10 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Brit comedian 'could be jailed' for three years in Turkey after 'embarrassing mistake'
Cerys Nelmes, a stand-up comic, claims that she walked out of a Zara shop in Turkey without paying and although returning and owning up to her error, she was arrested. A British comedian who walked out of a Turkish Zara store without paying could face up to three years behind bars, despite going back to apologise upon realising her mistake. On July 22, Cerys Nelmes, a stand-up comic from Bristol, said it was a mistake and claimed she left the store with clothes before realising she had not gone through the till. After returning to the store to hand back the items and offering to pay, Nelmes says she was instead detained, locked in a room for hours without explanation, and eventually arrested for shoplifting, reports the Mirror. She said she was taken to a police station, pressured to sign documents in a language she could not read, and held in a cell for 24 hours with no food, water or a toilet. She said: "I was told they didn't understand me." The next day, she was brought before a judge who released her but banned her from leaving the country. She now faces a potential three-year sentence as the case proceeds. Nelmes says she is stranded in Turkey, unable to afford accommodation and missing out on work back home, putting her and her son at risk of losing their UK home. She said: "I'm ok and have been taken in by a Turkish family who gave me food and a bed. I don't deserve all the kind words from people but I am very grateful." Recounting what happened, she said that she had left the store with several items of clothing before realising her error. Despite returning to the store, claiming she had returned the items and wanted to pay, Nelmes was seized for shoplifting. The English stand-up comic explained the incident in a social media post saying: "On Tuesday I left a Zara store in Istanbul without paying for items. "I returned straight away and handed the items to staff. I was asked to pay and I said I would and the manager accepted this. To cut a long story short I was then taken to a locked room where hours later after no communication from anyone I was taken away by police and held in a police station and was asked to sign things I couldn't read. "I was put in a prison cell for 24 hours with no food or toilet facilities. When I asked for water, I was told they didn't understand me. "I was handcuffed and taken for fingerprints and mugshots at 3am. I was handcuffed and taken to court the following day and put in a cell. "I appeared before the judge and was told by a translator that I was released, but unable to leave Turkey for an undetermined amount of time. He said I was lucky to not be put in prison but I currently face up to three years. I have to report to a local police station every Monday. "I am lucky I have good friends in Turkey who are currently looking after me, and trying to translate the paperwork. I have no money, no earnings coming in from home, and I am running out of important medication. I will lose my home which I share with my son, and livelihood. "I am not looking for sympathy. I made a mistake which I tried to immediately rectify. I am embarrassed for my friends, my family, and I have made my 78-year-old mum unwell. I will never forgive myself for what I have done. "I believe I did it for mental health medical problems, but ultimately there is no excuse." The comedian has asked for public support as the ongoing court proceedings are causing her to lose work and earnings. The British Embassy said in a short statement that they are providing their support. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Scottish Sun
10 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Brit comedian facing 3 years in hellish Turkey prison for ‘shoplifting' after ‘accidentally' leaving Zara without paying
She was detained and accused of shoplifting in Istanbul NO LAUGHING MATTER Brit comedian facing 3 years in hellish Turkey prison for 'shoplifting' after 'accidentally' leaving Zara without paying Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A BRIT comedian faces up to three years in a Turkish prison after she forgot to pay at a Zara store. Cerys Nelmes, from Bristol, claims she absentmindedly wandered out of the shop with clothes before realising she hadn't paid. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Cerys Nelmes poses in undated photo Credit: Newsflash 5 Zara street shop in Istanbul Credit: Alamy 5 She was reportedly detained for shoplifting in Istanbul Credit: Newsflash She says she went back to the store in Istanbul to return the items and offered to pay. But despite this, she was detained and accused of shoplifting. Nelmes, who is a rising name in the Bristol comedy scene, took to social media to explain the incident. "On Tuesday I left a Zara store in Istanbul without paying for items," she said. "I returned straight away and handed the items to staff. I was asked to pay and I said I would and the manager accepted this. "To cut a long story short I was then taken to a locked room where hours later after no communication from anyone I was taken away by police and held in a police station and was asked to sign things I couldn't read. "I was put in a prison cell for 24 hours with no food or toilet facilities. "When I asked for water, I was told they didn't understand me." Nelmes was brought before a judge the next day, who permitted her release but barred her from leaving Turkey. She now faces a potential three-year prison sentence. Leaked footage shows terrifying power of new 'vacuum bomb' the GAZAP - one of the world's most destructive non-nuclear weapons The comedian is required to stay in the country while the incident is under investigation. She has appealed to the public for support in the wake of the incident, fearing she might lose her home back in Britain. The ongoing proceedings are leading to her losing work and income. Nelmes has been unable to afford accommodation in Turkey given she had only come for a short holiday but now finds herself banned from leaving. However, she was offered a place to stay by locals. She added: "I am ok and have been taken in by a Turkish family who have given me a bed and food. "I don't deserve all the kind words from people but I am very grateful." The British Embassy has confirmed it is offering support. It comes after a British tourist was dragged out of a holiday bar and beaten by staff after allegedly refusing to pay a £460 drinks bill. Footage from abar in Thailand's Chiang Mai city shows the holidaymaker being manhandled. The 26-year-old solo traveller was reportedly charged an inflated 20,000 baht - around £460 - for drinks at the Diamond Karaoke Bar. 5 Picture shows Cerys Nelmes Instagram story Credit: Newsflash
