Amol Rajan Interviews Ian McKellen

BBC2, 9pm

Set to celebrate his 83rd birthday in May, Sir Ian McKellen (right in 1978) is not only one of the greats of British stage and screen but also a force of nature.

With a long career as one of the most acclaimed Shakespearean actors of all time, he displayed extraordinary energy last year by playing Hamlet.

In this feature-length interview, Amol Rajan invites McKellen to look back over his life, from his childhood in wartime Lancashire to his student days at Cambridge, where he first started acting.

As well as examining the global fame he has found with younger generations thanks to playing Gandalf in The Lord Of The Rings and Magneto in the X-Men franchise,

Rajan also discusses McKellen’s role as a publicly gay figure and a pioneering leader in the battle for equal rights. ★★★★★