London, 1797: After years spent battling a cynical Parliamentary majority grown fat from the African trade, anti-slavery advocate William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd, pictured) retires to the country, exhausted and beaten down by the moral decay of Westminster. Will his budding romance with Barbara (Romola Garai, pictured) and friendship with ex-slave trader John Newton (Albert Finney) renew him for the fight?
A strong cast lends full vocal support to the ever-upright Gruffudd, who turns in an impressive performance as the impassioned, Hull-born reformer. Recommended.