Sir Anthony Hopkins to play Nicholas Winton in One Life

For the millions watching astatine location it was an unforgettable infinitesimal successful British TV history.

In February 1988 connected BBC's That's Life! a antheral called Nicholas Winton came face-to-face with immoderate of the 669 Jewish children helium had saved from the Nazis anterior to World War Two.

A astonishment reunion, it brought to airy a singular communicative - 1 which has present been turned into a Hollywood film.

And it is acceptable to prima Port Talbot's Sir Anthony Hopkins arsenic the Holocaust leader dubbed the British Schindler.

Entitled One Life, the movie volition archer of however Sir Nicholas, a London stockbroker who was knighted for his humanitarian accomplishments successful 2003, helped get young Jewish refugees retired of occupied Czechoslovakia successful 1938.

Overseeing those rescue efforts, arsenic good arsenic ensuring caller homes were recovered for those displaced, Sir Nicholas worked tirelessly to prevention hundreds of lives.

However, helium was ever haunted by the thought of each those helium was not capable to assistance and ne'er truly talked astir his efforts. As a effect his communicative of heroism would spell mostly unheard of.

That was until immoderate 50 years aboriginal erstwhile Sir Nicholas's woman uncovered a scrapbook successful their attic detailing everything her hubby had done, including the names of each the children who helium had helped escape.

The find saw the quality get astir and Sir Nicholas was aboriginal called to look connected an occurrence of fashionable Sunday nighttime user affairs programme That's Life!

There, arsenic the cameras rolled, the big Esther Rantzen asked the workplace audience: "Does anyone present contiguous beryllium their beingness to Nicholas Winton?"

It was astatine that constituent dozens sitting astir the past 77-year-old stood up, revealing themselves to beryllium grown-up versions of those small ones helium had rescued, albeit conscionable a tiny percentage.

Immortalised successful caller years connected YouTube, the affectional clip has since been viewed tens of millions of times, thereby reintroducing Sir Nicholas to a full caller generation.

And present cinemagoers volition soon beryllium capable to spot his exploits unfold connected the large screen, with One Life having its satellite premiere adjacent period astatine the Toronto International Film Festival.

It was changeable past twelvemonth successful Prague, from wherever children were transported by obstruction and a statue of Sir Nicholas was unveiled successful 2009.

Margam-born Sir Anthony volition play his aged incarnation portion histrion and instrumentalist Johnny Flynn portion play him arsenic a younger man.

Helena Bonham Carter volition besides look arsenic Sir Nicholas's mother, alongside Welsh histrion Jonathan Pryce.

The movie was adapted from a 2014 publication written by Sir Nicholas's girl Barbara, entitled If It's Not Impossible… The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton.

One Life's Oscar-winning accumulation institution See-Saw described the play arsenic "an inspiring existent story" and "a contention against time".

It added that, by appearing connected television, Sir Nicholas was yet capable marque bid with his demons.

"It wasn't until helium was amazed by the survivors connected unrecorded tv that helium accepted how, erstwhile faced with devastating atrocities, redeeming adjacent 1 beingness is simply a victory," it said.

"And the British nationalist got to larn the information astir the leader hidden successful their midst."

Sir Nicholas died successful July 2015 aged 106.